Page 74 of Celestial Bodies

Julen had enough of being spoken about as if he wasn’t in the same place. “Who are you?”

The snake-woman pinched the bridge of her nose. “I am Iacuora of the Ophiris, special envoy to the Fae.”

Julen shook his head. If he hadn’t seen all of these creatures before the injection, he would have thought he had simply gone insane from the black mineral inside him. But he had seen them in the laboratory. He’d heard the beast speaking, his father’s voice laced with the creature’s.My father. What has he done?

“My father. He can control you. Your bodies are out there.” He motioned to the window. “I watchedit. How does he do it?”

Iacuora sneered as she spoke. “He tampers with the Black Arts. He and that disgusting little human with the revolting teeth.”

Julen thought that was quite a statement from a creature with fangs, but he thought better than to say something. “So, he can…possess us?” Julen asked.

Anjular nodded. “Whatever chemistry of minerals Carnufor mixed with the blackness has allowed Haligran to channel himself into beings injected with it.”

Iacuora spoke through clenched teeth, her canines flashing under the glow of the crystal. “The coward invades our bodies and will force us to fight his battles. We’ve heard bits and pieces of his plan.” She motioned to the strange window floating in the ooze that surrounded them. “He wants to capture more of us—creatures with powers far beyond most humans. He intends to make an army of creatures. He will capture more if someone doesn’t stop him.”

Julen looked at the creatures behind them. The Multarmirus looked sad. It wasn’t the ten-armed monster with a menacing face and sharp claws ready to kill from Julen’s childhood stories. Yes, it was huge and terrifying, but its eyes betrayed the anguish it felt. Its ears swiveled as it observed Julen. The movement was almost adorable. Julen rubbed his eyes, wondering if they would all disappear once reopened.

They didn’t. The sand creature approached. Its sinewy limbs scraped the floor as it paced about. The translucent creature, who Julen now recognized as a Viscura, sat with its back against the wall. It poked its stomach, and Julen saw the creature’s innards move about. The action wasn’t menacing or vicious. It looked like some sort of nervous tick. Nevertheless, it still made Julen queasy.

All of the creatures looked sad and nervous.

Julen looked at Anjular as he asked, “Can they speak as well?”

She shook her head. “They understand us but cannot speak our language. We communicate through emotions and gestures.”

Julen nodded and looked around the cavernous room surrounding them.His eyes fell on the window built into the sludge. It had an oblong shape and clear panes caked with soot obstructing the view. A light shined in, and, through the dirt, the faint image of something behind the glass, though Julen couldn’t tell what.

The massive lavender crystal was the only thing that interrupted the blackness surrounding them. It looked like a gigantic amethyst wedged into the muck and glowed, illuminating the room in a purple hue. Streaks of purple and magenta lightning whipped across the stone.

Julen rose to his feet. “Where are we? What is this place?”

Anjular walked to the sludge and pressed her fingers into it. The gel gave a little, then pushed against her touch. “It’s a prison. Some sort of place induced by the black mineral. We know our bodies are still in Vinculux, but our essences seem to be in this fortress enclosed by the mineral.”

Julen looked at the creatures surrounding him. “You…all of you…we know about you. We’ve read stories about you all as youths. But they’re fables, tales to motivate good behavior in children. How can you all exist? Why haven’t we known about you all along?”

Iacuora slithered closer. “Humans are always so stunned when they realize there is so much more to the universe than they could have imagined.”

Anjular scolded her. “Iacuora, enough!” She turned back to Julen. “Before the great shake, humans co-existed with Caligoneans, worshiping us for our powers. Once humans began manifesting, they became aggressive in their quest for domination. The ancients of Caligon described humans as perniciously ambitious and jealous of our ability to wield powers naturally. We’re born with our abilities, whereas you must rely on the location of the planet’s vibrations to manifest. There are texts describing humans attempting to take control of Caligon, trying to capture and enslave our creatures.”

Iacuora interjected, “This is not the first time you humans have attempted to wield the Black Arts. Long ago, you used it for similar purposes—control over the continent. It nearly wiped out the entire population of Terratan.”

Anjular added, “After that, our ancients built wards to shield us from humans, and your kind vowed never to tamper with the BlackArts again. Over time, it all became a myth. Stories for you all to heed to ensure the natural order of things.”

Of course, Julen’s fucker of a father was the one to disrupt the natural order of things. “How did he find you all? If the wards were supposed to protect you?”

There was venom in Iacuora’s voice. “The Black Arts helped him. Carnufor’s experiments helped him see the full extent of our continent’s power. He sips just enough to allow him to use a minimal amount of its power. More than that, and he could die. Carnufor must have experimented on many humans before he found the correct dose.”

Anjular stepped closer as she said, “Imbibing the mineral enhances your senses. It heightens intuition and the awareness of magic on this planet. Haligran must have sensed our existence and sent his men to wait until we ventured beyond the wards.”

Julen shook his head. His stomach coiled at the thought of his father being so powerful. He looked about the dungeon and at the sad faces of the creatures surrounding him. Then, the glowing crystal came into view across the way. Something rumbled inside of him. It was as if the stone was beckoning Julen to approach. He pointed to it. “What is that?”

Anjular looked toward the crystal, and her face twisted in terror. “We have all tried to get close. It’s…”

Iacuora interrupted, “It’s horrifying. It pulls at you. You can feel it in the pit of your gut, can’t you? Like a rope reeling you closer.” Julen nodded. “But the closer you get, the more you feel the horror. It’s painful. Sheer agony that consumes you as you approach. I am the only one who was able to make contact. The screams I heard. The visions I saw…” She trailed off as she spoke.

Julen had to know more. It was calling to him. The compulsion to get closer to the stone was too strong to ignore. He didn’t know if he could stop himself from approaching. “What do you see?”

Iacuora’s gaze penetrated Julen. Every word she uttered pierced him like an arrow. “An indescribable dread envelops you. You see everything you never wanted to see. You see things you didn’t even know you were afraidof. The sensation grips your mind like a vise.”

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