Page 91 of Obsidian Dream
The streaming lights appeared again.This time, they were directed to a rolling desert where sand dunes towered over a thriving oasis.In the center, there were small mud structures, one-room houses, that quickly transformed into a large stone fortress that rose high enough it could blot out the sun.
She knew it in a heartbeat.It was unmistakably her home.“House Azaes.”
A second later, and they were transported into an area of marshy swampland and forests surrounded by an ancient waterway and bordered by a tumultuous ocean on the other side.The scenery appeared static for a few seconds.Khalida glanced at the unmoving cube.Maybe it had run out of charge?It let out another high-pitchedtick, and then the light fizzled for half a second.The pristine landscape was rapidly replaced by a small village, early European, if she wasn’t mistaken, but they were no longer in Europe.The village quickly grew from a busy commercial port to a city filled with infamous skyscrapers and reputation.
“New York City,” Talik said, breaking the silence.
The light flickered three or four times before it went black, and they were left in the darkness as the object stopped moving and finally fell silent.
The three of them stared at it, the tension in the room rising.
“Kade,” Talik broke the silence.“What haven’t you told us?”
Kade glanced at her, his expression giving no hint of what he was thinking, but it didn’t need to.He trusted Talik but wasn’t one hundred percent sure about her.She may not have taken the oath of an immortal, but she was one in everything except name.
She held out her hands in a peace offering.“I will not share this information.”
Kade stared at her for a few seconds longer, his gaze inscrutable before he gave her a quick nod.“The archives hint at an ancient battle that was fought on Palatine Hill, in Rome, after the fall of Atlantis.The hunters were responsible for wiping it from memory.And destroying any evidence of the battle.
“Against Ninhursag?”Khalida asked, her mind going one hundred miles a second as she tried to sort through all the information she knew about their history, and the human Rome, and to see what else they had missed.
“Ninhursag was captured and placed underground.Bound by iron and with no access to the sunlight, her powers were weakened.”
Talik moved, stepping closer to the object as if he was entranced.“How did the hunters ensure it was wiped from memory?”
“On orders from the council, they burned the original town to the ground and executed all survivors, Atlantean or human.For centuries, humans were too scared to enter the region.”Kade grimaced.A tick on his lower jaw was the only hint of emotion.“Hunters remained in the area and guarded Ninhursag, with the occasional support from the immortals.”
Khalida straightened up.The hunters and the immortals had been on the same side, even for a short time.What else had been forgotten?“What happened to the hunters that guarded Ninhursag?”
Kade stared stoically at her.“Most of them were executed after the hunter purge.All entrance points to the tunnels were demolished or built over.”
“Do the archives detail a way to kill the Anki and the O’hurani without accidentally slaughtering a percentage of the Atlantean population?”
“Atlantean population?”Kade repeated, ignoring the rest of the conversation.He leaned against the wall, casually surveying the area.Khalida almost felt like prey, almost.
“If the O’hurani or the Anki are killed, anyone carrying a drop of their blood will also perish.”Talik took another step closer to the pedestal.“Or so our new acquaintance, Lucien, informed us.”
“I am aware,” said Kade.He shifted slightly, his focus entirely on Talik.“I did not realize it was common knowledge.”
Her mind continued to reel with the information Kade was giving them.This was not what she considered to be valueless as he had originally inferred.“What else do you know?”
Kade hadn’t taken his gaze off Talik.“Nothing that is of concern.”
Bullshit.She stopped herself from voicing the sentiment out loud.Something was not quite right.
Talik tugged at the sleeve of his shirt, his yellow consort mark a bright contrast to the dark color of the material.
“Is Ninhursag still trapped?”
“It appears she is no longer confined by her prison, thanks to the cave-in triggered by the grenade you used in the catacombs.Ninhursag was sighted twenty minutes ago.We are tracking her movements.”
“How?”Khalida asked.“And why didn’t you lead with this information?”Hunters.It was why she didn’t trust them.“If you say because I didn’t ask the right question, I will stab you with your own knife.”
“It would not have made a difference.We know where she is going.”
Talik looked up, his eyes flashing in the darkness.“Where?”
“The artifact confirmed it.Palatine Hill.The archives are convoluted and do not speak directly to it, but there is an obscure mention about Ninhursag leaving a piece of her Ša behind.”
