Burning Chains

Chapter 4

Mohg walked through an endless empty night. The red star seemed to watch him as he traversed the nothingness, though its gaze didn’t frighten him, it felt encouraging and warm. Then in the darkness he felt himself bump into something. He reached out to touch it and nearly jumped when he felt warm flesh underneath his fingertips. The star began to descend from the sky and it was only then that Mohg fully realized what he had been following had not been a star, but an eye.

“Blessed child, thou hast done well to seek me.” The god spoke with his mother’s voice, but never had Marika ever called him blessed. “Sink thy claws into my body and take my blood so that the flame might be lit in thine own.” Mohg unsheathed his claws and laid his hand upon the god’s body.

“You are certain?”

“I am mother to all the blessed, and it is the responsibility of a parent to bleed so that her children will not have to.” Mohg sheathed his claws and knelt. The star descended until it was right by his head.

“Take as much time as needed, my son.”

“I’m sorry.” He tried to prevent the tears from falling from his eyes. “I’m unused to kindness, especially when spoken with that voice.”

“This may not be a kindness for thee.” The god blinked her red eye slowly. “My blood will change thee. It will give thee the power to escape, but thy form shall be altered. Even more so if it is thy wish to continue communion with me.”

“How.” He felt something touch his forehead and he saw a vision of a man, his eyes solid gold and inches long fangs jutting from the place where his lips had withered away. He was bald, a wild garden of horns having overtaken his scalp in its place. The middle finger of his left hand had been replaced with a long black claw. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Mohg dimly recognized the man as himself. He would be a nightmare of the order, even more monstrous than he already was, a thing of brutal strength and visage. Perfect. “That is the man I will become?”

“Over time, yes.”

“Do you promise?” The god affectionately patted his cheek.

“I promise.”

“You are much more forthcoming with information than the yellow flame is.” The blood red star squinted as the god laughed.

“The yellow flame is a young god, only as old as humanity. It will learn to communicate better in time. Becoming the young man thou art so fond of will aid its growth exponentially.”

“I’m not going to lose him am I?”

“Do not mourn those who still live, my son. He may be changed, but so shalt thou.” Mohg put his hand back on the god’s side.

“I’m ready.” The flesh fluttered briefly under his finger.

“Draw my blood, my child.” He tore through the god’s skin and it was like the world itself bled. His vision went red with it as it spilled forth, gushing into his eyes and mouth and coating his skin. Red flame erupted from it as the wound began to close. He could feel it burn him, but for some reason, even though it hurt, it felt good. A feeling of warmth spread through his body and then his middle finger erupted in white hot pain and he was back in his cell.

Mohg’s finger still burned, though he couldn’t see why. His left hand was sticky with his own blood. Tentatively he moved his index and ring fingers until he could feel what was wrong with it. Skin and muscle hung flayed from his knuckle and something hard and wickedly sharp had replaced his finger. He took a deep breath in and out. This was a sewer, it was best to remove the flayed tissue as quickly as possible so the wound would close properly. Mohg ripped through it with the claws of his right hand, accidentally letting out a quiet whimper. It hurt less now, but he was still bleeding. As droplets of his blood landed on the floor of his cell they burst into flame.

“Mohg are you alright?” Morgott called from his cell. “I smell blood.” Curse his nose! Well, it wasn’t like he had much time. His finger would be too obvious, the guards would know he’d done something the moment they saw him. It was now or never.

“Gareth, wake up!” He heard the empyrean’s chains rattle as he jerked awake.

“Now?!”

“Yes now!”

“Shit you’re bleeding! Should I-“

“There’s no time.” Instinctively Mohg knew what he had to do. He began to relax and his form melted away, leaving just a pool of blood on the floor. He seeped through the grout of the stone floor until he passed below his seal. He could hear the muffled shouts of his brother as he bubbled back to the surface outside of its bounds.

“Mohg, what is happening in there? Why do I smell blood?” Instead of answering he bashed his wrist into the wall, smashing the enchanted golden shackle paired to his seal to pieces.

“Gareth, where are you? I still can’t see.”

“Over here!” He shook his chains violently so that Mohg could hear. The omen felt along the walls near the noise until he found a chain. He followed it back down Gareth’s arm until he reached his eyeless mask. Then he felt along the back until he felt a padlock and tore it off. Garreth’s mask clattered to the floor. Mohg heard him snicker.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’ve got a pumpkin on your head.”

“Can you please just help me get it off.” Mohg felt the lock at the back of his own neck heat up and melt and his own mask fell to the ground as well. He blinked for a moment, the sudden comparative brightness of dim torchlight blinded him. Gareth was staring at him. “What?” He asked, suddenly self conscious.

“You look even better in person.” Mohg busied himself ripping Garreth’s chains from the wall so that the empyrean wouldn’t see his blush.

“You look nice too.” The chains came apart like paper. Mohg made to tear apart his manacles as well but Gareth stopped him.

“No, hold on a second. If we run into trouble I can use them as weapons.” He screwed up his face in concentration and the metal of them turned red hot. The boy hooted in excitement. “Wouldn’t want to get hit with one of these would you.” He raised his manacles, the heat making the air ripple above them. Mohg tore off the door to their cell. The guard posted outside jumped in fear. Mohg was surprised it had taken him this long to respond until he noticed it was Nerijus.

“Your majesty,” the guard kneeled.

“You may rise, Nerijus. Where would you like to be struck?”

“My left knee, your majesty.” Mohg kicked him as hard as he could, hearing a loud crack as his leg broke. Nerijus stifled his scream as best he could.

“Wait ten minutes before you call for help.”

“Yes, your majesty. Please remember to send for me once you have become settled.”

“The way out is that way.” Garreth pointed deeper into the sewers.

“Thank you, though there is one thing I must do before we leave.”

Morgott couldn’t tell what was happening. Mohg was still ignoring him as he shouted, asking what was going on. Then he heard the tearing of iron and Mohg stood in place of the ripped off door of his cell.

“Shit, you’re fucking strong.” Morgott recognized that voice. So then the young man that stood next to him must have been the empyrean.

“Mohg, what are you-“

“I’m leaving, Morgott.”

“What?” He knew this day might one day come. How could he not? His brother had wanted to leave their prison for as long as he could remember, but still it hurt to know that Mohg was choosing to abandon him.

“Will you come with me?” Mohg extended his bloody hand to his brother. Morgott stared at him in shock. He had never considered leaving himself. This was his penance wasn’t it? To let himself think of leaving would be blasphemy. There was also a childish part of him that insisted that he had to stay here so that his parents would know where to find him when they eventually rescued him, even though rationally he knew they were the ones who had ordered his confinement. “Morgott, we don’t have much time.” Mohg begged.

“I can not. It would not be right for me to end my punishment.” Mohg’s face fell, but his disappointment was tinged with resignation. They were brothers, they knew each other's hearts well. Their conflicting desires put them at a crossroads and they would always choose opposite paths.

“Why not? It’s not like you did anything wrong.” The empyrean asked.

“My existence is wrong.” Morgott hung his head.

“Even if it is, is that your fault?” Morgott looked into the empyrean’s eyes. He didn’t react in fear or revulsion like every other human he’d ever met.

“I suppose it is not, but I am still hideous. It is better that I remain here, where I may be hidden away with others of my kind.”

“So you’re scared then. You’re worried about how people on the outside might see you so you’d rather stay down here and be miserable than risk an unfamiliar kind of misery, even if you might be happier for it in the end.” As soon as he’d finished speaking Morgott knew that it was true, even though he hadn’t fully realized it himself.

“You can’t know that.”

“You know I can.” The empyrean’s amber eyes seemed to glow in the torchlight. “You’ve seen me do this before.” He reached out his hand as well. “Come with us. There is misery out there, but there’s all sorts of amazing things as well. And while I won’t say there’s a lot, there are people who will be willing to take you as you are rather than hate you for what you could’ve been.” Gareth held Mohg’s hand. “Please?” Morgott took his brother’s hand and allowed him to shatter his seal.

“I hope the two of you have a plan. I don’t wish to see what will happen if we are caught.”

“We’ll just say we kidnapped you. That was my plan if I couldn’t convince you.” Gareth admitted.

“You wouldn’t believe how much confidence that inspires.”

Nejirus began to call for help.

“We need to hurry.” Mohg pulled Morgott to his feet.

Gareth ran ahead of the twin princes. He’d never been here, but yet he felt he knew every back channel and pitfall of the Leyndell sewers like he knew his childhood home. The group took a circuitous route to the underground cathedral, crawling through pipes and down pits, at one point very quietly evading a giant crayfish as it picked through the city’s refuse. Because of that they managed to avoid the guards the entire way down to the Cathedral of the Forsaken. Morgott glanced around frantically as Gareth headed behind the altar.

“You are certain we aren’t lost? We’ve only been going deeper underground.” Morgott glanced at the cathedral doors. Gareth poked at the wall behind the altar. He could hear the music again, calling him to it. Suddenly he felt his hand slip as he pushed in a button on the wall, then it slid slowly open, just as the flame had shown him.

“This whole time?” Mohg looked into the hole and recoiled. The floor was carpeted in corpses. Morgott stifled a gag.

“Sorry, it didn’t show me that.” Gareth took a step back. “I know the way out is through there though.”

“Thou shalt go nowhere!” The warden led his men into the cathedral. Though the rest of them hung back at seeing the open wall. “Morgott, I am surprised thou wert party to this, but this foolish escape attempt shall go no further.” None of the guards present were Mohg’s converts. Their only option was to run through the passage as fast as they could.

“Mohg, Gareth, leave without me. I will hold them off.” Morgott took a torch from the wall to use as a weapon.

“Morgott you can’t, you will be recaptured!” Mohg grabbed his wrist.

“‘Twas always your wish to escape this place, Mohg, I will find some way to find you when I manage to leave as well.” However as Morgott turned to face the guards, all but the warden kneeled. Morgott nearly dropped his torch in shock.

“If you must go, my prince, we shall not stop you,” one of them said. “We will follow your divine example and take our punishment with grace.”

“Have all of you gone mad! I’ll have you all tried for treason!” The warden drew his sword. Yet Morgott still stood frozen in shock as the man rushed him. Mohg felt white hot fear shoot through him as he ran to intercept the warden. He knew there was no way he would reach Morgott in time, but he had to. He couldn’t lose his brother now, not when they were so close to freedom! As he ran his left hand caught on something. He ripped it away and a wound tore in the edge of the world. As his hand swung forward, flaming blood flew from his fingertips, splashing onto the warden’s face. The man bent in on himself clawing at the flames trying to get them off of him. Mohg grabbed Morgott’s wrist and began to drag him towards the secret passage. About halfway there Morgott remembered he could move and began to scramble inside as well.

Both of them tried to move as fast as they could but it was difficult with all of the bodies, their skin dry and brittle and their limbs frozen outstretched or bent covering their eyes. It was like they had all been suddenly dried out and mummified by a huge blast of heat. Morgott tripped over an outstretched arm and Mohg pulled him to his feet. Gareth waited in the middle of a wooden beam, stretched over a deep yawning chasm.

“The way out is down there!” He called. Mohg could see coffins jutting out from the wall that they could have used to work their way down, but that was no longer necessary. He grabbed Garreth’s hand and gripped Morgott’s tighter.

“The only thing thou wilt find down there is thine end!” The warden cut through the piled bodies, still holding the burnt half of face. “You do not understand what that girl is!” He affixed Gareth with his good eye. “I helped seal thee once, I can seal thee again.”

“Seal thy mouth around my dick!” Gareth yelled. Mohg jumped, pulling the three of them into the abyss.