Odder The Demon Hunter - The Blood Curse

“Even if we could make it into the Oracle’s chamber, how do we know he’ll talk to us?”

“The sorceress seemed certain the Oracle would help.”

“Fine,” Odder said. He lugged to the door and grunted. “I’m still weak.”

Aimma handed him some bark. “Chew this. It’s aspen bark and should relieve some of your pain and give you strength.” She opened the door. “Come on, don’t be afraid.” She winked. “I have a plan. Just take me to the quarters above the war room.”

Servants hustled throughout the common areas preparing for the night’s festivities. Odder and Aimma made it to the second floor.

“Not far now,” Odder said. “Just around the corner and down the hall of dancing lights.”

Just as they turned into the hall, Odder bumped into Renzt.

“You,” Renzt said, with disgust. “I thought you would’ve fled the city by now.”

Odder held his tongue and looked down.

“What are you doing here?” Renzt questioned. “This hall is for nobles.” He paused. “Unless you plan on thieving. I’ll be sure and let my father know what you’re up to.”

Aimma stepped in between. “No need to be alarmed, my lord. This servant was escorting me to a room. It appears a lord has come down with a slight case of indigestion.”

Renzt narrowed his eyes. “And what lord would that be?”

Odder held his breath.

Aimma cleared her throat. “Lord Bacusta of Salutaria. He’s not one that likes to be kept waiting.”

Renzt snarled and walked past. Bumping his shoulder into Odder.

Odder and Aimma looked at each other and walked briskly down the hall.

“That was close,” said Odder. “Is there actually a lord Bacusta?”

“Yes, I treated him earlier this morning.”

“Good thing.” Odder pointed at the end of the hall. “There on the left.”

“I hope it’s vacant,” Aimma said.

Odder knocked, held his ear against the door, and entered. “It’s clear.” He waved for Aimma to follow.

She took a quick glance up the hall and closed the door behind them. “Alright, here’s the plan.” She entered the washroom and pointed at the floor. “There’s the vent. I have a rope that we can use to take us past the war room and into the hall by the Divine Oracle’s chambers.” She untied a thin braided rope from around her waist.

“What are we going to do with that? It’s only a few feet long.”

With a blank expression, she held up the rope. “Don’t be silly Odder. It’s magic.” She whispered, “Obtentio.” The rope doubled in size. She walked over and tied the rope to the bedpost, and said the magic word a few more times. “Can you remove the vent cover while I tie a few loops into the rope?”

“Don’t listen to her. She will lead you to your death,” His inner voice said. Odder paused. “What if it breaks?”

“You worry too much. Now put your foot through the loop and hold tight. I’m going to lower you down a bit, and then I’ll climb in.”

Odder gazed up to see the bottom of Aimma’s boots and the light from the vent just above her head. Darkness filled the rest of the shaft except intermittent light scattered above and below from other openings. She continued to whisper the magic words, which lengthen the rope and sent them downward.

“Piff, piff.” He grabbed at his mouth.

“What is it?”

“Spider webs in my face. I hate spiders.”

“Well keep quiet. We’re almost at the next level.”

Conversations from the war room entered into the shaft from the next vent. The rope dropped, and Odder peered through the vent cover.

“Wait,” he whispered. “It’s the King, Drugan, and some other nobles gathered in the war room.

“Are you sure he’s the King?”

“I know what the King looks like, and I doubt anyone else would dare to wear his crystal crown.”

“Alright, I believe you. What are they doing?”

“The King is dictating a message, and several scribes are air-scripting.”

“Can you read it?”

Odder squinted. “No, the smoke is disappearing too fast. Wait, I can see the responses. - Where is the High Wizard Edan?” The smoky writing dissipated but another formed in its place. “We demand to speak to the High Wizard.”

“What’s he doing now?

“The King’s pacing and pulling on his long gray beard. Now he’s talking to Drugan. He looks upset, and he keeps rubbing that hellish scar on his forehead.

“We should keep going,” she whispered.

“Wait. Drugan’s walking toward an object covered by a black tarp.”

Drugan pulled down the tarp, revealing a petrified version of The High Wizard frozen in a looking glass with his body deformed, fingers twisted, and face contorted in an unspeakable expression.

Odder’s mind filled with the memory of the King smashing a mirror over Edan, then an excruciating pain that felt like his brain would burst out of his head, followed. He grabbed his ears and gasped.

“What is it!” Aimma said.

“The High Wizard!”

Drugan lifted his head and then moved toward the vent.

Odder pulled on the rope to get Aimma’s attention. He pointed down. She whispered the magic word repeatedly, causing them to drop.

“Drugan,” The King’s voice echoed into the shaft. “They are waiting for an answer.”

Odder and Aimma heard Drugan’s steps cease.

They continued down to the next vent. Odder pushed the vent into the hall and climbed out. Aimma soon followed.

“You almost gave us away,” she said. “Why did you gasp?”

“You would’ve too if you saw how horrible Edan looked.”

“Was he dead?”

“I don’t know.” A shiver traveled up Odder’s spine. “He wasn’t moving. His body looked deformed.”

“Maybe we should tell the sorceress.”

“We can’t do anything now.”

“I’m a healer Odder. I swore an oath. We should try to help somehow.”

“How?” Odder asked in an abrupt tone.

Aimma huffed. “You’re right.” She gripped her satchel and mumbled, “I can’t save everyone. I can’t save everyone.”

She opened her eyes, and her frown turned into a grin.

“What?” Asked Odder, puzzled by her change of moods.

She pointed at a statue of a monk holding a pyramid with an eye in the center and a plaque with old elven words mounted to the granite walls behind it.

“We made it.” Aimma lifted her chin toward a large circular stone door. “We just need to figure out how to get in.”

Odder stood paralyzed. His inner voice laughing.

“Odder?” She waved her hands in front of his face. “We made it.”

He rubbed his eyes. “We’re really here.” He looked around the hall then studied the monk statue. “Maybe the plaque has a clue, but I don’t know old elven.”

“I studied the old language as part of my healer apprenticeship,” Aimma said. “It’s complicated, and the words can have multiple meanings, but I’ll try.”

She pointed at each word. “ Vastu - your; Nestra – window; Repur - clear, Tein Votu - then you; Spectio – observe; Latampas - lamp.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Odder asked. They both walked up to the door. “No handles or knobs,” he said.

“A window opens,” Aimma said, pushing the stone upward.

Odder joined in. They pushed in, up, down, and to both sides.

“We must need a lamp.” She blew into her hand causing a flame to form.

“Try holding it against the stone,” he said, but nothing happened. “Try lighting it on fire.”

She blew the fire in her palm toward the door. The flames grew and ignited the stone, but died out. The door stood unscathed.

Odder sat on the floor, waving the smoke away.

Aimma sat next to him. “Perhaps a secret word is needed.”

He slumped his shoulders and covered his eyes. “It’s not meant to be. Maybe we should head back.”

“Don’t say that Odder. We’re so close.” She massaged her forehead. “Think, think, think. Just like any door, we just need a key.”

“I don’t see how we can get in.”

Aimma paused. “Yes! SEE - That’s it.” She jumped to her feet.

“What… what is it?

“Nestra.” She pulled him to his feet.

“Window, right?” he asked.

“… Or eyes.” She smiled. “Vastu Nestra Repur Tein Votu Spectio Latampas. - If your eye is clear, then you can observe the light.”

Odder scratched his head. “Riddles aren’t my thing.”

“Your eye… it’s the window.” She pointed to the eye on the statue. “You have to peer through the eye to see the light.”

He smacked his forehead with his palm. “Of course.” He stepped up to the monk, glanced back at Aimma who gave a nod, then placed his eye up to the eye in the triangle.

A vibrant green light flashed. He stood motionless for several moments, then backed away blinking.

“Are you alright? What did you see?”

“A bright light, and…”

“…and what?”

“I had a feeling, like something looking into my soul. I saw flashes of memories that took me back to the moment Destin found me, and then…”

“Yes?” Aimma asked with anticipation.

“I saw something dark – something big – a creature, but for some reason I wasn’t afraid.”

The door vibrated, Aimma gripped Odder’s hand as they watched the door roll into the wall. A blinding golden light raced out of the opening and filled the hall.

He pulled her toward the entry, but a magic force would not let her enter.

She pulled back and let go of his hand. “Apparently, only you can enter. Get your answers. I’ll be here.” She grinned and stepped back.

Odder responded with a nervous smile, then walked into the light. The door closed behind him. He blinked until his eyes adjusted to the enchanted glow of the chamber. He was suddenly aware of the silence in his head as if his inner voices retreated. His mouth opened as he glared at the golden dome surrounding him. “Amazing. This dome must be three stories tall.” Gold tiles overlaid the walls with thousands of drifting candles. A strange thickness filled the air like one might feel walking on top of a high mountain. The chamber stunk of sulfur and made Odder cough.

He walked to an immense hovering disk in the center of the room. As he approached, the disk lifted upright. A green, luminescent liquid filled the center.

The fluid vibrated. “What answers do you seek?”

Odder’s face went pale. He cleared his throat. “Divine Oracle, I am Odder, and I wish to know how to break the curse that prevents me from wielding magic.”

“Ah, Odder the vekart. Set your gaze on your feet. Do not look upon me; else your eyes will boil in your skull.”

Without hesitation, he looked down. His knees trembled. He felt the air heat up, and it became a struggle to breathe. The hair on his arms stood erect. A metallic odor filled the air much like the atmosphere during a lightning storm. He sensed a presence coming out of the disk, then a thundering step, then another, and another, until the entity stood behind him. Its wretched breath penetrated into his bones. Odder’s hairs curled on the back of his neck as he tried to keep his composure.

“Delicious,” the Oracle said, slurring the word. “I can taste your fear.”

Odder stood petrified. “Divine Oracle, please; I only want to wield magic.”

“Is that all?” It shifted to the right side of the elf. “A powerful curse has been placed upon you. Don’t you want to know why?” Odder trembled. The entity shifted to the other side, “Maybe not.”

Odder spotted a bluish translucent tail with sparks pulsating down the veins.

“Hold out your cursed arm.” It took a deep breath in as if savoring an excellent meal. “Wrath, Self-Loathing, and my favorite – Fear. These are the inner demons you must defeat to wield your magic.”

“How… how do I defeat such evil?”

The Oracle stepped back behind him. “Evil? Do you not remember? On some worlds, demons are worshiped liked Celestines, and Celestines are mocked for their weaknesses.”

“And what side are you on?” Odder’s voice quivered.

“Neither!” The entity released a deafening laugh which echoed throughout the dome and flickered the candlelights as if attempting to extinguish them. “I have seen races created and races extinct over the millennia. Elves are the most pompous and self-centered of them all.” Its tail slithered around Odder’s feet. “Your adopted race has the audacity to believe you can bend the spirits to your will. Look around you vekart. Magic flows in, around, and through all things as the ocean does to the sea creatures. You think you control magic, but it is the magic that controls you.”

Odder clasped his hands to keep them from trembling. “Divine Oracle, I don’t understand. Please tell me how to break the curse and defeat the demons, and I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes, you would not understand – not yet. The answer will find you.” The entity moved around Odder and climbed back into the rippling liquid. “Once you defeat your demons, your magic will be restored.”

“But where do I start?”

“At the Champion’s Quest.” The disk tilted back toward the ground. “One last thing, if the poison reaches your heart, you will die, and the only way to fully break the curse is to make a sacrifice to the Tetrad.”

Odder unclasped his hands. “What kind of sacrifice?”

“The ultimate sacrifice. Someone you care deeply for.”

“No. I can’t… I won’t take the life of someone close to me.”

“Then you will die.”

The candlelights flickered once again, and the back door rolled open. Odder’s heart flailed like a fishing boat caught in a storm. He walked out feeling the weight of the oracle’s words bearing down on him.