Indigo: Abraham, Emotion Vol. 2: Murderer, Chapter Eight: "The Glass House (The BoneGrinder, Remix)"

 

Chapter Eight: The Glass House (The BoneGrinder, Remix)

 

            Alex didn’t dream.  After Alicia’s death, she dreamt every night, about Alicia, sick in bed, pale, buried in blankets.  Then, after years passed, she dreamt of darkness or blackness, emptiness, vast and hungry, eating every memory she had of her sister and growing hungrier after.  This time, Alex didn’t dream.  She slept deeply and soundly for what felt like the first time in her life, with no nightmares or voices to distract her.

            When she woke she was calm, almost happy.  He wounds had closed, her fevers passed.  Stiff limbs loosened as she rose, and though she was still bruised across her arm and chest, she was mobile, even healthy.

            She found Shana beside her.  They had fallen asleep hidden in the grass, lying beside the water, and she woke instead in what looked to her like a hollowed-out glass bead.  Tall, thick pillars of glass surrounded her on all sides, edges smoothed to a voluptuous roundness, perhaps by erosion or some other voice.

            The interior was glossy and dark.  There was light, somewhere, swallowed by the thick glass and dimmed to the point where it was nearly impossible to see.  The walls were cool to the touch and cast everything in a dull, blue-white color that blurred everything together.

            She felt along the walls for a few feet and found they were in a cavern.  There was a long, winding path that ended immediately behind them and another that led away and deeper in.  The shadows were darker, there.  There was less light to go by.  She followed it for some time, to where the paths forked, and then returned, deciding it was better to work her way back to Shana before they were separated again.

            Shana woke at Alex’s approached.  She stretched and yawned, and then felt around their darkened surroundings.  “Alex?  Alex!”

            “I’m here.”  Alex joined her on the floor, sitting beside her close enough that they brushed shoulders.  Feeling her then, Shana settled, and Alex could almost feel her smile in the darkness.

            “Where are we?”

            “Not too sure.  The surroundings shifted again.”

            “Yeah, looks like.”  Shana rubbed the sleep from her eyes and then placed her palm along the wall.  Alex couldn’t see her, but she could feel the movement of her body, and it seemed to her that Shana was tracing the contours of the glass with her palm.  “Feels like we’re inside of a marble.  Weird.”

            Alex nodded and then stood.  She offered Shana her hand and helped her up.  “Wherever we are, we need to keep going.  Ellen and Abraham are lost somewhere in here.  Here being...this whole place.”

            “Here being the Emotion?”

            Alex paused and wondered just how much Shana knew.  She remembered the dark-haired woman who disappeared as they fought and wondered about her, too.  In the end, it didn’t matter, and she didn’t want to revisit it.  The battle itself had been hard enough, on both of them, and was not worth revisiting.

            Alex didn’t know much about the Emotion, though.  Carolyne had called it the ‘heart of God,’ but that didn’t mean much.  It was a strange place, pulsing with so much life that sometimes Alex had trouble remembering herself while she was there, but she figured that didn’t matter, either.  She found Shana, and she would find Ellen and Abraham, and that’s all she cared about.

            She took Shana’s hand, like she would when they were children, and led her forward in the darkness.  In her free right hand, Alex conjured her Voice, Three Gods. Feeling the familiar tingle travel up her spine, it formed in the air, reality warping to accommodate its sudden intrusion, and her senses shifted.  The life felt sharper, the area around her more detailed.  The blade slid smoothly from the brace and, once it was fully formed, she found the words and spoke them silently to herself.

            Blazing corona, lustrous light, red blade of power, lend me your might.

            A soft, orange glow formed along the face of Three God’s blade and lit the area around them.  It wasn’t much to see by, but it was better than nothing.  In the dim, hazy light, Alex saw Shana smile.

            “Well, that’s pretty convenient,” Shana said, and Alex tried not to smile.

            “It’s not much.”

            Alex led them with her arm out, keeping her heated blade at a distance.  They took the left path out and into a narrow room, dark like the rest.  The shadows were dense here, the glass thicker above from the looks of it, and swallowing the light.  Sometimes, when Alex moved her blade, it seemed to her like the shadows were telling her lies, showing tunnels that weren’t there.

            She stopped and closed her eyes because she didn’t trust them anymore.  Instead, she called out with her soul.  It stretched out, filling the halls, filling the world, spreading into the light all around that made up the life of the Emotion and seeing through it.  She sorted through it all and found herself, standing with Shana, hand-in-hand.

            She moved deeper and reached farther, burying herself into the energy that surrounded her and letting it spread through her.  The Emotion was vast, greater than anything she had ever seen, a world or even countless worlds itself.  In this great, endless light she found the boy from the library.  His aura was gentle but edged, as if something was weighing on him and chipping away at his heart.

            Beyond and beside him, she found Ellen, her presence gentle and warm, reminding her of a sunflower in bloom.  She found also another presence, one which dwarfed her own and seemed almost a world of its own.  The presence was vast and empty, devoid of almost everything at all.  It cast light, but that light was entirely without color.

            As she came back, she found another presence.  It was faint but powerful, and once she looked in on it, she knew immediately.  The presence had gone native and was slowly being swallowed by the Emotion, as Alex feared she might be, but what it lacked in depth it made up for in density.  She knew it immediately and found it waiting not far ahead.

            She opened her eyes and stared out into the darkness.  Shana stood beside her, holding her by the hand and looking anxious.  “Alex?  You okay?”

            Alex nodded.  “Yeah.”  She looked ahead, down the tunnel.  It was there—he was there—Goliath, waiting to finish what he started.  She looked back at Shana and knew what she had to do.  “Wait here.  I’m going to scout up ahead and see if there’s a way out.”  She released Shana’s hand but was grabbed by the wrist before she could go.

            “No, Alex.  We should stick together.  It’s safer that way.”

            “No.”  Alex jerked away.  “You stay here.”  She tried her best to look resolute but found it hard when staring into Shana’s eyes.  “You look tired.  So, rest.”

            “I’m fine, Alex, and it’s dangerous here.  I won’t let you go alone when I can go with you.”

            “You’re waiting here, and that’s the end of it.”

            “No, it’s actually not.”  Shana was glaring, now, and had her hands on her hips.  It was a warning sign Alex knew well.  “I want to help you, Alex.  I’m going to help you.”

            Alex paced.  She braced into the wall and looked ahead at the tunnel.  From where she was, she thought there might be a curve in the darkness.  In her mind’s eye, she could see Goliath waiting on her, and she could also see Shana there beside him, broken at his feet, killed to get at Alex.  That couldn’t happen, Alex wouldn’t let it, so she let go.

            Three Gods dissolved into the air and the light went with it.  The darkness was abrupt, made worse by the sudden disappearance of light, but Alex knew where she was going and how to get there.  She heard Shana stumble after her, could almost feel her groping in the darkness.

            “Alex!  Wait, why are you doing this? Where are you going?”

            Alex followed the tunnel to the bend and stopped.  She looked back.  “I’m sorry, Shana, but I don’t have a choice.  I won’t let you get hurt, and I definitely won’t let you die for me.  I’ll come back for you when it’s all over, but for now, you have to stay here and stay safe.”

            “Alex!  Stop!  Where are you going?  You can’t die, dammit!  Get back here!”

            Alex whispered a, “Goodbye,” and left as she heard Shana crying.  She turned the corner and followed it down, exploring the tunnels far ahead of her.  Shana was smart and stubborn, too, so Alex knew she would follow, but she hoped that Goliath could be dealt with before Shana’s arrival.  It didn’t matter to Alex who died in the fight, so long as it wasn’t Shana.

 

: Murderer :

 

            Alex found Goliath waiting in a large, domed cavern.  The ceiling was high and thin, the light from above shining brighter here, perhaps even amplified by the glass.  The walls were smoothed and contoured like the rest of the cavern.  Eight giant, glass pillars filled the center with narrow spaces cut through each of them by water, time, or magic—Alex didn’t know.  All three seems possible in the Emotion.  Alex walked between two as she approached Goliath.

            He was seated, legs crossed, near the far wall.  An enormous sword, easily taller than Alex and wider, too, was laid at rest in front of him.  The grip was made of dark steel and was as long as one of her arms.  Her arrival pulled him from his reverie.

            Goliath smiled as their gazes met.  The shadows here were swallowed by the light, and those that remained had sharp edges to them.  It made his face look gaunt and his muscles harder cut.  In this light, she could see him for what he truly was—a giant of a man, skilled in combat, and sent to kill her.  He stood, hefting the massive blade as if it were weightless.  “Welcome.  Where is your friend?  You aren’t here alone.”

            Alex went stiff.  They knew, already, about Shana.  That was the line she needed.  Before, she hesitated to kill Goliath, but she would do anything to protect Shana.  “What do you people want with us?”

            His smile faded.  He held the blade in one hand and moved it with impossible ease.  “I’ve been sent to kill you.”  He didn’t say it with humor or joy.  It was like the words were heavy, and he hardly seemed able to force them from his lips.  “You should have given up last time, when I let you live, because I can’t do that again.  This time, I can’t let you escape with your life.  You have to die, and so does she.”

            “And why?  Why do we have to die? We just want to find our friends.  What does any of that have to do with you?”

            “It doesn’t matter,” Goliath said.  “These are my master’s orders.  I won’t fail him again.”

            Alex screamed, “Why?  You clearly don’t want to do this, so why?  Why follow someone who would order you to kill a complete stranger?”

            “Because, he is strong, stronger than you or I, and the strong lead the weak.  That is the way of the world, girl.  You lived last time only because I allowed it, and you will die now because he demands it.  For whatever reason, he sees you as a threat, and that is very unfortunate for you.”

            His words and tone left her feeling numb.  Somewhere else, sitting on high, there was someone stronger than Goliath.  Someone stronger than the man who nearly killed her, and that was the one who wanted her dead.  All of the bruises in her body ached in remembrance.  She knew from the start that there would be no reasoning with him, but she had still hoped for the best.

            She thought of Shana then, and her eyes narrow.  She called on Three Gods, and in a flash of liquid steel it appeared and spread across her arm.  The blade extended and the red jewel gleamed in the dragon’s maw.  She widened her stance and tried her best to keep limber.  “Fine!  If that’s all you can say, then let’s finish this.”

            He sighed.  “And you plan to fight again.  Don’t you remember what happened last time?  How futile your struggle is?  I thought those wounds might teach you a lesson.”

            “They did.  They taught me what would happen if you got your hands on Shana.  So, I won’t lose again, not after you threatened her.  You can break my legs, sever my spine, for her, I’ll keep fighting until the end!”

            Goliath gave a long, cold stare and shook his head.  “Fine,” he growled, “We will do it your way.  It doesn’t matter.  In the end, you’ll both be dead.”

            The air grew tense and heavy, and the distance between them no longer seemed so great.  Goliath stood tall, shoulders straight, his blade seized in both hands.  It looked sharp enough to cleave through stone.  His entire body was hardened, one massive muscle ready to pounce, and staring at him Alex felt like a tiny girl in far over her head.

            He moved and roared, dragging his blade and leaving a long, thin trail of glass shards in his wake.  Meeting him head on would be fruitless.  He was a warrior and knew how to kill.  In a fair fight, he was better.  Alex knew this and retreated, backing up and rounding a nearby pillar to hide behind.

            Goliath stopped and spun, moving the blade cleanly through the foggy glass.  Alex felt it pass only inches above her head.  Cracks spread out like long, jagged fingers through the glass.  She heard his blade making a second pass along the ground and barely caught glimpse of it in time to jump and save her ankles.

            The landing left her flat on her stomach.  On the other side of the pillar Goliath gave another roar, this one sounding more beast than man, and planted his foot against the pillar.  He pushed, and the glass screeched and shattered as it slid out and tilted forward.  Alex saw the shadows shifting, felt the floor rumble and fissure, and she rolled out of the way just in time.

            Shards of glass scattered around her.  They bloodied her hand as she pushed herself to standing.  There was no time to think of a new strategy, Goliath was on her and he brought his blade with him.  He leveled it and swung at her waist.  She leapt away and sought refuge behind another pillar, this one thicker than the last, and made the long sprint around it.

            Here, she stopped and waited.  He was on the other side.  She could feel him, his presence stirring the air.  He lifted his blade and forced it through the glass.  It appeared just beside her, and she moved as he gave a herculean jerk and parted the pillar, tearing half of the glass away as he removed his blade.  The glass dissolved into a fine, shimmering fog that spread around them and cut Alex’s lungs as she breathed.

            Suddenly, the last battle came back to her.  Alex remembered the injuries, her bruises aching, and she could only see Goliath now as a hazy figure on the other side of the fog.  His big form moved swiftly toward her, preparing for a lunge.  Another deep breath, and Alex leapt into the hollow of the pillar where he was and met his thrust, and she aimed for the heart.

            Goliath stopped and brought his blade up, swatting at her with the flat side.  She landed on it, her feet finding home on its improbably width, and was thrown a few feet away, landing between two other pillars and rolling to a clumsy halt just passed them.  Goliath gave a smile.

            “Impressive,” he said, turning to meet her.  He leapt and brought his blade down over head, and he was just about to land a killing blow when a flash of light distracted them both.  Shana met him in the air, intercepting his weapon with her own.  Her Voice knocked his blade aside and into the pillar to Alex’s left, shattering it in impact.

            Shana landed on one knee in front of Alex, breathless but ready.

            “Shana?  What the hell are you doing here? I told you to wait!”

            “And I told you I was coming,” Shana said, and she stood beside Alex.  “He’s the one who hurt you, right?”  She stared at Goliath, through him, and held her Voice firmly in both hands.  “Now, it’s my turn to hurt him!”

            Goliath forced his blade free.  He towered over both of them.  Even together, defeating him seemed impossible.  He sneered.  “You could have chosen Samantha and lived, you know.  Then, neither you nor she would have had to die.”

            Shana breath caught.  Her grip lightened.  “Samantha’s dead?”

            Goliath brought the blade down again, and this time Alex intercepted.  She shoved Shana to the side and then leapt away, letting the blade crash into the air between them.  Shana was still stunned on the other side, but Alex was standing.  “Go, Shana!  I don’t want you here.  I don’t want you to get hurt!”

            Shana recovered, pulling herself up with the pillar behind her and bracing against it.  “Idiot!  Don’t you ever think about me, about what I want?   You don’t want to lose me.  You want to protect me!”  She glared and lifted her hammer again.  “What about how I don’t want to lose you?  What about how I don’t want YOU to be hurt!”

            Alex paused.  In truth, in all her life, she had never considered it.  Even in that moment, when she was told in person, she didn’t really understand.  Being so weak as Alex was, she had always figured Shana thought of her as a burden, an obligation, a responsibility.  She always felt like she held Shana back, that all of it was simply pity and kindness.

            Goliath spun, bringing his blade around and aiming to sever Shana’s head with a single stroke.  Shana ducked under and let the blade slice through the pillar at her back, and Alex then saw her change.  She summoned all of her strength and charged, and she felt lighter and stronger than she ever had before.  She leaped, and she felt like she was flying.

            Her Voice scratched the ceiling at acme, and words came to her from somewhere deep in her soul.  She heard them and understood then, and she let the form in her throat and change the world around her.  “All sorrow at bay.  All hope come to light!”

            Alex landed with staggering force.  Three Gods shined, bright as the sun, and lit the cavern interior.  It was blinding and warm, and Goliath caught the attack with the flat of his blade but couldn’t stand against it.  His rooted legs came undone, and as he staggered, his blade collapsed as she grew ever brighter.

            This time, he was moved, moved into the glass wall on the other side of the room with enough force to shatter it on impact.  His slumped, the glass dusting his body, still conscious but stunned.  Alex landed, equally surprised, but didn’t take the time to admire her work.  She went straight to Shana and helped her to stand.

            They made eye contact, and Alex allowed a small, hesitant smile.  “Thank you, Shana.  For everything.  For caring about me.”

            Shana smiled back, though she seemed more bemused than happy, as she tilted her head to one side.  “Why wouldn’t I?”

            Alex was about to reply when she felt it.  The air had shifted and a chill crawled up her spine.  Shana goes wide-eyed just before Alex throws them both down, and a chunk of glass, literally pulled from one of the standing towers, sails overhead.  It collapses the pillar nearby and covers both girls in a find, glittering dust.

            Alex stood and turned to find Goliath on his feet.  He wiped blood from his chest, mixing it in with the sweat and hair there.  At his feet laid his fractured sword, parted in two by her attack.  The wall behind him had a deep crack where he had landed.

            He grinned.  “You’re faring much better than you did before, I’ll admit.”  He reached into the air and the light shifted.  From the ether he produced a large, leather whip which fell, coiled, at his feet.  With a flick, the whip snapped and severed what remained of the nearby pillar.  It hung suspended for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

            He repeated the movement, this time leaving a lash cut in the ground around Alex’s feet, and he started toward her.  Alex retreated a step and remembered Shana beside her, found her kneeling and breathless.  She stared ahead a moment and then sprinted away, drawing Goliath away with her.

            He followed, leaving deep gashes in the glass around her.  She fell back and let her momentum slide her forward, into the safety of one of the few pillars left, and there stopped to catch her breath.  She could hear the whip snapping and cracking and then felt it catch her in the side as it came around the pillar.

            Contact was soft but deep, splashing blood across the glass and leaving her to scream and wince as she clutched the fresh wound.  From a distance she heard Shana yell and then watched as the whip unfurled, moving almost in slow-motion as it struck like a serpent.

            The air shifted again, and this time Shana changed.  Alex recognized that moment of inspiration, when the Voice came to her.  The hammer shimmered, and Shana’s Voice seemed lighter as she charged forward, her body moving with uncharacteristic speed, and she screamed, “Ignore my title, dismiss my name.  Hear only my song!”

            The air hummed and the glass fractured around Shana as she moved.  Just as the whip was about the strike, Shana caught it with a well-placed swing and brought it just short.  It snapped inches from Alex’s face, leaving only a shallow gash across the bridge of her nose.

            Alex recoiled back, wincing as she did, and as she recovered found the floor shuddering.  Chunks of glass disappeared into a dark abyss below as the floor gave out from under them.  Goliath was the first to fall, his heavy body being too much to bear.  Alex and Shana ran for her each other, hands out-stretched, as the darkness swallowed them.

            The world grew dark and cold.  Alex saw nothing in the darkness, save for two lights.  One was dim and the other shined brighter than any beacon, and she knew it immediately—Shana.  She went for it but soon even that was gone.

            As the darkness receded Alex found herself in water.  She was warm and sore.  The wound in her side pulsed and stung, as did her nose.  She opened her eyes and found a clear blue sky with a pale sun suspended in the distance.  A halo of light burned, prismatic, around it.

            She sat up and struggled in the effort.  Once again, her body wished not to heed her and couldn’t support her.  She fell back, again, heavy as a stone, and the darkness took her again.