Fools, these Mortals

Third Day Sebastien Chapter Twenty-Five

For a time, all there was, was darkness. Hollowing. Cold. Deathly cold. It was as if every molecule of heat had been extinguished. Every fragment of life had been snuffed out by one unrelenting element. I opened my eyes, wanting to be aquatinted with such a force of nature. Spiralling fragments of frozen, illuminous lava twirled dizzily across the cracked floor, giving light to the wide chasm. Yet no heat burned or steamed from the molten blood. As if it was frozen in time. Shards of black crystal armed the walls and sporadically across the floor, creating a barrier from trespassing further. Gazing at the wide maw revealed a substantial lack of a cave ceiling. The black night sky sprinkled with a thin drizzle of rain into this new world. The void was deep from the height of the surface, wide and burned into lower earth. A catastrophic attack had happened here, leaving behind copious amounts of onyx crystal formations, practically vibrating with power. Calling to me to slack my wounded, tired body. Promising strength to fight my enemy. A flash of half formed memories attacked my awakened mind, Prospero's power was too great and had summoned the explosion in the depths of the fae dungeon.

Failure tasted bitter at the memory, and with a craving to be rid of such taste, I swallowed down the fury that desired to roar. To shatter the barrier between mind, body and soul. I was in agony. My chance to be rid of Prospero was gone, his blood should already stain my hands in the darkest of justified reds. Yet, I only had the bruising markings along my knuckles. Pittance to what I truly longed for, to see those emerald eyes fade.

Bending down to grab a random piece of this strange cave, the crystal rock sparked tingles of power through my hand, alighting a chain reaction across my entire bloodstream. The tighter I held the rock, the more strength it fed me.

"Shungite." The unmistakeable rasp of Caliban punctured the inner sanctum's atmosphere.

"What?"

"Shungite. It's the crystal you're holding. It's everywhere here but rare throughout Illyria. It was Sycorax's favourite element, one she could not control. One that no one could control."

"What is this place?" I had to begrudgingly hold Caliban responsible for bringing us to such a prime location. Stepping out of the sparse cover, I welcomed the rain from the open roof of the chasm as it soaked and cleaned my exposed skin. In the far corner of my mind, the crystal attuned its vibration to my heartrate. As a complimentary echo to the tempoed rhythm of life.

The unmistakable stench of Caliban warned of his coming closer, daring to soil this entrancing scenery. "This is the remains of the meteor that struck Illyria. It was Sycorax's domain during the wars with Oberon. I thought we would be safer here."

That name again. Each syllable commanded respect and attention. "Who is she? Sycorax."

"My mother," Caliban answered, savouring the claiming of the title. "The greatest fae to ever walk on Illyria. She's alive, in a sense. Sycorax is the most powerful of the fae. Her rule was absolute until Oberon orchestrated a coo, taking the throne for himself and marrying Sycorax's youngest sister, Titania. Though Sycorax did curse Oberon's bloodline."

"How is Sycorax alive?" I wondered aloud.

"Sycorax takes the hearts of others for her use. Her own heart is somewhere buried in Illyria, as her safeguard. Even by fae standards, she is ancient. It has never been found. She wouldn't even trust its location to me." Caliban sighed, wiping muck from his misshapen forearm. "She despises humans for not worshiping her when they first settled on Illyria. Some humans today pray to another, though now they are the outcasts. However, a human heart does wither with time. The Annual Hunt commemorates the date of the Heart Ritual that she performed. Sycorax would select a human and rip out their heart and place a black diamond in its stead. The human would be living, though not present. An empty, breathing shell of the person they once were. Until their heart died of old age and Sycorax needed to choose another. In theory, Sycorax achieved immortality."