Mortality: The Story of Mortanius

Chapter Sixty-Three

It was nearly sunset, and the glowing orange sky above the Pillars would have been beautiful if Mortanius was in the mood to appreciate such beauty. Instead, he looked out at the flat meadow and the trees beyond, and then turned to gaze upon the Pillars themselves. He had not really stared at them since he was a child. These massive, supernatural Pillars, reaching up into the sky so far that they disappeared in the clouds, had terrified him then, and they terrified him now.

He was ten years old when he first came to this place, and now he was over 1500 years old. His time as a Guardian began here, and so it would end here as well.

The ghost of Ariel floated nearby. “Congratulations, Mortanius. It looks like your plan has worked so far. Only you and Anarcrothe remain.”

“Yes,” Mortanius said. “Everyone else is dead. Even Vorador is dead.”

“I know. I felt it. By some strange twist of fate, Kain is the last vampire on Nosgoth.”

“He’s a Guardian of the Pillars. That’s all that matters. Without him, the hylden would have already come to our world.”

“The Pillars are nearly destroyed now,” Ariel said sadly. “They’ve stood for thousands and thousands of years, but the magic that binds them is nearly gone. There’s almost nothing left. It will not take much for the Pillars to fall.”

“Then we must move quickly,” Mortanius said.

He cast the messaging spell and spoke into the aura. “Anarcrothe,” he said. “This is Mortanius. The assassin just came after me, but I was able to escape. I believe I know how to stop him, but I can’t do it myself. I need your help. You and I are the only ones left now, and it’s up to us to stop him. Please come to the Pillars right away. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

He ended the spell and lowered his arms.

Ariel looked at him. “Do you think Anarcrothe will answer such a call?”

“Yes, I do. He and I have always been friends, and he needs my help but is too proud to ask. He will come. But you cannot be here when he arrives.”

“Of course. But I will be watching ...” Ariel became transparent and then faded completely from view. And then Mortanius was alone.

Moments later, the sun slipped behind the mountains, plunging the Pillars into shadowy twilight. The brilliant orange of sunset faded into pearly gray and then dark blue. The last sunset of Mortanius’s life. A thin mist seemed to float up from the ground as soon as the sun went down, and soon the Pillars were surrounded in a hazy fog.

A flash of magic appeared in the grass several yards away. Anarcrothe, the Guardian of States, came through the teleportation portal and frantically spun around to see if there was anyone around him. He did not look well. His hair was tangled and greasy, his chin unshaven, and his clothes dirty and stained with sweat. His movements were jerky and trembling as he approached the Pillars, like a man addicted to drugs.

“Mortanius, Mortanius. Oh, it is good to see you,” he mumbled as he stepped onto the platform. “I’ve been running for days. Trying to stay one step ahead. We’re being hunted, Mortanius. I saw him when he killed DeJoule, dear sweet DeJoule.”

Mortanius nodded and put his hand on Anarcothe’s arm. “I know. He killed Azimuth too. He’s taken everyone else.”

“Even Moebius,” Anarcrothe said in amazement. “Moebius could see the future! How could the assassin kill a man who knows the future?”

“Maybe Moebius wasn’t as omniscient as he believed himself to be.”

Anarcrothe shook his head. “It’s just us now.” He looked anxiously at Mortanius, a glimmer of hope on his face. “But you escaped him? You got away? Please, tell me what we have to do. I tried to fight him … I tried, Mortanius. But he was too strong.”

“I agree, he’s very strong,” Mortanius said calmly. “But we can ambush him. We can set a trap.”

“Yes, yes,” Anarcrothe said, nodding. He rubbed his hands together. “It could work. You’re the Guardian of Death. Use your powers against him! You could kill him with a glance!”

“We will draw him to us. We have to lure him into the open.”

“Yes, but where?”

“Here, at the Pillars.”

“Right here?”

“Yes, I’ve already summoned him. He’ll be here soon, and then we can face him together.”

A look of confusion and bewilderment came over Anarcrothe’s face. “What? You … you summoned him? What are you talking about?”

“I used the messaging spell.”

Anarcrothe shook his head and took a step back, looking around nervously once more. “But to send a message, you need to know the name of the person you’re talking to.”

Mortanius smiled reassuringly. “His name is Kain.”

“What? How could you know ...”

“He’s coming for us, Anarcrothe. We’re the last two Guardians. Once we’re dead, his mission will be complete. It has to be this way.”

Anarcrothe shrieked and swung his arms as he backed away. He stared with wide, deranged eyes and fumbled at his cloak. “What are you talking about? Mortanius! What have you done? What have you done!”

“I did what I had to do,” Mortanius said with infinite calm. “To save Nosgoth.”

“You betrayed us!” Anarcrothe shouted, his confusion giving way to anger. “You betrayed us! It was you! You set the assassin upon us!”

Mortanius stepped to the side, walking in a slow circle around Anarcrothe, who braced himself and swung his arms out. “Nupraptor poisoned all of our minds. The Guardians are corrupted. The Circle has failed in its sworn duties. It had to be destroyed.”

“Failed our duties?” Anarcrothe snapped. Magic crackled at his fingertips. “You’re a fool, Mortanius! The Circle exists for us, we don’t exist for it! The Guardians are the rulers of this world! Our powers will save or damn Nosgoth at our whim!”

“I’m sorry, friend,” Mortanius said, preparing himself.

A swirling mass of green magic flashed across Anarcrothe’s body and he threw his arms forward to hurl it at Mortanius, who flickered out of the way. He reached out to grab Anarcrothe’s soul, but the Guardian of States defended himself. With a sweep of his hand, the air around Mortanius turned black and thick as grease. Mortanius had to stumble backward or else drown in it. He created a bolt of lightning and fired blindly.

The two mages circled each other, launching bolts of magic. Anacrothe could alter the states of matter, and Mortanius was nearly swallowed up when the ground underneath his feet turned to quicksand. He struck out again, clawing spectral hands across Anarcrothe’s soul. Anarcrothe gasped in pain and staggered away, trying to form a magical shield around himself. Another mass of corrupting green magic swarmed across Mortanius but he dispelled it in time.

He fell to one knee and fired another bolt of lightning. Anarcrothe dodged but his magical shield faltered, and Mortanius once again reached out to grab a hold of his soul. Anarcrothe choked and clutched at his chest, his eyes bugging out, spittle flying from his lips. Mortanius squeezed his hand and fired bolt of lightning with the other.

The lightning blasted through Anarcrothe’s chest. Blood spurted from his mouth like a geyser and and he fell to the marble platform, his body sprawled in an unnatural position. Mortanius, panting for breath, stood up and released Anarcrothe’s soul, and it flew off into the spirit world.

And then there was only one.

<--Previous Chapter|Next Chapter-->