Across Eternity: Book 4 - Chapter 6
Just like the slash to its neck, the manticore ignored the pain of its injury and remained standing. At the very least, its movement seemed hindered.
Noah continued bombarding the manticore with flashbangs while Arden and Citrin once more stuck it full of arrows. After being healed by Lily, Aithorn was back on his feet with his spear in hand, wrapped in a twisting mantle of lightning. "Dragon Impaler!" he cast, activating the same spell he’d tried to kill Noah with.
Nearby, Citrin cast a druid spell and slammed his hands on the ground. Mighty roots burst from the soil surrounding the manticore, wrapping around its limbs and trying to hold it in place, but like with Noah, exposure to its blood seemed to wound the trees. The monster thrashed and snarled with unimaginable fury, pulling against the roots and trying to free itself.
Aithorn charged forwards and leaped into the air, landing on the monster’s back. Then, with a roar of his own, he drove his spear down into its chest, disintegrating its misshapen heart. Despite its destroyed heart and spine, it tried to resist, twisting its head with a wrathful scream and biting in refusal of death, but soon enough, it gave its final breath and became still.
Noah moved over to Lily. "Can you please heal my arm? I need to work fast, before it stiffens up and the blood coagulates."
"Yes, yes, of course," she said, still dazed by what had just transpired. After she mended his damaged skin, Noah thanked her and then approached the slain beast with tools and gloves. She immediately went to work tending to any of the monster’s victims still clinging to life.
"What in the world just happened?!" Arden shouted.
"Citrin, is this what the monster you and Balil found looked like?" Aithorn asked.
"Not exactly. It was smaller, even more deformed, but it gave me the same chill I feel now."
"Did you see traits of other animals?" Noah asked as he took several blood samples. "Body of a lion, head of a man, tail of a scorpion; someone is experimenting with hybridization, and this poor bastard looks to be a product. What you encountered was probably another result of someone’s hard work into dark territory."
"Wait, you think this was an actual person?" Arden asked.
"This human face wasn’t put on for decoration. Picture a snake shedding its skin, with one little patch refusing to fall off."
"What do you know of this?" Aithorn asked as Noah joined him on the monster’s back and began collecting spinal fluid.
"I’ve seen it before, or something like this. The basilisk skeleton that Prince Lupin brought to Colbrand showed similar signs of tampering and deformation. Look at these protrusions here, they aren’t like horns and claws. The bones tore right through the flesh. This is a sign of rapid and unnatural transformation. Gangrene was even taking effect, same with the exposed muscles in its head. Also, come look at this. I noticed it when I tried to behead the creature."
Noah and Aithorn climbed off the monster’s back and moved to its head, where Noah reached into its crusty mane and pulled something free. It looked like an old banana, blackened and shriveled.
"A friend of mine fought a beastman who had one of these similarly attached to his neck. It appears to be some kind of parasite, one that causes rapid mutations and an explosive surge in power. This might be what happens when it’s left on for too long."
Aithorn bit his lip. "Thank you, for earlier."
"Sure thing," Noah replied, not looking at him as he continued taking samples.
Once he had taken everything he needed, he prepared Petri dishes with growth medium. As he constructed a second heating box, Aithorn and the other elves covered the slain monster in dry wood and set it ablaze, trying to erase as much of the abomination as possible. The elves living in the area sheltered them so they could sleep with a roof over their heads. The next day, Noah and Aithorn checked the samples.
"This can’t be," Noah muttered.
"You said these would resemble the samples you took from Balil," said Aithorn, looking at one of the dishes under the light. Noah examined all the other samples, but nothing he found matched the explosive growth or coloration he had seen in Balil’s samples. The blood was clean.
"I said this was our best chance. We’re assuming that the monster yesterday is just like the one Balil’s group found, but if so, then this means that it wasn’t the source of the disease. Something else made him sick."
"So not only do we not know what caused his illness, but we also have these horrific beasts infiltrating our country?"
"These things definitely came from Handent, and God only knows what horrors are going on there. I spoke to the prince and warned him that the basilisk was a sign of something far worse on the horizon, and unfortunately, my prediction seems to be coming true. At least we put this beast down before it could kill more people. We should hurry back to Sylphtoria. We’ve been away for too long."
They raced back to the city, but it took three days to make the return trip. As soon as they arrived, Lour met them with several guards. "We need to speak to the queen, immediately," Aithorn said.
"The situation has changed. Anything you need to tell her goes through me first."
"What happened?" Noah asked.
"First, you tell me what you found."
"We tracked down the monster. It came from the same place as the one Balil found, but they weren’t the source of the illness."
"Well then, that makes this blow even heavier. While you were off on your wild goose chase, Balil passed away, and another dozen people are sick."
"Then my job isn’t finished. If you won’t let me speak to the queen, then take me to where the sick are so I can get back to work."
Lour glared at him. "Choose your words carefully."
Noah got off his horse and approached Lour. "Listen, if you want me to do my job, then take me to the sick, now. Lecturing me or anything else is just a waste of time that we don’t have." Even the deadpan Lour could not stop his eye from twitching in annoyance.
Noah was brought up into the city and led to a large house where numerous people were laid out on beds, their breathing interrupted by throbbing pain. Healers were tending to them with potions and herbs, all wearing gloves and masks to ward off infection. Unfortunately, holy magic could do little to help them. It could restore the damage caused by the disease, but its healing and recuperative effects also worked on the bacteria, accelerating their growth.
Noah moved along the row of beds, looking at each sickly elf. They all showed the same symptoms, meaning they all had to same strains of bacteria. Were those strains all equally virulent? Was this disease contagious or environmental? Once again, he was at a loss.
"Damn it," he hissed, arriving at the last bed and finding Valia drifting in and out of consciousness. Noah sat on the side of her bed and clutched her hand, feeling how clammy it was. "Valia, can you hear me?"
She slowly opened her eyes and spoke with a weak voice. "Noah? Is that really you, or am I dreaming again?"
"I’m here. How do you feel?"
"Like I should have come with you to track down that monster." She tried to laugh but just ended up wincing. "If the gods are making me sick to punish you, I’ll never forgive you."
"If the gods want to punish me, there are plenty of better sins to choose from."
"What did you find?"
"The monsters weren’t the source. Whatever this is, they had nothing to do with it."
"Well, that would be my luck." She struggled to clear her throat, so Noah gave her some water. "I’ve been smoking that stuff you gave Balil, and it’s definitely taking the edge off, but I’m so thirsty now. While you’ve been gone, I’ve had a lot of time to think. Though I said I believed you, that I would help you break your curse, I realized I never really understood you. I haven’t tried to see things from your perspective, to imagine the things you’ve experienced. If I lived the way you do, can I really say I would never try my hand at a little wickedness? To test my limits, no matter what direction it led me?"
"I guess you’re gonna have to try harder from now on."
"Only if you get off your lazy ass and fix me."
"Relax. Did you forget? I’m a doctor, it’s what I do. Plus, while I’m busy, this will distract you from your symptoms, and it’ll go great with that medicine."
Noah conjured his phone from within his ring and placed the earbuds in Valia’s ears. He suggested something smooth and easy, then, as the music began to play, he departed and met with Aithorn outside, keeping his distance from the quarantine site.
"I need the Talovix memory tea."
The sudden demand left Aithorn stunned. "That isn’t something anyone can just ask for. Where did you even hear about that?"
"The academy library. I need to remember the molecular structure for every drug I can possibly use, and I can’t do it on my own. I need the tea to jog my memory."
"You don’t understand. The memory tea it is a sacred rite for only—"
Noah clasped Aithorn’s shoulder with an iron grip and stared him down with frigid eyes. "I’m not asking."
Aithorn sighed. "We need to speak to the queen."
They made their way to the palace, but a row of guards blocked their way at the door. "Halt, Lord Aithorn. The human is forbidden from speaking to Her Majesty, by order of Chancellor Lour."
"Oh really? And what does the queen have to say about this?" Aithorn challenged. The guards didn’t answer.
"She doesn’t know, huh?" Noah asked before taking a deep breath. "QUEEN ELISANDRA!" he shouted, making the guards shake in shock. "QUEEN ELISANDRA, I MUST SPEAK WITH YOU!"
The guards drew their swords. "Arrest him!" one of them barked.
Aithorn readied his spear to fend them off. "The queen needs to hear what he has to say!"
"The queen is already speaking to the chancellor."
The doors opened, and Elisandra appeared. "What is going on out here?"
"Apologies, Your Majesty, but you and I need to have a conversation," said Noah. "Your chancellor has forbidden me from speaking to you, but I believe the situation warrants an exception."
Lour appeared from behind the queen. "This behavior is unacceptable! Guards, take him away!"
"Enough!" the queen shouted, halting everyone. "All of you, leave us."
"You heard her, take the human away!"
"You are dismissed, Lour," she hissed.
"Your Majesty!"
"I indulged your fears and suspicions, but your obstruction has no worth or merit. Begone from my sight until you reaffirm your priorities."
"Yes… Your Majesty."
All the elves departed, leaving only Noah and Elisandra. "Do come in, Sir Noah."
"Thank you."
He followed her through the palace and into the main chamber, where she took her seat on the throne. "Lour tells me that the monster you found gave no clues as to the origin of this pandemic. Is this true?"
"It is, ma’am, but there is more to it than that. The monsters Balil and I encountered showed signs of severe mutations, resulting from someone engaged in abominable practices to reshape life into something twisted. The beast I fought was extremely aggressive and deadly, and more like it are going to keep entering this forest from Handent. Uther, Sylphtoria, and even Vandheim may in danger. Unfortunately, the two issues are unrelated to each other."
"At the very least, I am glad to see you return in one piece. I hope you kept my nephew safe."
"The monster left a few bruises, Your Majesty, mainly to his pride."
Elisandra gave a soft laugh and gazed at Noah. She hadn’t dreamed about him since he left, or, at least, had dreamed so vividly. Still, he often entered her thoughts like a sweet perfume, and his absence hadn’t changed that. He was an acquaintance, but something about him made her smile.
"You’ve also visited the sick, have you not? So I take it you’ve seen…."
"Valia, yes, I have. I must also apologize for failing to cure Balil."
"I gave you the order to leave. The responsibility is mine. Now, tell me the real reason why you’re here."
"I need to use the Talovix memory tea. The way to stop this may exist within my mind, but after thousands of years, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack."
"The Talovix memory tea is a tremendously dangerous potion, reserved only for elf lords and elders, and for good reason. It allows the user to recall events from hundreds, even thousands of years in the past with the clearest detail, even remembering what it was like in the womb. It takes an exceptionally powerful mind to use the tea without losing your sanity, or even dying."
"Then I’m overqualified."
"You don’t understand, this potion affects both the body and soul. Though your soul is ancient, your vessel is still human."
"My body can be fixed with magic. Besides, this tea can do more than help me find a cure for this disease. It may shed some light on why I am what I am. I have lived over a hundred lives, but those are the lives in which I was aware of my reincarnation. There were other lives I lived, where my mind couldn’t yet retain memories beyond death and I was continuously reborn with a blank slate. I have brief flashes from those lives, but nothing more. If I can push my mind beyond that boundary, if I remember all the way back to the very beginning of my existence, it may help me finally find my end."
"Our agreement was that your personal quest would wait until you finished your task, that you would be restricted from accessing elvish knowledge and power."
"Things change, Your Majesty, no matter how much the elves wish they didn’t."
Elisandra sighed and rubbed her eyes, as though trying to ease a headache. "Very well. Return here at sunset and I will administer the tea. Use this time to make whatever preparations you must."
Noah bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
He left the palace and returned to the house he and Valia shared, though now, it was empty. Arriving there, he found signs of her work researching the stolen relics. There were books and scrolls laid out across the dinner table, and she had taken notes.
Valon had stolen a sword that could split a raging river, an amulet that protected the wearer from holy spells, a tunic that strengthened wind magic, a gem-encrusted tiara gifted from Vandheim, a staff used by a legendary druid, and a handful of other relics, none of which seemed to have anything in common with each other.
Noah put those thoughts out of his mind, took a shower, and then went to work. If the memory tea was as dangerous as the queen said, he needed quality insurance. Noah busied himself with writing out powerful healing spells, focusing on the protection and restoration of neurons. The last thing he needed was for his soul to be trapped in a braindead husk, again.
Ever since he first learned runecrafting, he had been stocking up on high-quality inks and parchments made from all sorts of valuable materials. Finally, he was putting them to work. He also prepared several healing potions, just to be sure.
When the sun set, he made the climb back to the palace, where the guards once more blocked the door. "I am expected by the queen," Noah said. They had expressions of disapproval, but they parted without protest, and the doors opened. However, standing before Noah was Lour.
"My Lord," Noah said with a nod.
"The queen has informed me that you will be taking the Talovix memory tea."
"It is a risk worth taking to end this epidemic."
"How noble. She has requested privacy during the ceremony, so her guards and I will not be able to observe. However, we don’t need eyes in the room to know if you should attempt something rude or inappropriate. Should that happen, there is nowhere in the Anorvan Forest where you can hide."
"I am aware of that, Chancellor, and I assure you, my intentions are purely professional. And look at it this way: either the tea will work and I’ll solve this epidemic, or I’ll die and you’ll be rid of me."
Lour glared at him, but stood aside and let Noah pass. He entered the palace and found the queen inside, preparing the tea. She was sitting beside a fire pit set into the floor, with an ornate tea kettle steaming over the fire. Garbed in a white gown, she was busy mixing various leaves, stems, and powders in a mortar and pestle.
"Good evening, Sir Noah," she said, working with her back to him.
"Good evening, Your Majesty."
"Come, take a seat."
Noah approached and sat down beside the queen, watching her prepare the tea. She picked up a small glass bottle and pour several silvery drops into the mixture. "Moon Tears," he said.
"You know of these?"
"I once used them to try and determine if I had an affinity for shamanism. No such luck. I remember being told that they’ve been used since ancient times to find truth within oneself."
"It is produced by a rare flower of the same name, one that blooms only on the night of a full moon. The silvery tears are its nectar, falling from the petals one at a time. To see them bloom, to see each drop catch the light, it is a true blessing."
"Speaking of which, thank you again for letting me do this. I know the Talovix ritual is dangerous, but it’s also sacred to your people, and I apologize for making such a sudden demand. I meant no disrespect."
"It is sacred, but so are the lives of my subjects, and if I’m not willing to do whatever it takes to save them, then I am not fit to be queen. If anything, I should be the one doing this, but what good would it do? I lack the knowledge to heal my anguished flock, and I must turn to you, a stranger, to succeed where I have failed."
"You have not failed. You asked for my help because you are wise, and you put their lives ahead of your ego. You’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself, especially when you haven’t done anything wrong."
A small smile crossed her lips and she breathed deeply. "This epidemic has left me shaken, and you are my greatest hope. Long have I ruled Sylphtoria, through good times and bad, yet even after all these years, fear still clings to me like wet clothing, fear for my people, fear of failure. What I would give to have had your insight those times when fate seemed to conspire against us."
He looked at her, the light of the fire dancing on her cheek. "I would have stood with you then, as I stand with you now, and I would say the same thing: well done. You fear failure because you love your people, and you doubt yourself because you know your limits. Sylphtoria is safe in your hands."
"You are a good man, Sir Noah, and I don’t want to risk losing you. It’s not too late to rethink using the tea. There must be another way."
"It was too late the moment I read about it."
"What will Lady Valia say if this should harm or even kill you?"
"It won’t matter. If I can’t cure this disease, she’ll die soon after me."
Elisandra sighed and added the completed mixture to the tea pot, beginning to simmer. "Tell me, what is it like to experience death? You’re probably the only person I can ask and receive an accurate answer."
"Well when it’s sudden, such as from an injury, there comes a moment when you realize your body is beyond saving, when you feel yourself begin the descent. Your heartbeat feels like the receding tide, and the sands of time are trickling away like the blood in your veins. The pain of your wound dulls as you lose sensation, as if your flesh understands that the concept of damage doesn’t matter anymore.
You feel your strength fade and your thoughts slow. Your body turns cold and the darkness moves across your eyes, but it’s not unpleasant. It’s like the chill of the night, telling you that it’s time to sleep. You close your eyes and sink into the depths of your soul, feeling your existence whittle down as your body gives in.
Unfortunately for me, it’s always followed by a flash of blinding light in the center of my mind, and I’m pulled to the next world. I often wonder if there is something instead of that flash of light, if what I experience could really be called true death."
"What do you think it’s like?"
Noah looked up through the open windows at the night sky and the stars twinkling overhead. "I like to think that it’s a deep, dreamless sleep. No thoughts, no feelings, no cares, no responsibilities, no memories, no awareness, no sense of self, just utter nothingness. Can you imagine it, such indescribable tranquility? Everything from your life just fades away like a wisp of smoke as time loses all meaning. You are left alone, free from everything, free to finally rest in peace. That’s what I hope it to be."
Elisandra closed her eyes and sighed. "That does sound beautiful." She then took the whistling tea kettle off the flame and poured its brew into a clay mug. "I fear, then, that this will be the exact opposite of that."
"My entire existence is the exact opposite of that. I’m used to it." He then unrolled a large scroll beside him and set out several bottles. "Forgive me for asking you this, My Lady, but while I’m under the tea’s influence, I’ll need you to keep me alive. This scroll will undo whatever damage I suffer, but only as long as the spell is active, and I don’t know how long this will take. You’re the only one I can trust with this. My life is in your hands."
"I’ll take care of you, just make sure you come back. Valia would be quite disheartened if you were not to return, as would I."
Noah received the mug and stared into its dark, reflective depths while waiting for it to cool. "Before I drink this, may I ask you a personal question?"
"Go ahead."
"You’ve told me what scares you, but I want to know, what makes you smile? If the tea does kill me, let me depart from this world with something beautiful. A secret bidden to me by the queen of elves would be a wonderful memento to carry with me across the multiverse."
Elisandra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then smiled. "I love a good summer storm. I love when I can see the clouds approach, like a gray mountain floating over the land. The thunder crackles and roars in the distance, like I have my ear to a dragon’s chest and can hear every titanic breath. The wind is so warm and so sweet, like I can taste it. It envelopes me and flows through me like the blood in my veins, filling me with energy.
Then, the pour, a crashing deluge with every drop striking with ecstasy and passion, like the world is shedding tears of joy. Everything is cleansed in body and mind. Just as dirt and pollen are washed away, so too are stagnant feelings, festering anxieties, and aching emotions carried off, leaving the soul pure and pristine. These palace windows are magic, keeping the wind and the rain out, so I’ll often step outside and savor it.
I especially love the sound of the rain, it’s so simple, so humble, but so soothing and beautiful. All creatures that walk the land and fly in the skies know that sound, have heard it, for it is the sound of life itself. I close my eyes and listen to the rain, and it’s like being back in the womb."
Noah sighed blissfully. "I know exactly how you feel. In every world I’ve visited, that passion is the same, that energy you feel in every drop. There just isn’t anything like it. The next time a storm hits Sylphtoria, perhaps you’d let me view it from up here?"
Elisandra blushed. "Any time."
Noah then raised his cup. "A toast, to your good health."
He downed the tea, trying to ignore the putrid taste and not spit it into the queen’s face. As soon as the mug was empty, he became dizzy, and all of his senses became distorted. He lost consciousness and fell forward, landing in Elisandra’s lap. She was stunned, unsure of what to do or how to react.
How long had it been since she’d had any intimate contact with a man? She’d had a lover in the past, but he left her to return to his kin across the sea. Ever since she took the crown, the elves treated her as a divine being, someone they were unworthy to touch. Unlike humans, who used arranged marriages to cultivate politics and commerce, elves put more focus into finding true love. After all, eternity was a long time to spend with the wrong person, but no suitors caught her eye, leaving her without an heir.
Then Noah arrived, this stranger from another world, and it was like she was caught under his spell. His reputation was one of perversity and malice, but they couldn’t define him properly, define the depth she felt when she looked at him, spoke to him, and now when she touched him. He was wise, he was kind, and something about him put her at ease, making her want to lean her head against his shoulder and sleep the way he did now.
No matter what Elisandra did to distract herself or how she tried to focus on matters at hand, these feelings within her refused to fade. How strange that she had spent more time with him in the dream world than the real world, yet she still felt so close to him. She rolled Noah onto his back, keeping his head on her lap, and brushed back his hair.
"Such a handsome face," she murmured, wondering if he could hear her while the fire beside them crackled.
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