The Lost Shell of Mahon, Page 2

  ****

  Chelle

  I stared around as I followed the stranger steadily through the cavern, I noticed the dirt had all but disappeared and stone slapped under the soles of my shoes. I noticed where roots no longer tangled above me, spikes of stone protruded from the ceiling far above the tips only just visible in the absolute darkness that surrounding the orb of light that lit just the path ahead of us.

  "Why are you not supposed to talk to humans? And what is the prophecy you were talking about? And this curse?" Here goes the verbal response I automatically adopt, when out of my element; if I ask a whole bunch of questions I might just get the most important answered.

  "You ask too many questions about things I cannot answer!" he said angrily. "You try my patience, and that is not a good thing since I hold your life in my hands,” he reminded me.

  I refrained from asking anything else. I stood watching him, the transformation of the man who arrogantly accosted me, to the powerful and haughty prince, and now a man who looked as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, and was shackled by the lost hope of freedom.

  "What is your name?" he demanded.

  "Chelle,” I said...

  He turned and looked quizzically at me, and the kind of look that said what kind of name is that... I laughed hollowly, "It’s a childish name from a friend, and my full name is, Raechelle L'eonis Mahon."

  It was the prince's turn to gasp this time. “This surely changes things..." he said cryptically.

  "Changes what exactly?! I'm so confused right now... You’re Highness." I said exasperated and still a little afraid.

  "Your name... More importantly could you be the one the prophecy spoke of... You are in more danger, and are more dangerous company than I thought." As he said this he started impatiently pacing.

  I could tell he was thinking so I bit my tongue to keep from asking what the crap that meant!!!

  Finally he looked up, and looked straight at me... And it was as if he was looking into my soul. I lost myself in those eyes, a stormy gray, that is until I realized he'd started to speak.

  ****

  Chapter 5

  "The story of my people started when the sun first touched the horizon and it looked upon the barrenness of this plain. The Lord Sun spoke to the winds and gathered them to him to blow out a new creation on the face of this plain. This creation was a wily creature, it was a human.

  A man to be exact and this man went to war against his brother, killing him and when he did, the Lord Sun spoke out a curse, and in his anger the man turned into a beast. Thus began the Anshan people. Half man, half beast. Our anger brings on the beasts that share our soul. We were much stronger than the humans; we were uncivilized, but ruled mercilessly.

  The Lord Sun thought to save the humans from the beast, and said; to break this curse answer the riddle.

  A tiny shell, though strong as she must be

  Save the man, sheltered beneath.

  Stronger still the two shall be,

  Blood and fire to walk through and seal,

  Oh come to us our Shell of Mahon.

  The Anshan were livid that a human would bring strength and in their ignorance sought to destroy them from the face of this plain. Thus they were trying to thwart the Lord Sun’s prophecy.

  Story of the Anshan, as told by Prince Artileon

  He told me the story of his people, He was quite the story teller, and I was entranced by the smooth voice that carried just enough edge to betray the beast that lurked beneath his pewter eyes.

  He ended his storytelling with the cryptic phrase, “I never really understood what the Shell of Mahon was until now.”

  He broke our reverie with an abruptness and said, "That’s enough for now our time here is at its end and we need our strength for the events to come,” and with that he dismissed my ramblings and to my dismay strode away, the light seemingly to follow.

  I broke from my stupor and ran to follow the light. I ran straight into the prince as he paused inside the threshold of a larger cavern made to look like a luxury suite! There were tapestries and rugs strewn all covering the hard floor. There were pillows all around and furs to soften and the walls! They glistened... They were painted in a pattern; it was the most beautiful room I’d ever seen.

  "It’s beautiful," I breathed. The prince raised his eyebrows, “Oh, you like my prison?!" Abashedly I tore my gaze away from its splendor and apologized.

  "No, it's nothing to apologize for, I have lived here in exile for 100 years, and it has lost its beauty for me. All I see is the world above and life I should have lived."

  ”A hundred years!” I exclaimed.

  He smirked; he laid out some cheeses and breads. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. He gestured for me to sit on the pillows and to serve myself. I did, and he watched me; curiosity on his face as I did. I know my face looked like a tomato, as I became more and more self-conscious, and I blurted “What are you looking at me like that for?” He was startled, and abruptly got up and left.

  He left me, he really left me. I started to panic. As I paced I calmed myself, and I explored the room I found myself in, not daring to go too far from the light. Then I realized how tired I was, and sank into the pillows. I didn't think I would but before I knew it I was fast asleep.

  ****

  Chapter 6

  I dreamed of a place filled with light, the brightness was epic, you’d think I would be blinded, with the white on white motif, but everywhere you looked there was more white that seemed luminescent. As I looked up I noticed writing upon the ceiling, the words I couldn’t quite make out, it was almost like a book where you read, and re-read only to find you cannot comprehend. This was distressing considering I am quite the avid reader. I ignored the writing and looked around only to find I was all alone, in this blank space, it seemed to be a hallway of sorts, with large frames of nothingness spanning as far as the eye could see.

  From the chronicle of the Princess Chelle of Mahon

  Then I woke with a start.

  “Sweet dreams, little human?” smiled the Prince who I was really hoping was all some warped version of the strange dream I’d just witnessed. Then my strange reality set in, and I was really surprised I slept at all.

  “I’m sorry; I was so tired after you left. I must’ve fallen asleep. I was really hoping this was just a bizarre dream, but no such luck.” I mused voicing the ideas running through my mind at the moment.

  “No, no such luck.” He stared. “This may come as an impertinent question, but may I ask what you were dreaming about?” He asked.

  “Well it is certainly a strange question, how did you know I was dreaming?” I countered. I was always a dreamer, so dreaming even here wasn’t so surprising, I could always recall my dreams too in detail, which always surprised Elaine. She never could and always woke up blank each morning. I attributed her sleeping beauty charm to this discovery. I was always rumpled and bleary eyed, as if my dreams took something out of me, pressing against my psyche trying to reveal some secret of the universe but never quite overcoming a mystical barrier in my mind.

  “What is important right now is to know what exactly you were dreaming,” he said irritably.

  “Well, maybe I do not recall…”

  “Do not play games with me, may I remind you that you are the one in danger here, and I am not in the mood for games with some child!” He roared, and yes when I say roared, he roared! His face took on that shivery quality I noticed when he spoke angrily to his brother earlier. As if he was forcing himself to stay together, as if his anger might make his very essence re-make itself. Rearranging his face into another creature, and I was reminded that he called himself a beast.

  Shakily, I responded standing my ground, “I am not playing a game, but I do understand that I was sarcastic, but I deserve even on a basic level, some sort of explanation, as I have not had any since coming to this place.”

  If I would’ve blinked just then, I would’ve missed the al
most imperceptible change, his shivering particles shifted almost immediately back into the calm stoic expression favored by the prince.

  “I must know, the nature of your dream, it is imperative, but I also understand your need for answers, to your questions even if you have an enormous amount of them.”

  Granted this small concession, I nodded, and then told him my dream. He listened intently, and then stood brooding over what I had just told him. As he thought, so did I but not about the strange dream as I didn’t think anything of it, dreams are just that, our subconscious doing its thing. Making a strange set of circumstances make less sense that was what mine decided would help me in the long run. I was not amused.

  What I was thinking though, was of that shifting. His face seemed to re-materialize right in front of my face. To create a monster in place of the seemingly human face that paced around the room in front of me. That’s when it really dawned on me, I wasn’t even sure still where Dalthimus was, and what kind of place this would be, and I was relying on this barely contained beast to rescue me (total damsel in distress scenario here). I was even less amused by this new line of thinking; I wasn’t normally someone who needed rescuing. What would you really need rescuing from in a small town? I thought of myself as fairly well rounded, maybe circumstances will be that I can use those wits I’ve got (my nickname for any knowledge I have mixed with a large dose of sarcasm), and a well-placed punch in the nose.

  However, looking at Artileon I realized that I was no warrior and I wouldn’t probably be any more than a casualty in this…well I don’t even know what trouble I’ve found myself in yet. That made me think it was just about time for some answers, apparently we were thinking along the same lines, because Artileon started by saying, “this is a most complicated dream, I know of this place, it is in the palace, my father’s home.”

  “I dreamed of your home! How is that even possible?” I blurted earning a glare. He continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “It is very possible that you are dream walking, it isn’t a common gift, but a very powerful and useful one.”

  Keeping that glare in mind, I thought to myself a gift, well that definitely gives me points in the maybe not going to die here category I had going.

  Then he squashed any hopes of that, placing it into the more dangerous category, by saying. “This is a gift the council would kill to get their hands on, and extort any power that comes along with it. The danger here is that humans are basically extinct and your features are easily distinguished. Also your hair is a color that none of my people carry anymore, it will stand out and complicate any hopes of disguising you.”

  He went on to tell me about the Lord Sun, who sounded like an amazing being that I would like to meet, a deity who never allowed his divinity to overcome his protection of even the weakest of his creations, and filled the world he set into motion with light and hope.

  He then described the world that I had found myself in. It sounded fairly normal, until you get to the people turning into animals and the assortment of animals, people, and creatures I’d never encountered before.

  The beings Artileon mentioned I wasn’t quite sure if he made up to scare me, I was tempted by the imagery he created of the lands of Dalthimus. I was most interested in the nature of the Anshani people that shared a bestial form and held a more humanoid form.

  I couldn’t have dreamed this up if I tried… well in my world I suppose, here who knows. I was told about the gift of dream walking and how I would know the difference of a dream and a vision, and that they were really important.

  “The main difference between a vision and dream waking is this, a dream is something that has happened, is happening, or will happen. It will be as if you are a ghost in the world you are shown. These events are not usually something that can be changed. In a vision, this will be something that comes as a precognition or warning.” He explained.

  He also told me that it was rare and hadn’t been seen in a human in the last one hundred and fifty years, of course that might be different since he was imprisoned for about one hundred years and before that he’d only known of one.

  His explanation became stunted as if he was in great pain telling this story. Fifty years before he was imprisoned any humans that were left were slaves, he befriended one that lived and served in the palace. Through him he learned of the prophecy, and they sought about a way of finding this shell. However, this friend, the slave was taken as a prize servant for his father the king's favorite concubine. She wanted a plaything, to use as she willed, however no one was to touch the chosen concubine except the king and it was punishable by death, he served her as best he could trying to never be alone with her, since she made advances towards him trying to lure him in to her bed. One day she had called him to her, and gave him a last chance to lay with her, he refused. She was so angry that she grabbed at his robes, and ripped them as He fled her presence. She bruised and scraped her arms, and tore her clothing, and summoned her guardians. He was accused of trying to force her, and killed because she was refused by him a mere slave.

  His heart had been broken. He mourned the loss of his friend, and his brother Aremi schemed a way to wrestle the power, he had become quite corrupted by the council. He went on to say, “You see, as the first-born son, I will inherit my father’s throne; with me out of the way…He would inherit instead.”

  “I was captive by my grief and then because I lamented this slave, my friendship and grief was deemed traitorous and I was imprisoned one hundred years. All humans are supposedly gone now, they were wiped or smuggled from this plain and are no more. All hopes that the prophecy and our curse would be healed were executed.”

  He quit speaking for a while after this revelation, and we sat to a meal again bread, and cheeses, with strange but delicious fruits.

  “So about this prophecy,” I wondered aloud. I took a bite of the juicy fruit and found eating it to be difficult if you are having a serious conversation as the juices have a tendency to run down your chin and make you look ridiculous. I wasn’t relishing the fact that with no napkin in sight I would most likely be using my sleeve.

  “You said before that you and your friend were looking for the shell, what is it exactly?”

  “Funny you should ask,” He replied. Luckily he did not notice my lack of table manners as my mess was compounded by the fact that my face and hands were all sticky. “We never found it, but we were looking in all the wrong places, it refers to a ‘she’ I never dreamed it would be a human, but what would be more fitting than a human to save all the rest? It would also explain the reason that humans were forced into slavery and eventually ceased to exist on this plain, the evil darkness was working to thwart the prophecy by removing the cure.”

  “A human, so you found her? How when you’ve been imprisoned all these years and how did you find this out?” I asked surprised.

  “Tell me again what you call yourself?” he countered.

  “Chelle,” I said. Then it dawned on me what he meant.

  "So you think I'm this shell of Mahon?” And I'm supposed to save a man? Not to mention all of mankind, and your race? What does it all mean?"

  I suppose I ramble when I'm nervous...

  ****

  Chapter 7

  A tiny shell, though strong as she must be

  Save the man, sheltered beneath.

  Stronger still the two shall be,

  Blood and fire to walk through and seal,

  Oh come to us our shell of Mahon.

  Stupid prophecy…I couldn’t believe that it would all be waiting on me, an unlikely heroine who stumbles upon the problems of another world.

  Continued from the chronicles of the Princess

  I could tell by now, that my ramblings, and questions, no longer annoyed the prince, instead, he was quite amused.

  “I am so glad you find my reactions to finding out I’m the savior of your world, amusing.” I snarled.

  “I just can’t quite believe that I have finally found what I
have searched for over one hundred and fifty years, and it just appeared in my cave just as I am to be released from my prison, and now I have no idea how to push the rest of the prophecy into play, it changes everything.” He was quite pleased with himself, and yet you could see the thoughts whirling through his mind.

  “Well,” I said “It logically starts with saving a man who is somewhere underground, sounds like maybe he is imprisoned… hey you are underground and in trouble now that you’ve found me…” I trailed off speaking as I caught his glare.

  “I need no help, and certainly not from a child such as you, and I am not a man!” He growled.

  “Well looks can be deceiving, and if you don’t need my help, than what is our plan on getting out of this place, and not sacrificing ‘the last hope’ and all that.” So said my sarcasm I can’t help it, it just comes out of my mouth, I might’ve regretted this as soon as I said it.

  At this he vanished, just like his brother, and again I was left to occupy myself.

  ****

  Artileon

  She may be the shell, and the salvation of our world but she infuriates me. This child who knows nothing of our world, nothing of the danger she courts with her uncivil tongue. It matters not that she makes sense, I can hardly imagine spending much more time in her presence if she continues to provoke my beast I’ll no longer hide my truest nature. I cannot give her a reason not to want to help, she has to save us. She insists on calling me a man, I have too long been ruled by my beast to be looked at as noble as a man.

  I am at odds with the fact that the stubborn person in his sleeping chamber will somehow be the future of his people. He had spent years working on possible meanings searching the ancient writings, and secreting away anything dealing with the prophecy. To be thrust into meeting her at a time that held such danger to her, he recognized that he had been entrusted with her fate. He felt inadequate; he was unused to the feeling and found it was unpleasant.