From: Harald Smith 617 726-2172 (SMITHH@A1.MGH.HARVARD.EDU)
Date: Fri 24 Jun 1994 - 10:25:00 EEST
Simon--
Liked the spirit cults of northern Sartar.
Now, here's another of my Imther stories, again pertaining to the Imtherian view of the Lightbringer saga.
Khalana and Orlantio
by Harald Smith
(The following is a piece of the Imtherian Lightbringer cycle. Khalana is the healer. Orlantio is the trickster and acting leader after he betrayed Lagavar the hero. Noss is a mortal man who sought the truth of the world's future.)
After Orlantio betrayed Lagavar, Khalana and Noss followed Orlantio on through the Deepest Underworld. But though they thought Orlantio led them, he did not for he was as wayward as always, going wherever instinct led him.
They came across the Keeper of the Net, but Orlantio turned himself to wind and whistled through the net. When the Keeper turned to chase Orlantio, Khalana and Noss slipped past.
They came across Ubur, the grievous howl. Orlantio laughed and said he could howl louder and whipped up his winds to a frenzy before dashing into the distance. Khalana stopped, though, and came to him. Instead of taunting Ubur, she asked him why he howled. Ubur paused in his howling to consider this. Suddenly, he realized he was not howling and did not need to. He was freed of his task and thanked Khalana before going on his way.
Orlantio returned in a rage. "You would set all these wretched beings free. The world is for them no longer--stop your charity."
Khalana shook her head. "It is your anger that twists you so. Give it up lest it lead you and us into a danger that we should avoid."
"Fool. Anger is the wellspring of victory. It is freedom
from fetters and bonds. Go play healer some more, but I am
moving on." And Orlantio walked on. Khalana and Noss,
knowing no better path followed in his wake.
At the Thunder Hall, Orlantio was greeted by his dead kin.
"Come brother," cried Olat, "join our merry feast."
The party entered the hall. There sat Olat the Sky Wind upon a throne made from a broken star. His face was smeared with gore and blood. His clothes were tattered winds of tarnished silver. And he drank from a crumpled chalice a drink of whitened maggots.
Next to him sat Urox the Thundering Bull upon a throne of dead goddesses. His horns were cracked and broken. Chains came through his nose ring and bound him to his place. Rising around him were great piles of his own manure.
Lesser children, too, dashed around the once mighty storm lords driving dirt and bones before them with their whips.
Orlantio laughed. "Well you are in fine form, I see. Leave you all to your own devices and it leads you here. You should have followed me and we would have conquered all."
"Still arrogant as always," said Urox. "Well what are these
playthings you have brought us?"
Orlantio shoved Noss forward. "A living mortal to toy with. He thinks he's seen all there is to see!"
A gaunt skeletal figure came, winds whipping his blackened cape from the bony shoulders. "I think he has not seen this, my brother." The figure brought forth a mighty blade, greyed and rusted. "Let him try this toy!"
The figure swung the sword upon Noss, who cried out, as did Khalana. But it was too late. Death severed Noss. But though the body fell, the spirit stayed suspended above. The figure swung the sword again. But this time it passed silently through Noss. "Once is all you can achieve. I am called now and see my path. I thought that you could lead us Orlantio, but I was wrong. Luckily I can go on from here along. Farewell, dear Khalana, though I think we shall meet again."
Orlantio screamed in rage, as did his dead kin, but the winds could not hold Noss now from his appointed path. And the brothers fell to fighting amongst themselves as they had always done. While they raged on, Orlantio took Khalana and dashed out of the Thundering Hall and locked the doors behind him.
"You have led me to this path," shouted Orlantio at Khalana.
"You have tricked me into letting Noss go. You have
deceived me at all times."
Khalana shook her head. "Put down your anger, Orlantio. Can you not see what it does to you?"
But Orlantio would not contain his anger. "You are as wretched as your fool brother who took my bride from me. You will push me no farther!"
And saying that Orlantio stepped forward and ripped Khalana's garb from her shoulders. He seized the gentle goddess and pushed her to the earth. He took her ousa, ripped the strings from it and used then to bind her hands and feet. There he took out his lusts upon Khalana, engorged by his own anger, time and again until he could do no more. Beneath him Khalana wept. "I will find my own way
from here for I am surely done with you," he said brusquely and then departed.
Khalana was hurt and alone. Her magics were broken. She could not even free herself from her bondage. Yet even in her most dreadful pass, she felt a stirring within her--she could feel a new life.
Though she lay broken in the land of the dead, foully treated by the outlaw Orlantio, Khalana brought forth a girl child, calm and serene and cloaked in dew. She cried tears and the child drank the tears and grew. And when the child had grown enough, she removed the bindings from her mother and held her mother. Kindness renewed Khalana and she found a way to stand. Khalana picked up her broken instrument and together, hand-in-hand, Khalana and her daughter continued on their way through Hell.
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