Leviathan 1

Intro | Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Jestr woke out of his dark fall and found himself in a med unit, he didn't know why he was there, how he got there, or where he was. The effort of trying to remember was too much and the dreams returned. "Why do you seek the monastery?" Takashi asked on the mountain trail to his retreat. It was his right to ask, he was a monk and, so, a protector of the monastery but it was really his curiosity that prompted him to ask. She seemed too young and pretty to have trouble enough to run for sanctuary. She didn't look up at him, "I'm pregnant and have nowhere to go." He didn't know why her answer made him so angry, "What of the man?" he wanted to know. "I can't go to him." His unexplained anger grew, "Is he cruel?", he wondered if she'd been raped. That made her look up, denial in her eyes, "He's a kind, good man." It made no sense, "Then why do you seek the monastery? Go to your kind man.", he snapped. She shook her head, "I can't... I'm lowborn and he's samurai." He understood Miya's situation but it didn't ease his anger and he walked on in silence.

Jestr woke up in a bunk, he was in a med ward on a ship, most of the other bunks were filled with people from the crew. For a moment he wondered what happened, then he remembered the caves. He took a plasma blast going for the command center and then got lost in a world of dreams. He looked at the bunk across from him but the Blndri was out so he tried to sit up. It was a dizzying effort, he fell back more than once, but he sat up and looked for someone awake. Three bunks over a woman was reading her personal and he called softly, "You there reading..." She looked over at him, "Yes?" "What happened after the command center?" he asked her and she looked at him a moment, "You're Jestr?" He nodded and she told him what happened, "You were hit in the cave and we left you behind in the hidden tunnel, it turned out the place we thought was the command center really wasn't. Down the tunnel we were in was the real command center, we took it but we lost about half the crew doing it. We came back for you and Werm led us to another secret tunnel that took us outside." She wasn't much for detail he saw and he asked her the first question on his mind, "Did the Snail make it?" She looked at him again, he could see it wasn't good, "He was torn up pretty bad, the medics don't know if he'll make it yet, it's close." He thought about that briefly then asked, "What are we doing on a ship?" "We're on the way to Leviathan, the Shadow Walkers are making their move."

~|~

He ached for breath, it was dark and he was wet. Instinctively he swam up and his lungs filled with air, he saw he was in a river and swam for shore. As he sat on the shore the Snail looked around, he didn't know where he was, how he got there, or why he was in the strange shadowy land. The last thing he remembered was being in a big fight, he couldn't remember who he'd been fighting or why, not that it mattered, a fight was a fight.

~|~

Brend felt Goren's mind snap and she stepped in for him, she didn't want to but Karina couldn't. Still, it was exciting, the run through the tunnel, people carrying some of the injured over their shoulders. It was sad, so many dead, others dying and others soon to be killed, the injured left behind. Sad, but thrilling, the secret tunnel, the scrambling climb, the feeling of victory against terrible odds. Brend decided she liked war.

The monk knew what was going on with Brend and, like Goren, she was trying to hide the change. She didn't fear discovery but she didn't want to be known, she feared something. The fear he sensed wasn't fear of battle, it was a fear of herself.

~|~

Wilder knew he was in the Land Between, he wondered if he'd see Zach but mostly he wondered if he was alive or dead. "You're dead." came Zach's voice from the shadows. Wilder couldn't remember how it happened, he decided he didn't want to but he did have a question, "Did we take the command center?" Zach nodded, Wilder could tell by his look that it came at a heavy price.

~|~

Shadow Strike, she liked the name, a name of respect, a warrior's name. She understood what the name meant, most mercs are given entirely new names but special mercs, warriors, are given names that show how they were. The past is not part of most mercs lives, who they were has nothing to do with who they are but for some, their past is integral to what they are, their past made them warriors.

The expected blow had not come, Cougar stood in the light once more. He should have been glad but it troubled him that his dreams could be wrong, they had been a guidance all his life.

~|~

Arleen sensed a change in Isu right before they went into battle, once again her plans had changed but this time she couldn't see anything about it. It was bedlam, the battle was going on in her head before it ever started, a lot of people were going to die and she was seeing those deaths through the eyes of each of the dying. Only the thought that she was needed kept her sane but when it was all over she broke. One moment she was standing outside the caves, victory dearly won, then she was struggling for air in inky dark water.

~|~

Dancr knew the caves were going to be bad for Shadow, bad for both of them. Paintr had grown up as a mine slave, caves were part of him and Dancr feared it could awaken Paintr's memories and Shadow would be lost. She knew if Paintr took Shadow over Mae would follow and Dancr would be gone, too. The longer they were inside the more haunted Shadow's eyes looked, she wondered who, if any, would be leaving the caves. She wondered the same for herself and even more when Arleen's warning came. She didn't have to wonder why Isu was after her, Isu's love for Shadow was no secret, perhaps only he hadn't seen it. She didn't need that kind of trouble but she was glad for Arleen's warning, if Isu made one false move she would end up dead, Dancr was tired of dealing with love-sick women. Horrible as they were, Dancr welcomed the battles, it took her mind off her own struggles. Things didn't fall apart in the caves as she expected, it all unraveled afterwards.

She lost track of Isu in the fight and knew if the jealous woman was going to do something, in the middle of a battle was the most opportune time. Dancr didn't think about it, all she thought about was the sword in her hand and the opponents she faced. She felt alive, more herself then she did alone or anywhere. Mae didn't fight her while she fought, she didn't even try to interfere, she just watched and enjoyed. Dancr felt Mae's pleasure, it filled her and in that one thing they had a common bond, they loved a good fight. When the battle ended, though, and they were running through tunnels, climbing shafts and crawling on their bellies Mae fought her all the way, fought her harder then ever before. Dancr knew what it was, what made Mae so urgent, so demanding, Shadow was disintegrating.

M'Kael understood freedom, he understood it too well, from the memories of one who'd fought for it for centuries, who continued the fight even in death. Noble or obssessed, M'Kael didn't know, but Paintr would pay any price for freedom, even M'Kael's soul.

~|~

He was dead, as soon as he saw where he was he knew it.

~|~

Jestr lay in his bunk thinking, it wasn't what was to come that filled his mind, it wasn't the Snail, his mind was on a story of long ago, a story somehow connected to him. He fell asleep with the past in his thoughts.

He ached for breath, it was dark and he was wet. Instinctively he swam up and his lungs filled with air, he saw he was in a river and swam for shore. As he sat on the shore Jestr looked around, he remembered the shadowy land, he'd been there before, long ago. He'd been close to death then and as he sat on the bank of the river a fish came on shore and talked to him. The dream had changed him, taught him that life was basically a joke. He woke up laughing and never stopped. There was no joke this time, just the shadowed river and something in the distance that called to him, he knew it was the mountains. He wasn't ready to die, he threw himself back in the river, it was the way out last time and he looked for it to take him out again.

"Poor thing, never getting a chance to live." "Wait a minute, doctor, I'm getting something."

"Baka!" the monk yelled. It was what they all called him, from what little he remembered of her, even his mother. "I'm not a fool!" he tried to tell them but when he tried to make the words he could only laugh. It wasn't only the laughter that earned him his name, it was his collecting that made them think him simple. Bits of rock, wood, shiny things and string, he kept boxes of it in his room and it made no sense to anyone. He knew as much as the monks why he collected them, what they meant, except a dim idea that one day he would do something special with them. They called him fool, the monks' only other unkindess to him was indifference. When they didn't need him, when he wasn't in the way the left him alone. They taught him nothing, gave him nothing but food and shelter, their only words for him were commands. He didn't mind, people made him nervous, he liked being left alone to collect his things.

He awoke in the dim light of the sleeping med ward and wondered about his dreams. They seemed to be leading to something important, something he should know, but he didn't understand what an old story of revenge had to do with him. He sat up, feeling much stronger and looked around, for the first time the impact of how many people were hurt hit him. The woman with the personal hadn't said much, he could see in her eyes that she didn't want to, something bad must have happened down there, something worse than all the injured explained.

~|~

In the distance he saw mountains and a thought came to the Snail that there he would find the way out. It was a long walk but he was tireless, he was needed, his destiny, no matter how much he questioned or tried to deny it, needed to be fulfilled. He was walking through rocky land when he felt like someone was close, as soon as he did he heard, "That's not the way, Pard." The Snail couldn't tell where the voice was coming from until a man stepped out of the shadows, "What you're looking for is down by the river." The Snail was about to question the stranger but he was nowhere to be seen. He looked at the mountains then back the way he came, he was about half way, it really didn't matter to him which way he went. He still had a feeling that the mountains were the way out but, without knowing why, he turned back anyway.

~|~

The monk sat next to Brend at chow, he wasn't sure what he wanted to know but he wanted to talk to whoever it was that was now in control of Karina's mind. He didn't waste time with conversation but asked the foremost question in his mind, "Who are you?" There was no surprise in the look she gave him, "Brend." He could tell she knew more about him than he knew about her, he didn't believe his mind shields had been penetrated so she could only be one thing, "You're an empath?" he asked, she nodded, "And you're a very sad man."

~|~

"What now?" Wilder asked. Zach sat down on a rock and Wilder joined him, he had a feeling he was in for a long explanation. "I told you some of this already," Zach began, "but I need to go over some of it again. You read my journal so you know I died on Zarral. Well, after that I got mixed up with some prety powerful people and they ended up giving me this place to run. I call it the land between because it stands between dimensions, a dimension itself, it contains all of time, for all timebound dimensions. When people die they step out of time for a while so they can pass to their next existence, in other words another dimension." Zach pointed to the mountains that were drawing Wilder, "That's the boundary between this dimension and all other time dimensions, that is the way out of this land. The mountains call the dead because its the natural thing to pass on but that call can be resisted." Wilder saw Zach had reasons behind what he said, why he would suggest resisting what was natural to do, what Wilder felt he should do. He hoped that passing on to a new life would free him of his beast and saw no reason to do anything different. Before he could ask, Zach answered, "There's a war going on, a war that threatens all of existence, and I need warriors."

~|~

Stalking Cougar had been staring at the bones for hours, trying to divine something from the patterns but, as always, they told him nothing. It was the search that was important, as he studied the bones his unconcious mind found the meanings he couldn't and revealed them in his dreams. It had always been that way and his dreams had led him true, at least he'd thought they had. He was losing his trust, his last dream had been all wrong, he should have been dead but he wasn't. He had no death wish but if he couldn't rely on his guides he was lost, useless, as good as dead anyway. He needed guidance, too much was at stake and the odds were against them. The Old Man had died and someone had to carry on his vision, he would do it himself but he sensed it wasn't to be him, at least not him alone. He needed answers, a vision, a dream he could trust, something to let him know where they were going.

~|~

Arleen sat on the bank of the shadowed river, she knew it, had searched it in dream after dream. Now it seemed she was lost in the dream and wondered what happened to her. She remembered the battle for the command center, death had been her world then and when the cave fell in her world came crashing around her. She'd seen all those deaths once through the eyes of the dying and then she saw it in reality, her mind filled with confusion and a crushing sadness. She realized reality had caused her to retreat into her dreams but it was time to leave, she was needed. Arleen knew her seeing had altered destiny for Dancr but it wasn't over, Isu was still trying to kill her. She needed to get back to warn Dancr but, more, she knew she needed to get back to the Snail, he was Arleen's destiny and she wasn't going to alter it.

~|~

The Old Man died but his plans went on. He had chosen her to lead the crew in such a situation, another ploy to bring Mae back. She wondered if he'd seen the feelings she and Shadow had for each other back at the Denrathian. He took her away then and she didn't understand why, she would have merced with Shadow had he not and that should have furthered his plans. Maybe he hadn't seen, maybe he didn't know that she wanted to turn to Shadow for help now, to ask him to lead the crew with her even at risk of losing their souls. Like it or not, the crew was her job in a war of the highest stakes possible and she needed the one person that made her complete.

When the cave fell in his world came crashing around him. The farther he'd gone in the caves the stronger Paintr's pull was, it was his domain and M'Kael was being forced out. He hung on to himself as best he could, the fighting kept him focused but when the rocks fell and the battle was over he began losing control. The run through the tunnels awakened memories of blood-filled dreams and crushed hopes, still he held on but when their exit to freedom was up an airshaft Paintr made the climb.

~|~

He turned to the mountains, he knew what lay behind, he was ready to go.

Excerpt from Shadow Stalkers by S.E.Estes