In the Serpent's Gaze

“Things aren’t going as planned,” Jasper growled under his breath. “You know how much I hate it when things don’t go by the plan.”

Crouched behind the bushes of the tree line, he squinted to see across a vast field. Not that it would help him see any better through the cover of fog that had blanketed the area in the early morning. All they could see was the vague silhouette of an ancient building a few dozen meters ahead of them. The occasional stifled snore reminded them there were some very large and dangerous creatures hiding in the damp distance. They had heard the wing beats in the night while they had carefully made their way to their positions from where they had left Randel.

“Give them another minute,” S’re urged softly behind him. “Might be having trouble seeing.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about,” he retorted, eyes scanning through the fog, ears straining to hear. “Black’s as reliable as a fixed orbit and his nose is ridiculously good. It’s the girls I’m worried about. Hope they remember which way to run in this.”

Reaching out her hand to reassure him, they both startled at the blood chilling growls reverberating through their chests. The ground quaked with the thundering steps of immense beasts much closer than Jasper would have liked.

“Told ya,” S’re poked with a grin as she rushed past him. With a big breath and shake of his head, he followed her into the thick fog, heading towards the ruins.

Pressing against the weathered wood of the wall filled with holes and broken boards, he glared at S’re. “You’re having entirely too much fun.”

Grinning at him, she peeked into the building through an earth smeared, cracked window. “Clear,” she confirmed.

His grip on her wrist whipped her around the corner just before the crunch of an unnaturally large foot came around the opposite corner. A towering silhouette rushed past into the mist, following a small, swift figure.

“What...?”

“That was a Q’Hu!” Jasper hissed. “A fuckin’ Q’Hu! Because this wasn’t bad enough! Only two Riders– of course he knew!”

The reaction was in her whole body, shuddering with a hitch in her gasp.

“We’re in too deep now,” Jasper growled under his breath. “Fuck, let’s go.”

Slipping into the building, it was dark and hazy, but they noticed someone had already rifled through the bags. The hairs on Jasper’s neck stood on edge, eyes wide. “That wasn’t Slina he was chasing ... Someone beat us!”

A soft beeping drew S’re’s attention. Just enough light filtered through the speckled window to see a pile of things tossed over something metallic and glowing. Moving the debris meant to camouflage it, she revealed a high tech egg basket the likes of which she had never seen.

“Hey, look. Let’s take this.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Well, if those were documents for something important, then this has to be a prototype, right? Maybe we can sell it. At least we won’t be empty handed.”

Glaring at her, then the massive backpack, then back at her, he glanced around and nodded. “Fine. You’re bringing it. Let’s go.”

Heading for the door, he checked around, motioned for her to hurry, and vanished. Pulling the straps over her shoulders, a low, feral growl behind her caused every hair to stand on her body. Looking over her shoulder, the Q’Hu’s pale face hung there just outside, bisected by the crack of the filthy window, the green glow of his reflective pupils shining like lasers locked on her, his teeth bared in a snarl.

As if a lightning bolt of pure terror had struck her, every nerve went numb, freezing her in place, even when his enormous foot smashed through the wall under the window, causing the dry, rotting wood and glass to crumble and shatter. His long elven ears brushed the ceiling when he stood straight and towering over her. Each sharp thump of his heavy boots on the wood closer– crushing the glass beneath them to dust– caused her hearts to pound harder, trembling up to her ears.

Like flushed prey, she turned and bolted towards the door. His iron grip fully encompassed her arm, bringing her to an abrupt halt. Turning to meet her captor again, her eyes followed the black dragonscale armor clad body up until she leaned her whole spine back to peer into his reflective gaze, mouth agape with the thought to plead for mercy.

Staring directly into those shimmering centers, she felt a wave of sensation surge through her. Her breath caught, unsure how to process what was happening inside her mind. Drawn into their enchanting depths, she saw him without flesh, everything that he was, a great eye, a marking. A spell that bound all things, and it bound him to her completely. But, how did she know that?

Shock spread across his near flawless features. He knew she was seeing his soul. He knew he had just awoken her. He had a vision, too, a new eye opening within him to see within her, and her gaze was causing him discomfort, but he could not look away and could not keep her out. A ragged gasp left him, his voice inhumanly deep. “Shit, you’re a...”

He stiffened at an audible thunk against the back of his head, his eyes wide and rapidly blinking. Staggering, he growled and began to turn slowly, but another strike across the side of his head knocked him off balance, stumbling over some broken debris. Jasper leapt over the massive man, smashing a blunt metal pipe against his skull until he stopped moving.

“Jasper...” S’re whispered in horror.

Stopping, he panted and turned to her, dropping his weapon. “We have to go! Now!” Slipping a hand into his vest, he pulled out a fire starter and twisted it, tossing it to the nearest wall as it began to grow hot and sparks flew from it. “Let’s go!” Grabbing her hand, he dragged her after him as the wall caught fire.

When they were past the tree line, Jasper slowed and then stopped, turning to S’re as she panted heavily and wobbled, still confused and shaken, finding it difficult to focus her eyes. Now he became concerned. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

“I-I don’t know. He-he did ... something.”

Gritting his teeth, he glanced around nervously. “He might have cast a spell on you. It might release once the fire gets him. We can’t rest here. If he does wake up, he’ll come after us, and he’ll kill us. Can you keep going?”

S’re knew he spoke the truth, nodding in a daze, but each step grew more difficult until she stumbled. Jasper turned back to her, reaching out to catch her as she fell and fell– and fell.

Into depths deeper than dreams, she plunged through a veil and into a void. Peering about, she noticed the faint shimmers of spider’s silk that seemed to float about her, but she could not tell where they ended. Looking at her hands, she realized the strands came from her. The threads suddenly tightened and through them entered into her an angry might she was not sure she could contain. The strings tugged her into the darkness, but they could not move her.

She felt the urge to look up, if one could call it up. Equally part of the darkness and individual, there appeared a dragon, difficult to make out. Brilliant, metallic copper eyes peered down at her. Its maw opened wide as if it might reach down to swallow her.

Instead, liquid fire cascaded forth, pooling high above her until they became the disembodied eyes of a serpent, dispassionate and omnipotent. Something immeasurable slithered around her, a being of infinite power. Immense coils of ages young and old encircled her, slithering over one another. Every scale held its own universe as vastly complex as her own– each a different path, a different moment.

She thought she should feel afraid but, somehow, that didn’t make sense. This place felt safe, warm and familiar, as though she were cradled, somewhere she knew she could simply observe. The celestial being had no intention of harming her. She just knew that.

“Tamer.” The ether softly hissed all about her, as deep as the void and without hurry for it knew no urgency of time. “Eternal Tamer. The beginning ... and the end ... So many before you have come ... gone ... for-got ... Do you know why you are here? Your existence? Your Purpose?”

S’re could not speak. She opened her mouth, but there was no air in this void. Confused and uncomfortable, she could do little more than stare up at the eyes that further expanded as the shadowy form of the dragon, the shape of which she had never seen, continued to pour magma from its mouth.

“There was an Order. We made it so. It is your Purpose. ny’Salohm of the eternals. Little drop of the mountain. Bold is thy Wanderer, marked by your love. They will know him. Trust in the son of Light Maker. God among Men. In his strength. In his will. In his Oath. In his ... Purpose... ”

The word drawled on longer than it needed to, a reverberation through the universes, time itself rolling about in different directions throughout each scale. Once again, she felt the fantastic might that attempted to drag her into the darkness. Still, she remained unmovable but puzzled until the sensation relented.

“Our Order has been unraveled. Fools seek what they cannot conceive of. Attempt ascension with sacrilege. For-sake ... the Order of things. Test ... your resolve. They know nothing of this path they have set, or how far the ripples of desperation travel.” Again the scales shuddered, a wave distorting the coils as it rolled past her view.

“FOOLS!” The word reverberated all around her, the scales becoming turbulent, galaxies colliding and flinging worlds asunder. “They will not be blessed! Only our children feel the touch of our love! There was an Order! We made it so! It is your Purpose! They must obey.”

“Heretics!” An anguished sob echoed in the space between worlds. “What have they wrought?”

The lava overflowed from the eyes as if the being wept, flowing into a mighty river of fire while the form of the dragon became a peak, standing mighty and alone. The fire lapped up the sides, raging and dancing on a darkness that oozed through the stone, turning the mountain bleak and black, joined by others, where the Eternal Storm seethed, long protecting glittering dunes vast and arid. Through gates of living sand, into a lush citadel raised from the very desert. Danger lurked here, a menace to take her, swallow her into a chasm below the city. Falling into the molten fire, unable to stop, the fear of plunging into the searing froth caused her body to thrash.

“There will be Order or it will all be burning ... burning ... burning... ”

“You are burning! Lie ssstill.”

Her eyes fluttered open, sucking in air, the stars fading from her vision. Immediately aware they were back on Randel, she stared up at the roof until Black’s glassy crimson eyes and reptilian face appeared over her, furrowed in concern. He placed something cold against her temple. Already, the heat within her body was subsiding, her strength returning.

“Jasper!” she gasped, trying to focus, but a constant ... buzzing was making it difficult.

She felt his warm hand entwine with hers, his presence a light in the fading fog of her fevered vision. “Thank the Seven Serpents! I wasn’t sure if you’d awaken again, lulumi.”

She turned to peer at him and met his warm, dazzling gaze. In that moment, she knew without a doubt none of it was a dream. None of it had been imagined. Within him was a whole life, a flood of emotions in her ... everything, and a great eye that tethered him to his dragon.

She knew in his gasp and breathless whisper he felt her pierce him. “S’re! Are you...? Oh, god! It all makes sense.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, she struggled to make sense of what she saw. All at once feeling powerful and drained, it became so difficult to focus on her reality that she no longer could.

“Roscrow!”