To Be a Hero

Chapter 12 : The Netherealm

“Abrish montua docta barume? Sin, abru montua?” Nick heard strange words in a soft voice float into his ears. The sound was melodic and in the darkness he reached his hands towards the sounds.

“Sin noctara fera lalune biscale.” The voice echoed in his head and Nick smiled. He felt hands on his face and he turned over, snuggling into his space.

“Abara brame, sin.” Nickadamus repeated the sounds out loud and heard the voice chuckle softly. He opened his eyes to find he wasn’t dreaming.

            Standing above him was a tall girl, with a bright red sash around the waist of her white dress. She was fully figured with hips and curves and her face was showing through a silver veil of sheer cloth. She removed the veil and let soft red curls bounce around her forehead. Nick smiled up at her and turned over again onto his back. The girl knelt down to him and placed a glass vial with brown liquid to his lips. She ran her hands from his forehead to his left ear and held it there.

            “Docta barume, sin.” Nick repeated the words to her and smiled when she giggled again. She gently squeezed his earlobe and smiled. He drank the smooth liquid and felt a tingle in his head. His vision sharpened and his ears grew hot, and then cool again. The girl remained knelt at his side and spoke again.

            “Good morning, sir. How do you feel?” Nick shook his head and stared again at the girl’s face. Small brown square like dots speckled her nose and cheeks and he focused on her brown eyes.

            “I can understand your words. Who are you?” Nickadamus looked down and saw he was lying on a bed suspended in the air just a few inches from the ground.

            “I am lady Luna. I have given you a potion of the tongues. To help us communicate.” Luna stood up and put out her hand. Nick took her hand and sat up. His head felt two sizes too big and he pulled the leather tie off his hair and scratched his head.

            “What happened to me? Where am I?” Nickadamus looked around for the first time and saw he was in a stone room. Across from the floating bed was a fireplace with small logs that burned. Blue and yellow flames gently rose from the logs but no smoke came from them. A gentle crackle could be heard, and then repeated in the same tone again and again, and Nick noticed the logs weren’t actually burning at all.

            “You are in the Quarter Master’s keep. Here, eat this. It will help regain your strength.” The lady handed him a flat white square. He smelled it, and then took a bite. The taste was much like bread and remained on his tongue while he chewed the delicate and crunchy piece.

            “What is this?” Nick watched the girl smile and finished the last piece.

            “We call that a wafer.” The girl giggled again and took a step back away from him.

            Nick surveyed the room. He saw books on a shelf circling half the room and a candle lit chandelier hung above him. A wardrobe made of dark brown polished wood was next to the fireplace. The room was cool and he looked at the elaborate rugs arranged on the grey stone floor. Battle scenes of warriors in metal armor were weaved on the rugs and matching tapestries that hung on the tall stone walls. Each one told a story of the same group of soldiers fighting against an army in black armor. Nick stood up and tested his legs. They held firm under him and he walked to where the girl stood. She pointed to the wall behind the bed and he turned to look.

            The largest tapestry hung on this wall before them. An older man with a long black beard stood before a giant black circle on the ground. Trees and boulders were sewed with detail around the man, and his robes were white with the same red sash as Luna’s.