City of IF

[Shady Stoat]

The vote went with crossing the bridge to the East side of the river, towards the rougher side of the city. Here's what happens next.

Chapter Eleven

There was no help for it. Keli darted onto the bridge and flung herself across it. She heard a roar from behind her. Knowing it would only slow her, but unable to help herself, she glanced over her shoulder.

He wasn’t following! The guard was cupping his hands over his mouth and bellowing for help, but he wasn’t chasing after her.

Keli felt a sense of triumph. At last she had done something right! It seemed that the church did not rule this side of the city. Maybe she could find a safe place to rest her head and work out what to do next.

She had to get far out of sight of the bridge first, though. If her pursuer was calling for help, it meant that he was still considering coming after her. Just not alone. If she could mask her trail, though, she couldn’t imagine that they would waste hours searching for her. They would probably give up and go back to terrorizing the west side of the city again.

Hope gave her buoyancy for a while. Her legs took her away from the river and into the dark and narrow streets. She breathed in the stink of over-ripe lanes as if it were the sweet scent of blossom. For all of their faults, these streets represented freedom.

High on a concoction of adrenaline and exhaustion, Keli did not stop to consider why the guards would not cross the river solo. Neither did she note the appearance of a shadowy form, taking up position and pacing her easily from half a street-length behind.

Keli’s breath was painful in her chest now. Still she forced herself to run. She passed half-ruined houses and squalid buildings where ghost-figures flickered in the candlelight. The structures were covered in cracks and even the intact walls leaned at crazy angles. There seemed no building untouched by the earth tremors – yet on the other side of the river, there had been no evidence of similar ruin. It was a mystery.

A dark shape lay in the gutter. She slowed, trying to distinguish what it was. The outline was large, long and angular, jutting out at angles that proclaimed it to be a man or thereabouts. Curiosity bade her step closer, albeit reluctantly. She saw the shape of a bottle, lying somewhere between the arm and the head. It lay in a shallow pool of dark liquid. There was a smell of raw spirits that almost made her gag – and something else, sickly and rotting. She turned and hurried away. Whatever it was, she no longer wanted to see.

Further up the street, two females flaunted pale bodies as they leaned against the crazed walls of a shack. They shouted threats and insults, cawing like ravens and throwing pebbles at her as she hurried past. She could still hear them screeching, long after she had moved on.

There was a shrill cry, far away on her right. It cut off abruptly, leaving the street in unnatural silence. Keli slowed further, glancing nervously in the direction of the noise. She could see nothing, nor had she expected to. The streets were virtually black and whatever had happened, it was a good distance away. Nothing that need concern her.

Her heart was racing, nevertheless. She came to a narrow T-Junction and automatically turned away from the direction of the shriek. Because she was still distracted, she saw nothing of the strangers until it was too late. A sudden movement to the left of her and the side of her face exploded in pain. She staggered backwards, clutching her cheek, only to run into a hard body behind her.

Two men. The one behind her felt thin but strong. His fingers dug into her arms and there was hard muscularity under clothes that stank of mildew. The one in front was misshapen, one shoulder seeming far larger than the other, his face a network of scars. His teeth were blackened and rotten and his hair was thin and strawlike. For all that, he looked well able to take care of himself, and anyone else who got in his way.

Her face was pounding with pain and her left eye was streaming, blurring her vision. Thoughts milled like panicked sheep in her head, each one too rapid to catch on to. Caught in a hypnotic paralysis, she began to struggle only when Mildew began tugging at her backpack. Scarface advanced on her again.

She screamed, but panic took the sound away, leaving it weak and breathless. Immediately, Scarface swung again. This time, his fist landed in her stomach and she doubled over, retching. Her arms tried to come forward to protect herself, but Mildew was still behind her, working on prising her backpack from her arms. She struggled, trying to get away, trying to suck air into her lungs, trying to gain some control over the situation, however slight.

For a moment, she managed it. Her right arm came free of Mildew’s grip. She jerked forward, hoping to escape. There was a guttural curse from behind, then her captive arm was jerked up into an agonizing position. There was a clunk in the shoulder socket. Her vision went black around the edges. There was the sensation of her backpack slipping off her wrists, but it was distant and unreal.

“Money. Give money,” snarled Scar, lifting her sagging head up by the hair. She looked through his filthy face with glazed eyes. He slapped her roughly on the bruised cheek.

Keli lashed out with her foot. It caused a fresh wave of agony in her shoulder. She felt sick and savage as she felt a connection with Scar’s shin. There was fresh pain as he almost pulled the roots of her hair out, then another swift blow as his knee connected with her pubic bone.

She tried to claw at the man with her good arm. She was no longer certain she was having any effect. Her vision wavered and she no longer seemed able to summon any strength to her aid. There was a hand, fumbling at her shirt. Then the front-man called to his accomplice.

“Lookit we got ‘ere. ‘S a gorl. ‘Tek ‘er, wi’ us, put ‘er ta work.”

Something pulled on Keli’s hair again. She moaned and stumbled after the now-walking man. There was a shout from behind, nothing that she could make out. Then, suddenly, there was a blur. Another shape, barrelling into Scarface, pushing him into the skewed wall of a building.

More pain from her head. His grip had lurched sideways and she fell with it. She screamed as her weight fell on her left arm. Rolling away from the agony, she ended stomach-down in the dirt road.

Someone was crying out in pain or fear. Was it her? Turning her head made her want to vomit again, but it was either that or choke on dust. She took in the details through her haze.

Two figures, fighting. One was Scar. The pale straw hair fluttered around his purpling face as he struggled. He was hanging in the grip of the second figure. It held him by the throat, shaking him as though he were a rag doll. He slashed at the arm with a knife. The knife was ripped from his hand and thrown contemptuously away. It skidded on the dirt with a ‘shoosh’.

Scarface was struggling less now. Feeble. His tongue was fat and lolling in his mouth. Keli stared at it, feeling a mad giggle welling up inside her. For no reason she could fathom, she tried to get her good arm underneath her and lift herself up. The aches in her shoulder and stomach were making her feel hazy again, but she managed to wobble to her knees, just as the cloaked figure dropped Scar with a thud.

Keli felt with fumbling fingers for her knife, as the stranger turned its hooded countenance on her. She gripped the handle numbly, aware that it was a pitiable defence.

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth, human.” The voice spoke from within the hood.

It took Keli a moment. Then: “Shakal?” she croaked.

“Come. Follow me.”

The wolf began to walk past her. She tried to get up, swayed where she stood and succumbed to the inevitable. She was unconscious before she hit the dirt.

--------

Her eyes opened once, briefly. One of them was puffy and felt like it was full of gum. It didn’t make much of a difference to what she could see. Her face was full of flapping cloak. A strong grip encircled her knees and she was doubled over someone’s shoulder, like a sack. Her shoulder felt like someone was twisting a knife into it with each jogging step. There was a smell of rot and filth, cloying through her nostrils, making her gag. From the smell of vomit on the cloak, she probably already had, at least once.

“Where… am I?” she panted, through the pain.

“Shut up!” hissed the one who carried her. It was Shakal.

Keli tried to think. It was too much effort. She shut her eyes again and let the darkness claim her.

--------

She was screaming before her eyes next opened. Somebody held her horizontal and her shoulder was full of white-hot agony, which immediately began to fade.

“Hush. It’s over now. Drink this,” commanded a soft voice.

Keli’s eyes roved the room, taking in a wealth of details.

She was in a library of some kind. A cluttered chamber, its walls lined with deep oaken shelves and crammed with books. It smelled of old paper and dust. The ceilings were high and beamed, with dark golden stuccowork in between the wooden supports. Makeshift beds, of canvas and straw and all manner of rags were dotted around the room, making it look more like an encampment than a place of learning.

There were over a dozen others clustered in small groups around the chamber. Three of them were humans, who were whispering among themselves. The rest were half-beasts, not wolves but stranger creatures altogether. Two were skinny and shrunken, barely four feet tall with sharp, pointed faces and grey-brown fuzz on cheeks and ears. One stood broad at nearly seven feet, with a wide nose and curly black hair running almost indiscernibly from head through to the cheeks. Most, though, were unmistakeably half-cats of some type or other. They shared the same golden eyes and long, rangy bodies, but their fur varied as much as human hair, and their stature set them apart, even from each other. They eyed her with evident suspicion, tilt-headed and unsmiling.

One of those was holding her down against the bed, with little apparent effort. It had mottled ears that seemed far too big for its head, covered in golden brown fur. It and one other creature towered over her, apparently unaware of how disconcerting they were. The one who had spoken to her originally was a serpent-like thing. Its skin was iridescent and subtly scaled and only the top half was human at all. From the waist down it had the coils of a snake.

“Drink this,” it repeated. “It will help.”

With a nod to the cat creature it held a goblet before her again. Keli felt the weight being lifted from her torso and good arm and she tried to sit up. It was a struggle, with one arm working and a body that felt like it had been run through a clothes-mangle. She rejected the offered hand of the Werecat and struggled upright.

Wordlessly, the snake-creature handed her the cup. Keli sniffed at it suspiciously. She was almost disappointed to identify nothing more than willow tea. A mild painkiller seemed barely adequate to numb the effects of her beating.

It was better than nothing, though. She sipped and winced at the bitterness.

“Where am I?” she asked, shuddering the drink down in great mouthfuls.

“You already know where you are,” answered the Cat. To Keli’s surprise, it sounded male. He was wearing robes of scarlet and gold, which concealed his gender, but she had assumed… well, how could you tell with these creatures? Different though they were, they all looked peculiarly the same!

Except Shakal. For the first time since waking, she wondered where the wolf was. She dismissed the question. Better first to find out where she herself was!

She opened her mouth to repeat the question, but found the question unnecessary.

“The cat building?” she ventured. The snake-creature had encircled the bad shoulder with both hands and was rattling off a monotonous chant. Distracted by this, the next few words slipped out. “I saw soldiers here.”

All sound save the snake’s chanting ceased. The creatures stared at her. Keli felt abruptly trapped.

One of the skinny creatures turned to the robed Cat. “There will be soldiers before long. She will bring them. Why do you waste your time on her? Do your own kind mean nothing to you now? Throw her out and see to your own survival, for all our sakes!”

The crowd muttered their concurrence, almost without exception. Keli shrank under the weight of their combined hostility. The Werecat simply stood and gestured to the door.

“Leave us,” he stated.

Looking abashed and angry, they nonetheless made their way out. Keli flushed, not sure what to make of it all. A heat was starting to spread from her shoulder. It was making her feel pleasantly light-headed and pain-free. Despite the tension that surrounded her, she began to relax.

The door shut and the Cat turned back to her. Now she was alone in the room with the snake and the robed Cat. He sat down on the corner of her bed and regarded her, unblinkingly.

“My name is Erath,” he said. “This is Chahk, the head of healing. Please, listen to me. There is not much time.”

Keli turned her head, past the bad eye, to fix her attention on Erath. “Why am I here?” she asked.

Erath’s teeth glinted in a smile. “If this were an ordinary day, I would tell you that you are here because you were always destined to be here. However, we have more practical concerns than that. By tomorrow, this building will be besieged. Within a day, in all probability, the remnants of our last bastion will be destroyed.”

The snake was moving both hands up from the shoulder to the jaw now. Keli tried to ignore the euphoric tingling in her skin and focus on what the Cat was telling her.

“What did that… the one that you threw out… what did he mean?” she fumbled for words that would not offend either of the remaining two.

“Shh. We have no time for that, either. Many races have been forced together under one roof. Disagreement is inevitable. It does not matter. They will respect my judgement in this affair, at least for long enough to send you on your way again.”

Keli’s stomach gave a little lurch at the thought of leaving this haven. Despite their savage appearances, these people had rescued her, healed her. This one, at least, knew what she was and he wasn’t repulsed. It was a rare enough occurrence that she wanted to savour it for as long as possible.

“I don’t know if I can…” she began.

Erath cut her off. “Today the Guards took down the Healers’ Halls, on behalf of the Priests of Itharien. Chahk and one other of his clan survived. The rest were massacred where they stood. Even so, it will not be enough for the Priests. They will search for Chahk’s body and, not finding it, will know where he fled to. Now only the Oracle stands. The killing will continue until Chahk and myself lie dead at their feet. They cannot take our powers, so they must destroy us, or feel the fear of our magic as a dagger at their throats.”

“What are you going to do?” The healer rubbed a scaly finger over her puffy eye. Keli felt the throbbing lessen.

“What will I do?” Erath’s face quirked into a sad smile. “I will die, as they wish me to. Most of us will.”

“What?!” Keli sat forward so suddenly that the healer almost jabbed her in the eye. “What do you…”

“Please.” The cat held up a sharp-taloned hand. “You already know that I speak the truth. You have seen it in your dreams. I am not the one who can stop this evil. None of us here can. That task falls to you.”

“M-me?” gasped the girl.

“I sensed you approaching the city three days ago. We dream-shared. I had hoped that the wolf would bring you to my doorstep, but she arrived alone. Since then, events have moved quickly for both of us. When the Healers’ Hall fell, I knew that the time for chance had run out and I sent Shakal out to search for you. Given how things now stand, I wish I had acted sooner.”

“B-but…” Keli tried to put words to her thoughts. “What can I do?”

Erath regarded her calmly. “Have you any idea how powerful our magic is? We have the ability to stand at the crossroads of possibilities and see down all paths. Past, present, all the futures that might be, with all their hazards and rewards. Knowledge throughout the ages, there for the taking. Why do you think that the Oracle still stands when all other non-humans have been driven out or destroyed? They have not dared to attack us, because they fear that we are prepared and more than prepared for them. You have the most powerful force in the universe in your hands, child. Knowledge is your weapon now. All you need is the ability to use it.

“If knowledge is so powerful, how come you’re going to die?” Keli shot, abruptly angry. “I can’t do anything. I have visions – nightmares, but…”

“Many of us will die, but we will not die unprepared.” The cat’s measured voice was a rebuke in itself. “Shakal will be your guardian and your teacher. I have instilled her with the knowledge to teach you what you need to know. She will be able to lead you to your goal.”

“What goal?” Keli shouted, incensed. “I just want to go home! I just want to be safe! I don’t care about your plans, I just…”

She trailed off, helplessly. Erath’s expression was calm and unwavering.

“Can you do that now?” he asked. “Can any of us really ‘be safe’ while Itharien stalks us? You may choose not to fight, if you wish. You may return home, or run as far as your legs can take you while Itharien swells its ranks. In the end it will consume you, as it consumes all others with the power to challenge it. As Oracle, I tell you this, not to force your compliance but to force you to face your choices with a seeing eye. There is no safe path for you to take. I am sorry.”

He continued, softly. “Once in a generation, an Oracle is born. In other times you would have been respected and revered. You would have been sent to me, to learn your skills at the hands of the one most qualified to teach you. Poets would have written great works in your name, lovers would have vied for your attentions and you would have been surrounded by those that would have gloried in serving you.

“These are not such times. For the past twenty years, the Cult of the Beast has been spreading from the North, twisting the minds of men towards hatred of our kind. It was, for all of its propagation, an unworthy pimple of evil. We avoided it as best we could and lived our own lives separately from the men-children who beset us.

“Then the High Priest Itharien spread his works to Shift City. He found the ancient temples, buried deep underneath the foundations of buildings you see now. It was there that he delved into the secrets of Shift. He discovered ancient texts and the soul-stones, and then the sacrifices began.”

Keli stared. “The sacrifice stones? Those foul red rocks?”

Erath sighed. “Say not ‘foul’. The stones are neither good nor evil. They are simply potent artefacts from a time long dead. The Lord Itharien hopes to use their power and make it his own – yet what knowledge he has is learned from the ancient languages and they wriggle like maggots on a hook. The soul-stones will never be understood by memorising the written word in parchments and scrolls. He can possess all and control naught, but by the time he realises this, he will have destroyed more than he can ever hope to gain.”

Keli’s head was spinning. How could she bear the responsibility for stopping the army of Itharien? She could barely even keep herself alive! This creature must be wrong, she had no special powers, she was nothing but a scared little girl, lost in a hateful city. She opened her mouth to speak, then the healer moved away from her and bowed her head.

“The time has come,” said Erath, simply. “Your body is healed, your mind refreshed. If you wish to leave, we can give you safe passage from here to any part of the city that you choose to go. If you wish to face your foe, Shakal will be with you to guide you on your journey – and before you leave, I can give you a final gift.”

The girl shook her head. “Gift?”

“The gift of the Oracle. One question, one answer. It is all the help I can bestow in the time we have left. Do you accept the gift – and the responsibility that goes with it?”

Erath tilted his head, regarding her with unfathomable golden eyes. Keli tried to gather her thoughts.

[Chinaren]

Nice Old Stoat. :cool:

I think she has to follow her "path". Going it alone hasn't worked well for her so far!

Take the Gift!

Hurrah, first response for a change!

[Smee]

Excellent chapter. I knew it would be. :)

Lots of new information now, and even better a purpose. If she really thinks about it she knows she doesn't have a home any more and that running away isn't going to solve anything.

She has been offered the opportunity to learn about her powers, and be trained by Shakal in exchange for stopping an evil she already hates. One I think she must take.

But what question to ask....?

- "Are there others I should seek to help me on this quest?"

- "Where should I go next?"

- "Tell me of the rise of the Itharien."


They are the only ones that come to mind at the moment. I'll be back if more come to mind.


Happy Writing. :)

[ethereal_fauna]

Now she has a chance to really get somewhere :clap:

She should accept this gift, and go with Shakal. Otherwise she's not going to accomplish much except her own misery and eventual death.

As for what question to ask...I'll think on some more. :)

[Tazgirl180992]

Take the gift, Take the gift!!!

She's having no luck on her own, as smee pointed out. She not going to get anywhere running away from itharien and she just going to die, by running. And this is the only way to save the creature that has helped her so much! So It's obvious that she has to take to gift isn't it?!

[Darra]

I agree with the masses. Time to face her abilities and face the Ithariens. And why turn down the Oracles gift?

Question:

Inquire about the meaning of her dream. It's going to plague her later on as she spends more time with Shakal and if she takes her load, she'll end up in that battle at some point. Having an understanding of it could help save her or even prevent her from harming the wrong foe.

[Chinaren]

Hello Darra, not seen you here before. Cool avatar! :D

[ethereal_fauna]

Welcome back Darra :D ltns

[Darra]

I never really left. I've just been lurking around and reading quietly. Appreciate the welcome though.

Enjoying the story.

[Mother Goose]

Of course she must take the gift. As for what question to ask, Darra's suggestion is good, "Tell me what my dream means." Understanding that could help her see what it is she's fighting against, and what for.

[Shady Stoat]

Thanks for all suggestions and comments so far, guys :D

When you say "Tell me what my dream means" - are we talking about Keli's original dream here, or the dream about the golden cat building, or the vision in the temple, regarding the dark ruined stinky place?

Or all three? Just want to be sure before I raid the Creativium Mines ;)

[Mother Goose]

I was thinking about the cat temple one, but if she could get the answer to all three, that would be a big plus. Maybe "Could you interpret the dreams I've been having and tell me what it is about me that makes me have them?"

[Guest]

Mother Goose wrote: I was thinking about the cat temple one, but if she could get the answer to all three, that would be a big plus. Maybe "Could you interpret the dreams I've been having and tell me what it is about me that makes me have them?"

I agree with mother goose!It would help alot if she could understand why she has them and allow her to understand the dreams themselves.

[Kalanna Rai]

Most of the other people with powers of her lay seem to be more bestial in nature...I would ask if there are more powers connected to her dreams...Oracles are rarely stand alone seers they often can command the power of a god or two...

[DukeReg]

Wow, I'm away for a while, and you all get into all kinds of trouble...
;)

Heres my 2 cents:

Accept the gift/responsibility of course.

I think that if Shakal has been instilled with the knowledge to teach Keli, then interpreting dreams and so forth would have to be part of the teaching.

The question to the oracle shouldn't be anything likely to be covered by Shakals training. In other words, Shakal will teach her all she needs to know about the means, she needs to ask the oracle about the end.

"What significant goal or milestone should I focus my energy on achieving, if I am eventually to remove Ithariens influence from the world?"

(Phrase it more hesitantly, in a way more appropriate to the speech of a confused young girl of course!)

[Guest]

you have a point there DukeReg, the training would probably cover interpreting the dreams. And the question is also good!

[Tazgirl180992]

you have a point there DukeReg, the training would probably cover interpreting the dreams. And the question is also good!

(I wrote that above but i forgot to sign in!)

[Shady Stoat]

I'm going to put the poll up later today. ANyone who wants to make last minute suggestions, feel free - but do it quick :)

[Shady Stoat]

Another 3 day poll. I've slightly abbreviated some of the questions, to make them fit comfortably into the poll space. I'll ask the full ones if they get voted for :)

[Chinaren]

Being greedy I asked about the powers.

[Ingrothechundyer]

Hmm I voted for milestones on the theory that the wolf can fill us in on powers.

[Smee]

I agree that she can probably learn about her powers from Shakal.

I voted for finding out whether there are others to find to help with the quest.

If she needs help to complete this mission (likely) then the sooner she gets the group together the more likely she'll be able to head towards a milestone.

No point knowing a milestone if she gets killed on the first step towards it.

Happy Writing. :)

[ethereal_fauna]

I figured it'd be a waste to ask about things she can learn from others easily, or from books, such as the rise of Itharien and such. She'll also learn about her powers, and who she could possibly ally with, if she can only discern that first milestone.

[Mother Goose]

Okay, DukeReg has me convinced that she'll get the other answers anyway, so asking about the goal makes sense.

[Shady Stoat]

Fairly clear-cut decision there. DukeReg's 'milestone' question wins it.

I'll get to writing :D

[Shady Stoat]

New chapter posted. Topic locked :)