Impure: Godslayers

Lasters opened his eyes.

“It is him. It is Shadro,”

“Impossible,” Norton uttered.

The three boys came storming into the room.

“Norton we are sorry,” George apologised.

He was distraught and his tone was teeming with hysteria.

“It is my fault I burnt Borr by accident. He lost concentration,” Lee chimed in.

Norton smiled and shook his head regretfully.

“No it was my fault entirely. I breached the secret passage way… I should have controlled Lee. I should have controlled them,” Osy said.

“Too late,” Norton said

Norton looked at Osy blankly as he calmly took an oblong-shaped metal disk from the table by his side. The disk had a large circular hole, and its thick frame had six small holes with irregular notches. Still gazing directly at Osy, Norton held the thick-framed disk on the table that Lasters was lain on. Instantly Lasters’ body melted into a reflective, thick, glassy sludge. Rapidly, the sludge latched on to the inside frame of the disc and instantly solidified, so that Norton was now holding a two sided mirror. Norton handed the mirror to George, who was stood closest to him. George looked at the mirror. In addition to seeing his reflection, George saw Lasters’ face staring back at him.

“George,” Lasters said.

“You all have to leave now, take Lasters he will show you where to go,”

“What?” Osy and Lee exclaimed in unison.

“Leave?” George asked.

Norton swiftly strode out of the room, ignoring the protestation of the boys, who were stalking him like a rabble of squawking gulls. He strode towards the altar in the hall, which Borr was leant against whilst cradling his head.

“We must make ready,” Norton said as he grabbed one of the ornamental weapons.

He held a hand up, causing the boys to stop talking. They watched apprehensively as Norton opened his legs and squatted. Then he inhaled deeply, till his chest and shoulders rose. He exhaled slowly and heavily. The boys felt the gust of his breath blow past them and fill the hall. They watched solemnly and silently as Norton straightened up, panting heavily. A streak of grey had appeared at the back of his head full of black hair and a trace of crow’s feet appeared at either side of his eyes.

“Why do you look olde-”

However, Osy was interrupted by the loud teeth-grinding sound of scraping stone. Suddenly all the stone soldiers began to creak. The boys gasped in shock as they watched the soldiers move and fall into rank as though in preparation for an impending battle.

“What are you looking at? Run!”

Spurred more by the volume of Norton’s scold than his actual command, the boys began to trot hesitantly towards the other side of the hall.

“Run!” Norton shouted.

The boys sprinted out of the hall and up the tunnel.

“He is here brother,” Borr said.

As Borr grabbed a weapon, he and Norton looked up at the shadow that fell on them from above.

Similar to a spider hanging from on a thread of web, Shadro slowly descended through the hole in the ceiling. With his arms behind him, he stopped his descent and levitated right in front of Borr and Norton.

“My long lost sons,”

Both men shivered with fear for a fleeting moment, as Shadro landed in front of them, looking from the two weapons in their hands to the one that remained on the altar.

“So you have the godly weapons,” Shadro hissed.

Norton’s eyes strayed to his stone soldiers’ for a moment, and back at the psychotic smile of his father.

“Charge!” Norton yelled.

“What the…”

Lee was at a loss for words as he ran out of the cave only to find himself ankle deep in snow. As Singe chattered loudly on Lee’s shoulders, Osy and George ran out of the cave, to find their world covered in snow.

“Where did all this snow come from?” Osy yelled.

“It has always being here. The snow and the cold that came with it… we were just blinded. Our whole life has being a lie,” George said ominously.

“There is no time to tarry, run down the hill past the beach tower; there is a cave and in it lies a vessel. That is our destination,” Lasters said.

“Past the beach tower…. We have never been that far before,” Lee whined.

“AHHH!!!”

The loud battle-cry caused the boys to look to their left, only to find a soldier racing up the hill with his spear raised. Suddenly he was struck down by a spear which came seemingly out of nowhere.

“Run boys,”

The boys looked down the hill, to find Sek surrounded by soldiers. The bald bearded man towered above the mortal soldiers that surrounded him, but they had the advantage of greater numbers.

“There are soldiers everywhere!” Sek yelled.

The boys slid down the frozen hill with intent on helping Sek. A couple of soldiers soldiers turned their attention to the boys.

“Great, the first mortals we encounter and they are trying to kill us,” Lee said as he clenched his raised fists.

Yet before the soldiers could strike, Sek tackled them to the ground.

“Run!” Sek screamed as a spear struck his leg.

With tear strewn eyes, allowed himself to be pulled away by Osy, as George hesitantly led the way. When they finally reached the cave, the boys found that it was very large and dank. The waves rushed into the cave causing the small ship that lay inside to smash against the wall. The ship was of a plain design, but it was large. It had a single mast and oars which hung out from holes below deck. Traversing the rocky, narrow ledge that led from the mouth of the cave to the wooden plank, the boys finally gained access to the ship.

“Do any of you know how to sail?” George asked.

“I do not think Norton taught us that…did he?”

Lee’s splenetic tone caused Osy to sigh indignantly. Meanwhile Singe jumped off Lee’s shoulder and climbed excitedly up the mast.

“We should be back there helping them,”

“Take me below deck first,” Lasters said brashly.

“Why?” Osy asked.

Yet George hurried below deck, closely followed by Lee. Antagonised, Osy let out a groan but followed them below deck. The hull of the ship was larger than one would think. The stairs below led to a central platform that stretched the entire length of the hull. Behind the stairs were barrels and sacs filled with supplies. At either side of the platform were narrow rows with a small window on each row through which the oars were placed. With ten rows on each side of the ship, this meant there were twenty windows in total, each with an oar. The length of the oars, were connected to thick metal poles, which ran along the ceiling of the hull and connected to some cogs at the other end of the hull. Connected to the cogs were another set of metal poles, which led behind a structure at the front of the hull. The structure was a large arched wooden box, with a circular hole and six prongs in the middle.

“Place me in that structure,” Lasters said.

George hurriedly strode towards the wooden structure. Aligning the holes on the mirror frame with the prongs in the suitable hole, George adjusted the mirror till it fitted perfectly in the structure. Immediately there was a light and steady clanking sound as the cogs above the structure began to turn. Suddenly the ship jerked violently, knocking the boys off their feet.

“What is happening?” Lee asked.

“We are moving,” George moaned as he rolled his eyes wearily.

They all struggled to their feet, looking in awe at the handle of the oars moving rapidly in a counter-clockwise motion.

“The ship is rowing all by itself,” Lee gasped.

“It is Lasters controlling it idiot,”

Osy gestured towards the whirring cogs above Lasters’.

“Ahh where are we?” George said sickeningly.

Osy and Lee peered through the portholes. To their horror, they found that they surrounded by the water at all sides. Osy was wide-eyed with disbelief as he ran up to the deck, closely followed by Lee and George.

“What! I must help them!” Osy yelled in panic.

However, Lee grabbed his arm and even Singe, jumped down from the mast and onto his shoulders.

“Norton, Sek and Borr need me, they need us. Can you not see that?” Osy snapped.

He pointed emphatically towards the burning forest, at the ever shrinking shore in the distance.

“But Norton said-”

Yet before Lee could finish his statement, Osy became a wraith and quite literally slipped out of his grasp. Similar to rising smoke, Osy floated up in the air.

“But Osy we need you! …We are as brothers,” George shouted.

The odd treble of George’s voice caused Osy to remain still for a moment. All his life, he had never heard George sound so downtrodden. He looked at the hot tears welling in George’s eyes and back at the burning forest in the distance. The strain of the moral dilemma soon pulled Osy out of his blind fury. Subsequently Osy looked longingly at his home, as he flew backwards towards the sailing ship, which was speeding away with his siblings on it. Osy became solid and dropped heavily on the deck. As Osy exhaled heavily, George patted him heartily on the shoulder.

“Are you crying?” Lee asked.

His facial expression was wrought with confusion and disbelief.

“No,” George snapped.

He wiped his eyes hurriedly, as Lee shook his head whilst simpering.

As he snatched the remaining godly weapon from the altar, Shadro smiled widely revealing his jagged white teeth.

“Finally,” Shadro said.

Although he was several feet away from Norton, Shadro swiped forward with the godly weapon. As it cut through the air the length of the blade produced a line of yellow light, which shot towards Norton. He narrowly dodged the blast, but it exploded on collision with the wall behind him. Norton was swept off his feet by the violent explosion. His body was propelled out of the hole in the ceiling. Shadro swiped the weapon around several time more, causing a violent explosion with every stroke. The forces of the explosions were so cataclysmic that it caused the walls to cave in and the ceiling to collapse, crushing everything. In an instant, the entire underground cavern had collapsed on itself. As the dust settled, there was nothing left but a mound of debris

“No!” Norton exclaimed.

He struggled to his feet and approached the mountain of rubble hesitantly, but was soon thrown back by another explosion. Norton rolled down the snowy hill. He looked up to see Shadro walking out of the dust cloud with a godly weapon in each hand.

Oblivious to the sting of the icy wind on his snow-covered skin, Osy grabbed the side of the boat firmly. He looked at the blazing forest getting ever smaller in the horizon and its brightness fading in the fog of the cold sea.

“Here Osy, you must be freezing,” George said as he sprinted on to the deck.

He put a thick fur coat over Osy’s shoulders, which was not too much unlike the one he himself wore.

“We found this below deck, along with a load of supplies. It is also stocked with preserved meat and unripe fruits... I think Norton has been planning for this day for a long time…perhaps our entire lives,”

“I have never felt this cold before,” Osy uttered huskily.

“Neither have I, Borr kept us locked in that damned illusion of his. We should have known better than to assume every day was sunny,”

As George laughed, Osy strained a smile. Subsequently Lee ran up to the deck.

“You two need to come down here and see this,” Lee said with a brusque tone.

Inquisitively, Osy and George followed Lee below deck.

“Lasters can see what is happening anywhere through reflections everywhere,”

Osy and George looked at each other in acute doubt and disbelief.

“Lasters show them what you were showing me,”

Instantly their reflections and Lasters’ face disappeared from the mirror and they instead found themselves staring at a very familiar face.

“It’s Borr,” Osy said.

He beamed excitedly at George; only to find his face rumpled with horror.

“… Oh no,” George gasped.

The vision on the mirror was cast off the reflection of a drop of water rolling down a fruit, which in turn hung on a tree at the only part of the forest that was not ablaze. Borr lay prostrate on the ground. He stared blankly up at the tree, which bore its last fruit, with his cold dead eyes. Meanwhile Shadro crouched down and looked at Borr’s lifeless eyes for a moment, before he picked up the godly weapon. He handed it to his priests, who had already secured the first one. Shadro looked to the side, where Norton had been incapacitated, and two soldiers were about to skewer him with a spear.

“Stop!”

On Shadro’s stern command, the soldiers dropped to his knees.

“Forgive us great god,”

“We thoug-”

However before they could explain themselves, multiple shadowed hands tore up from their shadows below. As the hands snatched at their ankles and knees, the soldiers began to sink into their own shadows like it was a pool of black quick-sand. The rest of the soldiers averted their gaze and winced as they feigned deafness. Meanwhile the two soldiers cursed, begged and shrieked for help. Yet struggle as they may; ultimately they were swallowed by their own shadows, which subsequently faded out of existence.

Still on all fours, Norton spat out blood as he laughed wheezily.

“I do not think you are in a position to jest,” Shadro said as he walked towards Norton.

“How can I not laugh, when a father slays two of his sons in cold blood then reprimands others for laying a hand on the one that remains,”

Shadro cocked his head to the side and smiled sadistically.

“That is where you were always mistaken. I am no father, I am a god…”

Shadro crouched so that he and Norton were now face to face.

“Besides Sek and Borr may have not been leaders, but they were too strong. You on the other hand have always been more amenable to my will. So of you three who else was going to tell me where those accursed children are, if not you…son?”

“The demi-gods are long from here,” Norton laughed.

Lee, George and Osy gasped in unison and shared disbelief. Suddenly Shadro swivelled his head and stared directly back at them. Instantly the images disappeared and the mirror showed their reflection and Lasters’ face once again.

Osy seemed to lose his mind as he lunged forward and tried to pry the mirror out of the structure.

“Where is the image?”

“There is nothing I can do; I am out of range,”

As Lasters replied, George and Lee had just managed to pull Osy back. Osy exhaled heavily, before nodding his head in submission causing Lee and George to release him hesitantly.

“Then what can you do? As of now you are doing nothing but taking us through open sea?” Lee asked.

“I am following Norton’s will. I am taking you to a deserted island,”

“Why?” George quizzed.

“There you can mature. In forty more years you will b-”

“Forty years have you lost your mind? You heard that god he will torture Norton and we do not even know why he is after us might I add,” Osy interjected.

“The gods have long ascended. Shadro and his siblings are demi-gods who think they have inherited this world. You are the only other demi-gods, you are a threat. In forty years Norton will have passed away. He is merely an Immortal, part god. His life span is no better than that of a lucky mortal’s,”

“Forty years? In hiding?” George blurted in disbelief.

“You snivellin-”

Before Osy could finish his statement, Lee stood between him and Lasters. Both of Lee’s fists were on fire.

“I never thought I would ever play the level headed role, but Osy if you do not calm down, then we have a problem,” Lee challenged bitterly.

“You are not my match… remain silent or I will leech the life from you,” Osy snapped.

“Not before I burn down this ship. Let us see how long you can stay ethereal before you are forced to drown in the depths of this endless sea…. like the rest of us,”

“Are you boys done?” George said monotonously.

“Escape was always the plan should Norton’s sanctuary be discovered. In forty years your godly feats will mature, to match those of your adversaries. Whilst you grow stronger the children of the dark god will grow older and unknowing,”

Osy sighed with exasperation and stormed off.