The Afterworld Saga — 10
Chapter 10 — Truth and Lies
“I am called Copernicus.”
The scroll suddenly vanished, and before his eyes the Sorcerer saw once more the cavernous darkness of the opening towards the Afterworld, the name of his brother that he took on as his own echoing in his ears. In truth, he knew he had no choice; failure, the imbalance of the divide between Before and After, was not an option. Yet never had he known fear of Death as he did now; never had he considered the god Dimitri his enemy.
He adjusted his decaying load on his shoulder as he spread his other arm out wide. The dark cloaks billowed over his lean body. Though he had begun in secret, the identity he had created became real. He was truly the Sorcerer, the heir to the power they held. The ceremonies he underwent, the painful torment he had to go through, was accepted by the gods; no name, or lack of a name, could replace that. He couldn’t afford to doubt himself now.
The wind rushed through the square as the clouds darkened, concealing the waxing moon and dimming the festival lights. In a few hours, the sun would rise, and the people would return for the second day of the festival. By then, many will believe that the events of the night before to be nothing more than an interesting story. Perhaps one or two may feel the weight of change in the air, the heaviness of the clouds above. But no one will be able to see the chasm. Yet.
The Sorcerer was alone. His mind was made up. No matter what events brought him here, nothing, not even the fear of facing the soul of his dead brother, could keep him, the Protector of the Realm, from taking the role he had to play in keeping the gate to the Afterworld closed. The tips of his sandals were along the edge of the chasm, and he tilted his body forward to dive into the abyss. But just as he was about to leap, the body moved on his shoulder. Stunned, he turned to face the decaying corpse, whose ball-less eyes were filled with pools of darkness. He could not understand how, but they were focused on him, her cracked lips peeled back into a grin of malice.
“Until we meet again, Brother.” Suddenly a gust of wind pushed him from behind. With a yell, the Sorcerer fell forward into the darkness, the Whispers of laughter following in his wake.
Leida knew this place too well.
It was a darkness she had experienced before, and the Whispers were the same. But now, she could hear the words that were spoken. The stolen voices of the dead who had sold their soul before they died, mocking and taunting, coercing and enticing. They told her her memories, they told her her fears. Only because she had been here before, she could calm herself and let the voices dim. Soon, the voices were merely wisps of wind, and she was able to get a grasp of her surroundings.
Though she could not control it, her chest rose and fell in a relaxed manner. She could feel Tamra’s presence still there, and as far as she could tell, her body seemed to be just fine, though it had landed on a gravel surface in an awkward position. Tamra was still unconscious, so she could not open her eyes. But it was enough that she could feel her hand still securely wrapped around Roy’s wrist. The pulse in his wrist beat against her palm strongly.
Everyone was okay. For now.
“Tamra.” Leida tried to nudge the other’s consciousness. “Tamra, are you there?”
Her presence flickered, then went silent.
“TAMRA!”
The young woman was suddenly on her feet, hands on an invisible sword at her hip, her body and mind on high alert. Her eyes opened, not quite understanding what she saw, then closed as she placed her hands over her ears.
“What is going on??”
“Tamra, calm down.”
“Who is there!”
“Tamra, it’s Leida! You have to — ”
“BE QUIET! YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!”
“Tamra! They feed on emotion! You have to calm down!”
Leida watched in horror as her body fell to its knees. She could sense Tamra’s panic, and she tried to find a way to get through to the woman.
“They won’t go away, Leida!” Tamra yelled, her breathing quickening. “They’re inside my head!”
“They’re not there, I’m here.” Leida expanded her presence to surround Tamra. “I’m the only one here. You need to calm down, or else we’ll never move forward. Calm down, and the voices will go away. Calm down, and everything will be fine.”
Again and again, Leida spoke gently, patiently guiding Tamra to calm down, and slowly her heartbeat and breathing slowed. Her soothing words guided Tamra away from the clutches of the whisperers, and soon, she too was deaf to their words.
After a moment, her hands fell away from her ears as she sat back on her heels. “Thank you.” Her voice was soft and out of breath, as though she had just climbed out of her own grave. Leida can only imagine what the Whisperers were saying to her.
Allowing Tamra a moment to regain her dignity, Leida took in the landscape through her eyes. From what she could understand, she was staring down a barren expanse. The sky was a faint pink, as though in perpetual twilight. Though she couldn’t perceive any sun, or any light source for that matter. It was as though the dim light was coming from everywhere all at once. Looking down, only the smallest of shadows was beneath her knees.
She grimaced and shook her head. They truly were in the Afterworld. For this was the Timeless Land, the barrier surrounding the Land of the Dead, and home to the invisible Whisperers. She had seen it in her visions, and her subsequent research confirmed it.
“Tamra.”
“Hm?”
“Look up.” Slowly, her eyes raised to see the cloudless sky. No hole. No chasm. They must have fallen in an area that was out of sight of the opening. Or we were transported. She tried not to pay the thought too much mind.
“Who would move us?” Tamra asked.
Leida winced, forgetting for a moment that she could hear her thought. “I don’t know. After that run-in with the sea monster, I’d believe anything would be coming after us.”
Tamra looked down to Roy’s still form laying beside her. “Should we wake him?”
“Yes, but slowly. I’m worried about how he’ll take it.”
Tamra grinned. “I’m sure it won’t go well.”
Just as Tamra predicted, Roy’s battle was gruesome.
“No! You’re lying!” he yelled as he got to his feet. He held his hands over his ears, eyes clenched in pain. “They’re lying. You’re not Leida!”
“No, I’m Tamra.” Leida watched as she held out her arms to her brother, but she held her tongue, knowing that it was only Tamra that could speak to him now. “But you need to calm down.”
“Calm? Calm?? We’re in the Afterworld, and they’re after us, and you want me to be calm?!”
“The voices you’re hearing are the Whisperers,” Tamra said, keeping her voice level. “They feed off of high emotions. Whatever they tell you are lies.”
Roy’s eyes suddenly widened. “They got you. They’re using you. This is just a way to keep Leida’s body! You never meant to give her back!”
“Roy, I don’t want to keep your sister’s body! These are instructions from the Oracle.”
“Then the Oracle was lying!”
“Why would she lie? She knew everything about you, about Leida, about me! Don’t let them get to you, Roy. You need to be strong for Leida.” At this point, Roy flinched, as though something had yelled in his ear.
“Stop it!” His hands clenched into fists.
Tamra suddenly stepped forward and brought her hands on either side of his face. She fixed him with her steady gaze. “Roy. You’re making Leida cry.”
Roy suddenly blinked, his dark eyes focusing on hers. “What?” Leida was stunned. She didn’t realize that she was, in fact, crying.
“Leida loves you more than you understand.” Tamra said, her voice consistent as she kept his head firmly between her hands. “She’s here, she’s watching you fall apart, and it’s killing her. You need to be strong for her. Remember, I already proved to you that she’s still here.” Through her words, Roy’s breathing started to slow. His eyes never left her own.
Tamra continued. “You’ve always been there for her. You have to continue to be here for her. And the only way you can do that is if you calm down. Just calm down.” After a moment, Roy’s eyes began to close. He slumped to the ground, winded as Tamra was when the whispers finally diminished. Leida was elated, though worried.
“Thank you.”
Tamra shrugged. “Don’t mention it,” she said in her mind. “But we’re going to have to watch him. He’s not doing too well.” Leida noticed that Roy was shaking. Only the gods knew what they must have told him.
“So,” Tamra said suddenly. “What next?”
“We walk towards the First Gates of the Afterworld.”
“And where exactly are those?”
“That way.” Tamra and Leida both looked at Roy, shocked to see him pointing to a nondescript location on the horizon.
“Are you sure about that?” Tamra asked, hesitantly.
Roy gave her a sardonic grin. “Trust me.” He started walking, rubbing the key on his hand. Leida shrugged, and Tamra followed, each of them knowing they did not have enough time left.
Editor’s Notes: We want to thank Tobi for another great chapter and on such short notice. He really helped us out a ton! The next authors are listed as follows:
Kevin M. Schenk May 26 ; ch11
Joshua Valdivia — June 2 ; ch12
C. Allen Exline ; June 9 ch13
Si — June 16; ch14
Rhiannon D’Averc — June 23 ; ch15
Raine D. — June 30 ; ch16
Tobi Amos-July 7 ; ch17
Ashley Khue Pham July 14 ; ch18
Leo Charles M. — July 21 Ch19
