Mortality: The Story of Mortanius

Chapter Sixteen

Moebius took one of the torches and led Mortanius back into the cave. They navigated through the narrow entrance back into the main chamber and then went farther into another series of claustrophobic passages. The flames of the torch brushed against the roof of the cave and Mortanius had to duck low to avoid coughing on the greasy smoke. If he concentrated, he could hear the sound of the water rushing over their heads to the waterfall behind them.

“Careful here,” Moebius said, handing him the torch. “It’s slippery.”

Moebius gripped the wet stone of the cave wall and lowered himself down a steep incline about two feet down. “How deep does this cave go?” Mortanius asked. He leaned forward and held the torch back out for Moebius to take. “What are you have hidden down here?”

“It’s not much farther,” Moebius replied. “It’s hard to explain. You’ve trusted me this far, so you might as well go all the way.”

Mortanius eased himself down the incline and followed Moebius down another winding passage. He could hear the sound of water splashing ahead of them, and was beginning to get nervous when they finally emerged into a small chamber. Water dripped freely from the ceiling into large puddles at their feet. Moebius stepped into the middle of the chamber and raised the torch up so Mortanius could see.

There was a natural block of stone raised up almost like an altar, and upon the stone was a long staff of blackened wood. It was not just a simple tree branch, but a length of wood flawlessly carved from top to bottom, carved to look like a snake coiling its way up the staff, its mouth open at the top as if to strike. But within its mouth was a large, glistening crystal ball.

After staring at it for a few moments, Mortanius found the strength to ask, “What is this? Where did you get it?”

Moebius didn’t answer for a moment. His hand reached out to caress the snake’s head. “I found it,” he said simply. “A little over two years ago.”

“But where? This staff, it’s … it’s magical.” Mortanius almost had to force the words out. It was as if the staff radiated some kind of aura. He forced himself to look away from it.

“I know,” Moebius said. “I can feel its power.”

“Who made it? The vampires?”

Moebius shook his head. “No, not the vampires. Someone else.”

Moebius wrapped his fingers around the staff and slowly lifted it. The shimmering crystal ball nearly reflected their faces back at them, it was so flawless. Mortanius could sense the powerful magic emanating from the orb, and it was like nothing he had ever experienced. The vampires had created many magical items that he knew of, but this crystal ball felt completely different than the others. Its aura was completely alien, hinting at a magical source Mortanius knew nothing about.

“Who could have created something like this?” he asked.

“Not human and not vampire,” Moebius said in a soft voice, running his fingers along the wood like an art lover admiring a fine piece of sculpture. “It’s ancient, far more ancient than any human artifact. I believe this staff was created by another race, a race even older than the vampires.”

“That’s … that’s impossible.”

“Is it? What evidence do we have that the vampires were the first race to rule Nosgoth?”

The question stunned him, and he was unable to answer. In all this time, Mortanius had never thought to question that the vampires were the first civilized race. The idea that there could have been another race before them never even entered his thoughts. There was no record of any such race.

But of course there would not be any record, he realized. The vampires would have erased any mention of it from the histories they allowed the humans to read. The vampires had so many secrets, about the Pillars and their own past, what difference did one more secret make? Had the vampires evolved to take the place of some other previous race of beings, just as humans were destined to take the place of the vampires? Is that why they fought so hard to retain control of Nosgoth? Were they trying to prevent the humans from doing to them what they had done to their predecessors?

“Where did you find it?” he asked again.

“At the bottom of a lake. It was strange, it was like I heard a voice. It was almost like the staff was there waiting for me to be drawn to it. I can’t explain it.”

Mortanius desperately wanted to know more, but he realized that it didn’t matter where Moebius had found it. The staff was real and he could feel its magic like a deafening scream in his mind. The simple truth drowned out everything else. He could learn the details of its discovery later.

“You think … you think we can use this against the vampires?”

“I do,” Moebius nodded. “You can feel its power. This is a weapon.”

“What kind of weapon?”

“I don’t know. But it was hidden away for centuries, maybe millennia. Whoever made it knew that the vampires were going to take over all of Nosgoth, so they hid it away in the hopes that later generations would find it. Perhaps there are more staffs like this, hidden in other places. For all we know, the vampires know about this staff and have been secretly searching for it all this time. But it was just … waiting for the right person to come along.”

Mortanius did not touch the crystal ball. He was afraid to. But in some deep part of himself, he believed that Moebius was right. This staff, indescribably ancient and incredibly powerful, was most certainly a weapon. And in their hands, it was a weapon they could use against the vampires. In time, they would learn its secrets, perhaps figure out who created it and why. But for now, they had more important things to do.

“Okay,” Mortanius said. “You’re right, Moebius. I’ve always known you were right. Forgive me for being a coward. I’ll join your revolution.”

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