The Crimson Dawn

The last thing I remember is the Grim Wolf’s jaws, Kasin croaked, the wound that had slashed his cheek had ruined his other eye and now he bored into Atlas with one. It’s the Shattered Age.

“We’re in the barren bones of your time,” Atlas confirmed, Kasin nodded, looking back at the Champions.

It’s not what I imagined but it will do. Have you found the maps? Atlas nodded. You saw my death? Atlas nodded again and he adjusted his glasses with a barely rotted hand. When he opened his mouth, a bug crawled out, it was small, black with beady eyes. Kasin squashed it with a small crack from either his jaw or his hand and wiped away the guts. Good. Good. My family worked for Lord Nyx for a long time, Mary was a few centuries older than I was, but she was only the first to be buried here. More came before her. Nyx’s family secrets were passed down through us and we kept them safe and hidden-

“Is this your entire background information?” Atlas asked impatiently. A long centipede crawled out of his sharp ear and picked it out and threw it towards the ground. Idris backed away, knocking into Vale behind him.

“What the Hell is wrong with this man?” Idris asked aloud but Kasin just ignored him.

Do you want to know, Death Champion? Or shall I leave you in the dark without the history of your predecessors?

“Please tell me.”

Then shut up and listen. He paused, his one eye rolling into the back of his head before he shook it back out. Where was I? Oh yes. The Father is the eldest, Nyx called him The World Maker, but his name was Cyrus. Nyx gave all your Gods their monikers and the others like Nyx and Cyrus. They were very old and powerful beings, older than our world and many others.

“What does this have to do with our history?” Atlas interrupted and got a one-eyed glare from the corpse.

Everything! He screamed into her mind, making her flinch. Cyrus made this world, he made your Gods, he made your people, he made everything living and dead. You exist because of him. Your history only happened because he allowed it!

“I’m sorry, continue,” she whispered, and he nodded, satisfied with the apology.

They were very secretive. My family never saw the others but there was always evidence they were here. But Cyrus was a very sad being and when no one was looking, so was Nyx. Nyx built this place with their own hands, most of the buildings in this Grove were built by them. They would disappear from time to time but always reappeared, this place interested them. One day, they brought Lily, never saying where the girl had come from but that she was living here now, they treated the girl as their own daughter.

This is when I was alive, I saw the drawings Lily made, I saw her create depictions of you, of the house, of my own grave. We all knew what was coming and so did Endor, Lady Raven. Nyx took away your Gods’ memories of Lily and everything relating to her. Their memories of living here, of knowing me, and everything during Lily’s time here.

“That’s possible?”

Not for us. But for Nyx? Child’s play.

“What is he saying?” Cyra asked, just as impatient as Atlas was for the end of the story.

“She’ll tell us in the end,” Altair shushed her.

When Lamia figured out there were holes in her memory, there was a fight, she tried to rally the others to her but… they all felt that Nyx was justified in protecting her own. Of course, they weren’t aware of the whole story, that would negate everything that the Realm Walker had done to protect the timeline. Lamia had been the Goddess of Love and Purity, incapable of killing.

“She killed you.”

She destroyed herself, every temple, every story. She erased every trace of the Goddess she was, and she became the Blood Snake, a herald of Blood and Corruption. Lamia was the youngest of the Gods, the only one created during the Champion Age. Most of her memories were taken unlike the rest of the Gods, most of herself. An outcome no one could foresee.

“She didn’t destroy Lily’s room because she couldn’t remember it.”

She couldn’t see it. He nodded.

“But why could she see you?”

I’m living. Her brain couldn’t ignore my existence, but inanimate objects are easy. I knew I was going to die, and it was for a good purpose. With the destruction of Nyx’s home, nobody had the reason or the ability to search for the truth. Nobody could take the maps or the drawings or Nyx’s architectural drawings. Nyx hid them but I know where it is, the plans to the tower.

“Tower? What tower?” Atlas questioned.

Lamia’s home. Nyx built it and Lamia took it for her undead army, the plans are hidden in her drawings. He coughed and his tongue came out, he had a tongue? Why wasn’t he talking with his mouth!? I can’t stay away much longer. With nothing to sustain me, I am returning to Dorin’s jaws.

“But who’s drawings?! Where is it?” Atlas asked but his eye lolled back and he fell back into his shallow grave. Are you kidding me?!

“What the Hell just happened?” Esmer asked slowly.

“He left without telling us where we needed to go,” came Atlas’s answer.

✧

Once Atlas had recounted the events the sun was almost at its peak in the sky and while that would usually be a time of dread for most of them since it was the hottest point in the day, the gates protected them from whatever magic made it dry and death outside. Kasin was buried back beneath the dirt, sure to never rise again and Atlas had already seen that time had started to catch up to his body again. He had spent hundreds of years waiting for them and now he could finally rest.

“If only we could’ve learned more from him,” Zale muttered, slightly upset that he missed it. Idris assured him it was utterly disgusting.

“He wasn’t very helpful,” Esmer muttered. “He laid there in a grave, undecaying for years and didn’t even finish what he was meant to tell us.”

Eden made a noise. “He told us exactly what we needed to know. We know that Nyx hid the maps beneath maps, they hid plans beneath drawings. What were the safest drawings in the house?” Eden asked, needing to make a show of her intelligence instead of outright telling us.

“Idris. The drawings,” Vale whispered to him, and he looked at his sibling confused for a moment before his face fell in realization and he grabbed Lily drawings and started looking through them.

“These ones,” He pulled a pile out of the stack and set them down. “They didn’t make any sense, the others I could feel something, but these ones felt like drawings.” Before Atlas even had a chance, Zale handed the flashlight to Altair who clicked it on and put it in her hands.

“Jeez,” she muttered and went over the pages, trying to find the right angle. “Look at that.” She smiled. “We might have a plan.”

“And a map!” Bastien yelled excitedly, jumping out of his chair with a grin as he held up the map of the Shaken Sands. “And circled in red is a tower: The Shining Rise.”

“Odd name, what’s that scribbling underneath it?” Idris pointed at the bottom of the circle.

“Rō ven tet tew,” Altair answered. “Shenarn equivalent to saying, “good luck” in your language.”

“What is he on?” Idris asked and Vale elbowed him.

“Elvish, Idris. His language. Shenarn is Elf or directly translated it means Sharp ear,” Eden whispered to him, shaking her head.

“Why would Elf be written here?” Cyra inquired, “They could’ve written common or even my language. Why Shenarn?”

Altair shrugged. “I’m starting to realize just how little we know.” Nobody spoke for a few moments, the dust in the air the only thing moving. “Bastien,” the boy jumped, coming out of his stupor. “Can you have the drawings uncovered by nightfall?”

He nodded. “Should be easy enough now that I’ve done it once.”

“Good. The tower isn’t far, we can make a plan of attack by tonight and do a stealth attack in the dark.”

“Why do stealth attacks happen at night? I feel like people expect them at this point, maybe we should do it during the day,” Esmer questioned, a huge smirk on his face when Altair looked at him exasperated.

“Ignore him, pirates don’t know how to do anything quietly,” Cyra growled out, talking to Altair but the insult directed at Esmer.

“Maybe we know exactly how to be quiet,” he gave her a wink and she bristled in annoyance and frustration; she was a cat you’d know she’d be hissing, and her hairs would be on end.

“They know we’re coming, the best time to appear would be when they can’t see well,” Atlas told Esmer, although she didn’t totally disagree with the pirate, unpredictability is the best offense in times.

“We aren’t here to argue,” Cyra scowled. “We listen to Altair; he is the assassin.”

✧

The kitchen was quickly turned into a war room, Altair fixing up the chairs and table quickly with Zale, using a bit of their magic. Atlas fixed up the living room to the best of her ability… which was scrapping the furniture and using it as fuel for a fire. She sat on the wooden floor, watching the flames dance, the crackling of its own kind of music. Everyone else worked in the kitchen but Altair didn’t seem to care much that Atlas wasn’t there and part of the plan making.

“This Kasin said that Nyx and the Father were older than our Gods, that the Father created them?” Vale asked, as their footsteps creaked against the floorboards. Atlas looked at Vale once they were seated on the floor beside them.

“He created the world.”

“Then where did Nyx and the Father come from if there was nothing?” Vale inquired, Atlas sat there for a moment, watching the blaze dance for so long that Vale started staring too, as if the answers lay in the destructive dance.

“Kasin said something. He said a lot of things, most odd and confusing but this one stuck out to me because unlike the others I couldn’t figure it out. Or I don’t want to believe it,” Atlas whispered, not wanting the others to hear. “We already know there are other realms. Like Hell and the one where Immortals live but Kasin was talking about worlds. Not just other planes of existences connected to ours but actual worlds. He called Nyx the Realm-Walker, and they were old and experienced just as the one who created us was. If they were that old, then they must’ve known what wiping Lamia’s memory would do.”

Vale paused, staring into Atlas’s mind. “You come off as all brawn, but you got a good head.”

Atlas snorted. “I still can’t turn on your torches without help.”

“They are flashlights.”

“Whatever,” she dismissed. “I like fire better.”

Vale’s smile vanished as they thought on Atlas’s words more. “You think Nyx meant for this to happen? Caused it to happen? But why?”

Atlas shrugged. “Where did they go? If there are other worlds than that question is as useless as guessing at another’s thoughts. They left and they took Lily with them so Lamia couldn’t find her room.”

“I was on the mind that this was a suicide mission, that killing a God was impossible.”

“It’s not. Gods can kill each other. For mortals it will never be easy no matter how many there are, but Kasin called the last Age the Champion Age, that’s why Lamia destroyed it and took our knowledge. Champions have the power to kill Gods.”

“Then why did the other Gods decide to make Champions now? After centuries?”

“Maybe they couldn’t. They were waiting for us, Grim still remembered Nyx, their memories weren’t completely wiped. I think it was Erden, he saved me from Grim’s jaws for a reason.”

Vale looked down at their hands. “I’ve had the feeling something was wrong, that this wasn’t the time. I thought it was just dread that I knew we weren’t going to survive but maybe it was because we’re missing something.”

“Has that feeling gone away?” Atlas questioned and her heart sank when Vale shook their head.

“Vale lin Atlas anōt menttuk!” Altair yelled for them, peeking his head through the doorway. He groaned and shook his head when Vale and Atlas looked at him confused. “Come here. Make footprints.”

“Why is he annoyed with us?” Atlas shook her head and got up, Vale following her with no answer.

“We got a map and a free plan,” Idris said excitedly, holding up the architectural drawing of the tower. Little notes made on it. “It’s in Elf but that’s why we have Altair.”

“It’s not the only reason you have me, you couldn’t understand a word I said even in Human.” Altair shook his head. “We should leave now, it’s almost dusk.”

“I thought we were leaving at dusk,” Atlas complained. “Why are you changing your motto of “when I say, I mean”?”

Altair grumbled. “Shō Awlin.” At this point, he’d said it so much that Atlas grinned, ‘my Lord’.

“Praying to Lord Myrrh won’t save you from me,” Atlas grinned, and he was surprised that she had understood him. She laughed as he playfully knocked into him before going outside, the sun was no longer at its peak and Atlas hoped that was enough for the heat outside the gates to have died down a little.

I thought you would never leave, Icarus growled and knocked his large head into her body.

“You’re going to wish we were staying. Altair has ordered the troop out.”

Icarus snarled again at the thought. It’s still hot out. He glared at the house and Atlas turned back and saw everyone following her lead out. Will I get to fly, at least?

Atlas grinned up at him, patting his gray scales. “I think you will, Icarus. We might get to set some things on fire too.” He purred at that and smiled with his sharp teeth.

✧

It was starting to get dark as they saw the tower over the many sand dunes left to climb and descend. Altair paused looking out at the tower, shielding his eyes from the sun. He nodded at Idris and Bastien, and they transformed from looking like Bumble and Rainer into their humanoid selves, Bastien’s golden eyes reflecting the light from the sun, he had no trouble looking at it.

“Leave the wagon. We’ll use the dragons from here,” Altair looked at Atlas. “How many can Icarus carry? He’s smaller than Apallon.”

“Not by much,” Atlas defended, not speaking all of Icarus’s thoughts as they streamed through her brain. “He can carry four in his talons and one person can ride on his back with me.” Atlas gave her answer after a moment of silence from Altair.

“We aren’t seriously riding dragons, are we?” Idris asked when he knew the answer. Esmer grinned.

“Are you scared, bat?” Esmer inquired teasingly.

“I’ve been above ground for only two months, I’m not sure I’m ready for the sky, sometimes I feel like I might fall into it.”

“You won’t,” Bastien assured, “I haven’t yet.” Idris smiled at the small boy’s assurance and elbowed Esmer as he started chuckling.

“Cyra, Vale, and I will go with Icarus and Altair. Vale bring that modified crossbow you worked on, you’ll ride on Icarus’s back and shoot from above.”

“That leaves you two on the ground. With hundreds, if not thousands of Bloods,” Atlas argued, “That’s suicide.”

Cyra rolled her shoulders as she grabbed her great sword and attached it to her back. “We’re champions, besides, you and Zale will be raining fire from the sky. Our job is to drag all the Bloods outside so Bas, Idris, Eden, and Esmer can bring us in and find the magic source and put a stop to it.”

“The magic source is the Blood Snake.”

Bastien shook his head. “She needs a talisman to focus her power.”

“This is an awful plan.”

“It isn’t.” Altair told her firmly. “While Icarus distracts them, Apallon will bring the four to a secret passageway and join you. It will work. Trust me.”

Atlas stared at him, wishing that this wasn’t their plan, maybe she should’ve stayed in the kitchen. “Fine, I trust you. I hope to your God, you worked out of the kinks and this works. We die if it doesn’t.”

“I know,” Altair smiled at her, like he was trying to reassure her. “Lord Myrrh will protect us with thorns, Atlas. This will work.” She was sure his words were meant to be reassuring.