The Moons of Mirrodin

CHAPTER 11

The trip to Taj Nar was quick and uneventful. Even laden with Slobad and Glissa, the golem moved twice as fast as Glissa could on foot. The metal man was tireless. By morning, they got to the edge of the Razor Fields, having met no resistance on their way out. Glissa saw groups of nim several times, only to see them change course and veer away. Perhaps Geth had gotten the message. Perhaps he was no longer being paid. Either way, Glissa was happy to avoid conflict.

Once out of the Dross, the golem moved even faster. The trip took only a single rotation. However, the golem remained mute after its single utterance, and Glissa was no closer to deciphering the riddle of the serum and the word “Memnarch” when they arrived at Taj Nar than she was when they had left the Mephidross.

“Maybe Raksha knows what serum is, huh?” said Slobad as they crested the hill surrounding Taj Nar.

“I’m more interested in talking to Ushanti,” said Glissa. “This vial feels magical to me.”

When they reached the base of Taj Nar, the gate stood open. When the guards saw Glissa and Slobad riding the golem, they came to attention and drew their weapons.

“Halt!” said one. “Proceed no farther.”

Glissa jumped down from the golem’s hands and bowed low. “I am Glissa of the Tangle and this is Slobad,” she said, indicating the goblin still perched on the shoulders of the golem. “We have come from the Mephidross with information for Raksha.”

“We know who you are,” said the guard. “You are welcome. Raksha will see you immediately. But this creature is not known to us. It must remain outside the walls of Taj Nar.”

Glissa furrowed her brow. “The golem?” she asked. “It’s perfectly safe. In fact, this metal man saved our lives in the Dross. I will vouch for it.”

“I apologize,” said the guard. “However, our orders are clear. You and the goblin may enter. No one else.”

“Look,” said Glissa. “Do you think you’d even be standing here if the golem wasn’t safe? It could tear you apart before you moved.…”

Slobad coughed behind Glissa, stopping her in mid-rant. She glared back at the goblin, while he motioned her to be calm.

“Not a problem, huh?” said Slobad as he winked at Glissa. “Slobad stay here with golem. You talk with Raksha, huh? No problem.”

Glissa took a deep breath and nodded. As the guard led her into the city, she thought about how odd their trio must look-an elf, a goblin, and a golem running from some madman with a domed head. Perhaps she had been too quick to trust. What did she really know about Slobad and the golem? But they had both saved her life. Surely not everyone was an enemy.

Her musings came to an abrupt halt when the guard ushered Glissa into Raksha’s throne room. She was duly impressed. The room was large and ornate. Bright shields lined both walls, each one carved with a different pattern. Shining suns were a common motif. Some depicted a proud warrior basking in the light, while others showed visions of Taj Nar or a great battle playing out beneath the bright orb. The sun pattern was displayed on the floor as well. A golden orb was inlaid upon a dais at the end of the room, its rays radiating out to each wall.

Instead of resting on the dais, the throne stood behind a large, silver table in the middle of the room. The table was filled with charts and papers. Raksha sat on his throne, staring at the papers. Glissa and the guard stood quietly waiting for the leader to finish his work. When he finally looked up, he motioned for Glissa to sit in a chair opposite him before going back to his work. All business, noticed Glissa. The leonin obviously did not believe in ceremony where their Kha was concerned.

“It is good to see you well,” said Raksha in between scribbling notes. He sniffed the air. “It is obvious you have been to the Dross. You have brought much of it back with you. But you look well enough. Where is the little goblin? We know he must have survived the trip. Nothing on this world is capable of killing that one.”

Glissa couldn’t help smiling. Slobad had said that Raksha did not trust easily, but he certainly trusted deeply. “Slobad awaits below with our newest ally-a golem we found in the Dross. Your guards were wary. The golem is imposing.”

Raksha waved his paw at the guard. “Bring the goblin and this golem to us immediately.”

The guard’s face looked pained. “Sire,” he pleaded, “the golem is monstrously large. We cannot guarantee your safety.”

Raksha looked at Glissa. “I will guarantee your safety, Lord Raksha,” she said. “I would stake my life on it.”

“Go. Bring them to us,” Raksha said. After the guard left, the leonin observed, “They will hold you to that promise. Now, tell us what you learned in the Mephidross.”

Glissa began her story. She told of the early attack and their discovery of the golem. She also told Raksha about the controllers and how she found out about their leader, Geth.

“We can behead their armies by killing these controllers,” said Raksha. “We had often pondered on the question of who controlled the nim.”

“There are problems, though,” said Glissa. “The controllers look much like nim with their cowls up. The nim follow the last order given them, so they will continue to attack even if their controllers are dead.”

“Still, this is useful information,” said Raksha. “What of this Geth you mentioned?”

Before Glissa could answer, the throne room door opened and Slobad walked in, followed by the golem. Raksha looked them up and down.

“Great Dakan,” he said. “It truly is huge.” He pushed the massive throne back and strode around the table, circling the golem while Slobad looked on.

Seeing the large leonin leader dwarfed by the metal man made Glissa keenly aware of its immense power. What did they know about the golem? Its previous owner could be the one intent on killing her and Raksha.

Raksha studied the golem from all sides before retuning to his throne. “Perhaps it would be advantageous for us to find quarters for your metal friend,” he said to Slobad. “We believe its presence could cause alarm.” He turned to the guard, who had stood silent but was obviously ill at ease. “Find our guest suitable quarters.”

The guard nodded and turned to leave.

Slobad said, “I stay with him, huh? Keep golem from trouble for Raksha. No problem. Keep from trouble.” He led the golem from the room, following the guard down the corridor.

Glissa continued her tale, telling Raksha about her confrontation with Geth and her subsequent sighting of the dome-headed, robed figure. “I believe he was the one paying Geth to make the attacks,” she said. “The robed figure paid Geth with vials like this.” Glissa pulled out the vial of blue liquid. “It is called serum. Do you know where it comes from and what it does?”

“We have never seen such a thing,” said Raksha. “Perhaps Ushanti can help us.”

“Will she help?” asked Glissa. “I don’t think she trusts me.”

Raksha laughed. “That is true,” he said. “But we have informed her that she must aid you in any way she can. Besides, if you have stopped the nim attacks, we all owe you a debt of gratitude … even Ushanti.” He stretched. “The sun is almost above us. We shall feast first, then visit Ushanti.”

* * * * *

The feast turned out to be part ritual and part meal. Raksha led Glissa and Slobad into the main courtyard, where a throng of leonin awaited. The Kha moved to the center of the courtyard and took his place next to the statue of Dakan. He raised his shield toward the yellow moon-their sun-and positioned it to reflect the light onto the flame Dakan held in his hand. The leonin warriors attending the feast encircled their leader and used their shields to reflect the moon’s rays onto Raksha, bathing him and the statue of the first Kha in a pearly glow. Raksha tilted his head back and roared at the sky. The circle of warriors joined in, and the noise echoed across the Glimmervoid.

Afterward, leonin cubs and females brought out huge silver platters filled with meats. Glissa wondered about the role of females in the society. She had seen no female defenders, but she had also seen no male skyhunters or healers. Their society seemed to be highly rigid in its sexual caste system. She didn’t feel she would be comfortable living with the leonin any more than Slobad had been when he lived here.

During the feast, Raksha made the mistake of asking Slobad about the golem. The goblin spent the rest of the meal telling the leonin how he had fixed the golem, going into minute detail about welding and reconnecting metal sinew. “I do everything, huh?” he said. “But blasted pile of metal lay lifeless. Even kick a few times, but nothing help. Not even kicking, huh?”

“But Glissa told us that you brought the metal man back to life just in time to save you both,” said Raksha in between bites. He was obviously enjoying the tale more than Glissa.

Slobad beamed. Glissa thought he was going to jump onto one of the platters as he continued. “Amazing thing happen,” said Slobad, waving his arms. “Amazing. I crouch behind golem. Reaper stomping around chimney. Slobad notice Dross oozing from golem’s ear. Open golem’s head; clean out Dross. Eyes snap open and look at Slobad, huh? Amazing. Just clean Dross. All there was to it.”

“But,” said Raksha, “Glissa informed us that it didn’t speak until it saw this … this serum?”

“That’s right,” said Slobad. It say ‘Memnarch.’ We not know what it means, huh? Maybe golem’s old owner. Maybe where it from, huh? Could be robed figure. We not know, and golem not say more, huh? Strange-”

Glissa interrupted. “Whatever ‘Memnarch’ means,” she said, “it must have some connection to the serum. We need to find out what it is and how it’s tied to both of us.”

“We shall talk to Ushanti about it,” said Raksha.

* * * * *

Raksha led Glissa into the smoky chamber of the seer while Slobad retired to his room to tinker with the golem-at Raksha’s gentle urging. The female healers met them at the door once again. Both bowed immediately when they saw Raksha. When they rose again, Glissa felt their steely gazes rest on her. Neither looked happy to see the elf. Glissa thought she saw a glint of something other than hate in Rishan’s eyes as their gaze met, but it might have just been the smoke.

“Welcome, Kha, to the chamber of Ushanti,” said Rishan, bowing low. “We are honored by your presence.”

Raksha waved her up. “Rise, Rishan,” he said. “We played in the square together as cubs. You need not bow to us.”

Rishan straightened, but Glissa thought the young healer looked uncomfortable with the special treatment from her Kha. She turned abruptly and led them through the maze of curtains back to Ushanti’s cauldron. Upon seeing her ruler, Ushanti dropped a handful of sand back into its bowl and hobbled over to greet them.

“Ah, Glissa,” she said. “We knew you were coming. You have something to show us, don’t you?” Ushanti held out her hand.

Glissa noticed Ushanti again showed no reverence to Raksha, and she did not trust the healer, but she had no choice. The serum was the only connection she had to the robed figure and the death of her family. She needed Ushanti’s help.

“How did you know I was coming with this?” asked the elf as she pulled out the vial.

“Mother has been in a trance since you left,” said Rishan. “She just returned from the fire this morning, saying you had come back.”

“Did your vision provide anything that might help us against this new enemy?” asked Raksha.

“We have seen much but understand little of the events that are coming,” said Ushanti. She took the vial from Glissa and held it up, examining it in the light of the brazier. “The fate of the world resides within these vials. We are caught up in a maelstrom we cannot control.”

“Speak sense, woman,” snapped Raksha.

“We cannot.” Ushanti opened the vial and stared at the serum, as if looking into the depths of a blue sea. “The fire provides only glimpses of the truth.” She dipped a claw into the blue liquid and brought it up to her lips.

Ushanti’s tongue snaked out and touched the glistening claw. Suddenly her eyes widened and her dark pupils shrank to pinpoints. “We can tell you this, my young ruler,” said Ushanti in a strange, stilted voice. “Your rule shall see the end of this world unless the elf dies. She may not destroy the world, but she will become the instrument of the one who does.”

“Ushanti,” said Glissa, looking straight into the old leonin’s wide, white eyes, “I don’t know that I believe your visions, but I do not wish to destroy this world. Is there any way I can stop this?”

“Die,” said Ushanti. “Die before the end. It is the only way we see.”

The room was heavy with silence.

“Is there no way to defeat this enemy?” asked Raksha at last.

“His power is older than the Glimmervoid, older than the Tangle and the Mephidross,” said Ushanti. Her words began to slur. Her head rolled back until she stared at the smoky ceiling. “Only a power older than the world can stop him.”

“What’s his name?” asked Glissa. “Is it Memnarch? Does that name mean anything?”

Ushanti fell forward. Glissa caught the old leonin and grabbed the vial before it spilled to the floor. Raksha picked up Ushanti, lifting her as easily as he did his shield. Glissa replaced the stopper on the vial, while the Kha carried the healer through the curtains, followed by an agitated Rishan.

When the two leonin returned, Glissa asked, “Will she be all right?”

“She needs rest,” said Rishan. She was wringing her paws and darting looks over her shoulder toward the back room. “Somehow that blue liquid brought on another trance. In her weakened state, she could not handle the strain.”

“I need to know where this liquid came from,” said Glissa, “and who she saw in that vision. Will she be able to help us?”

“So you believe her now?” asked Rishan, her eyes betraying her anger. Her eyes sought Raksha’s and softened. “Come back tomorrow. Once Mother is stronger, I will ask her to help you.”

Glissa was surprised by the young healer’s change, but glancing from her to Raksha, she began to understand. The two young leonin had eyes only for each other.

* * * * *

Shouts invaded Glissa’s sleep. She was dreaming of the clearing she had glimpsed in her last flare. Elves were screaming as they fell into the pool of light. She could see them falling but couldn’t reach them. The screams grew louder as they fell farther down into the white hole. She strained at the edge, trying to get her fingertips a little closer to the falling elves. Then she, too, was falling.

She awoke on the metal floor next to the soft bed, the blankets tangled around her body. The shouting continued. After a moment, she realized the screams came from outside her room. She stumbled to her feet, grabbing her boots and sword. When she opened the door, the elf was almost knocked down by a group of warriors rushing past, pulling on armor and shields. Glissa rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“What’s going on?” she shouted at a retreating soldier.

“We’re under attack.”

Glissa pulled on her boots and followed the soldiers into the main courtyard. Warriors lined the wall already, spears at the ready. Raksha stood in the center of the line, his battle mask covering his face. Glissa stamped her feet into her boots and ran to his side.

“Is it the nim?” she asked.

“No,” came the booming reply. Raksha’s voice seemed amplified through the mask. It was odd to hear his voice but not see his mouth move. “Our pteron riders skirmished with silver raptors before the first moon rose. Only a single rider returned alive. The beasts have followed. Look there!”

He pointed toward the rising red moon. Glissa saw specks in the halo of the moon’s light. They grew as she watched. In a minute, she could see light glinting off their wings. A second later she heard an unholy wail that sounded like claws scraping against metal.

Glissa raised her sword and waited for the beasts to arrive. She tried to gauge their distance, but it was impossible to see the birds clearly by the light of the red moon. The hair on the back of her neck began to tingle just before a bolt of blue lightning streaked across the sky, hurled by the lead bird. The bolt blasted into the wall down the line. A leonin warrior screamed as metal ruptured in front of him, sending him to his death over the damaged wall.

Glissa’s hair tingled again, and another bolt screamed through the air. The lightning struck a warrior, blasting a hole through his chest and continuing into the floor of the courtyard behind him. Bolt after bolt arced through the air, and the leonin soldiers scrambled away from the walls.

Glissa and Raksha held their ground. The elf felt another tingle on her neck and looked up. She saw a dot instead of a line. The bolt was headed straight toward her and Raksha. She dived to the side, knocking the leonin ruler to the ground and landing on top of him. The lightning exploded into the metal cobbles behind them, melting the silver and rupturing the floor.

Glissa rolled off Raksha and searched the skies for the attackers, but the silver-winged creatures had already flown by. She could see them now, but none were close enough for her sword. Their tails and wings looked as if they would be more at home in water than in air. Their serpentine tails ended in a vertical blade or barb that seemed to act as a rudder. As one, the flock flipped their tails to the side, sending them into a gentle turn. Their slender wings remained stiff, glinting in the red rays of the rising moon. But it was the creatures’ heads that riveted Glissa. There were no eyes, no mouths, just a blue globe that seemed to pulse with energy.

She had seen these creatures before. They were the artifacts Geth had spoken of. They were the silver birds she had seen hovering over the robed figure in the Mephidross.

Raksha stood and called out, “Spears! Now!”

A dozen spears flew toward the retreating beasts. More than half hit their mark, piercing wings and tails, but only one of the winged horrors was brought down. The spear Raksha tossed struck one creature’s bulbous head. The globe exploded, showering the courtyard with shards of glass. The body of the beast smashed into a wall, crashing through to the chamber beyond.

The silver creatures completed their turn and swept down for another attack. Glissa’s hair began to tingle again.

“Look out!” she cried.

Bolts slammed into the ground. Glissa sheathed her sword and grabbed one of the spears. She aimed for the closest creature and threw, but the spear fell far short of the target.

The creatures veered off again, never nearing the ground. Raksha’s troops threw their spears at the retreating birds. While their spears flew straighter, none of them had the strength to pierce the metal hide of their attackers.

“I cannot fight them from here!” shouted Glissa to Raksha. “I feel useless here on the ground. Where’s that pteron that returned?”

“There,” said Raksha, gesturing, “but take care.”

Glissa ran around the courtyard to the stairs. She saw Slobad peeking out from a doorway. “Get the golem,” she called. “Protect Raksha.”

She bounded up the stairs three at a time. When she reached the pteron, she leaped onto its wing, slapped its beak back when it snapped at her, and climbed into the saddle.

She dug her feet into the bird’s back as she had seen the riders do. The pteron walked off the ledge. As they plummeted, Glissa realized she had no idea how to pull from a dive. She pulled back on the reins, and the pteron’s head lifted up. A moment later, the bird’s wings flapped, and they leveled off.

Hoping she could control the pteron, the elf looped around toward the top of the tower in a wide arc. She scanned the skies for the blue-globed birds. The flock had turned and was heading back toward the tower. Glissa yanked on the reins and kicked the pteron’s side again to spur it on. The great raptor flapped its huge wings. She was gaining but wouldn’t arrive in time. The silver-winged creatures unleashed their blue lightning again toward the courtyard. Glissa saw a half dozen explosions. Leonin scattered.

Raksha stood his ground, spear in hand. At the last moment, he flung the weapon. It impaled a diving attacker just as the blue globe flashed. Lightning crackled along the surface of the globe and back along the creature’s sinewy spine. The beast stopped for a moment in mid-air, engulfed in blue energy, then exploded. Shards rained down on the courtyard. Glissa saw the golem step in front of Raksha just as the debris reached the parapet. Glass shattered across the metal man’s large chest.

Glissa spurred her mount on as she came up behind the ascending attackers. She leaned forward over the pteron’s shoulder and swiped with her sword at the last flyer in the phalanx, cutting through its metallic wing and slicing into the tail. The injured beast spun out of control, and she pulled on the reins to guide the pteron up to the next one in line. Just as she came into range for another strike, the flock flipped their tails in unison and began a steep dive.

The metallic creatures shifted their silver wings and rolled over, turning back toward Taj Nar. Glissa yanked on the reins, but under her inexperienced control the pteron was too clumsy and slow to follow. The flock easily pulled ahead of her. As she dived after them, the silver flyers let loose another volley of lightning. Only half of them fired, though. Before Glissa could wonder why, the other four broke from their dive and began climbing again. Glissa followed the rest of the flock but kept her eye on this new group. They rose until they were directly over her, then tilted their wings to roll and attack her from above.

Glissa kicked the pteron to spur it on, leaning forward to push its nose into a dive. She needed speed. She knew she couldn’t out-maneuver those lightning bolts. She headed straight for Taj Nar at blinding speed. She had one chance, and she wasn’t even sure she could get the pteron to do what she needed, but she had no choice. One bolt of lighting would shred the pteron and her if they got close enough to use it.

The elf maneuvered the pteron back and forth, cursing the creature every time it turned too far. Ahead of her she could see a small break between buildings on the far side of the courtyard. Behind her four sets of silver wings still followed. They were getting dangerously close. Glissa kicked the pteron one last time and flattened herself against the back of the beast. They hurtled toward a narrow gap between the buildings. At the last moment, Glissa pulled back hard on the reins and jammed her feet into the pteron’s shoulders to force the beast to fold in its wings.

They sailed through the tight opening, the wingtips of the pteron just scratching both walls as it skidded through the passage. Glissa glanced back. The creatures following her frantically whipped their tales back and forth, trying desperately to avoid the walls. It was going to work!

Glissa looked forward again and screamed. Rishan had stepped from a doorway just ahead of the pteron.

“Get back!” she shouted.

It was too late. The pteron’s wing knocked Rishan off her feet as they raced past her. Glissa rolled back over the tail of the pteron, but the bird’s momentum carried her into the courtyard. She scrambled to her feet and ran back, but the globe-headed flyers were already in the passage. They bounced off the walls as they tried to fly through side by side. The lead beasts slammed into each other, shattering both globes in the impact.

The entire passageway exploded in a roar of blue flames that sent Glissa flying back into the courtyard. She slammed into the legs of Dakan’s statue and rolled to the ground, stunned. Through the haze of her ringing ears she heard two more explosions. Her tactic had worked. She had killed all four beasts. But at what price?

Wearily Glissa pushed herself back up and ran to the doorway at the edge of the passage. Flames still licked at the walls, but the elf ignored them. She shielded her eyes with her metallic forearms and pushed her way past the flames. Her arms and legs felt like they were on fire, but she kept going, coughing as black smoke threatened to choke her lungs. She bumped into something soft in the smoke and dropped to her knees. It was Rishan. Glissa grabbed the young healer’s shoulders and pulled her from the fire, but one glance as the smoke cleared told her there was no hope. All that remained of Ushanti’s daughter was a charred corpse.

Glissa sat holding Rishan’s blistered head in her lap. Tears welled up in her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. She knew she should tell Raksha, knew there was still a battle to be won, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t leave the young healer alone. She couldn’t face Raksha now that she had brought death to Taj Nar.

A cheer erupted from behind her. She looked up to see the remaining beasts winging their way back into the crimson light of the red moon. Glissa knew the cheer would soon turn to tears, but she couldn’t avoid her responsibilities any longer. The elf sobbed softly as she picked up the blackened body of Rishan and carried it into the courtyard toward Raksha.