The Mountain of Souls: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Chosen Book 1) by Marcus Lee

Author:Marcus Lee
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2023-02-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XI

My head thumps when I open my eyes, and my body is stiff from inactivity.

It's been a long sleep, a strange way to prepare for our final purge.

I usually feel refreshed despite the stiffness, and often my head feels full to bursting with hidden knowledge waiting to be unlocked. Yet not today. The moon globe is dazzling, and I close my eyes, momentarily delaying the inevitable. Physical and mental lethargy is something I’m not used to, and this is the first time I haven’t leapt out of bed in years.

Serve the king; complete your mission; to live is to obey. Mantras echo inside my head so forcefully that facing the glare is the better option. I rise and swiftly head to the terrace for our early morning stretching routine while the sun rises.

To the north, campfires flicker. The ssythlan engineers are up early as well.

As the others gather, I note that the usual morning energy is absent from everyone.

‘To live is to obey,’ grimaces Lotane, rubbing his temples. ‘As if we didn’t know that already. Good morning, Alina,’ he adds, forcing a smile to replace his frown.

‘Don’t forget; live to kill and a hundred others,’ grumbles Nestor, shuffling over.

Fianna brightens at Nestor’s arrival.

‘What happened?’ she asks. ‘You had me worried for a while. Are you alright?’

Nestor looks non-plussed, his eyebrows knitting together.

‘What are you talking about?’

Lotane laughs softly, although he still appears pained.

‘The passage you went into. According to Lystra, you ended up in a ssythlan holy place. They weren’t too happy.’

This time it's Nestor's turn to laugh.

‘I’m pretty sure I’d remember that! You must be mistaken.’

We exchange glances and start our routine. Lystra had said they’d make him forget, and it’s apparent he’s forgotten the entire episode.

Kralgen looks darker than usual when he joins us, while Alyssa’s bright smile is absent.

We all feel the effects of this last training session.

Nonetheless, discipline and conditioning don’t allow us to linger. We go through our stretching, helping each other where required.

As we’re about to leave, Nestor pauses at the wall where all his sculptures are. The rest of us stop, looking at one another. Has he remembered? He walks along the wall past the blank section where he’s sealed the passageway to his first work of art. It’s the image of The Once and Future King with the ssythlans and humans at his side.

He rocks backwards and forward, grabs his head with both hands and starts squeezing hard.

‘Are you in pain?’ Fianna asks nervously as Nestor moans loudly.

‘It’s wrong. It’s wrong. It’s wrong,’ Nestor groans over and over.

Kralgen steps forward, takes Nestor’s arm and pulls him forcefully into the passageway.

Nestor returns to his usual self and, perplexed, looks at Kralgen.

‘I’m fine. Leave me be,’ he grumbles and heads off, the rest of us following the well-trod path to the eating chamber.

Nestor is a strange one. His infatuation with imperfection is borderline madness at times. I don’t dwell on it, for thoughts of the final purge come to the forefront of my mind.

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