Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (14 page)

Lasidious enjoyed the goddess’ pleasure. “I’m the only member of the Collective who knows the map’s location. Sotter was exhausted after killing the dwarves. I kept him awake for over 3 Peaks prior to the attack. I wanted to ensure that he slept.”

Lasidious spun around and flopped into a chair. “After the bloodshed, Sotter slithered to the Pool of Sorrow, removed a large boulder from the base of a tree and then put the map into the hole.

“From a distance, I watched the serpent slither up the tree and fall asleep. When the Serpent King awoke in the morning, he couldn’t remember why he was there, or that he ever had the map. It’s still there today, and after all these seasons, the others have forgotten about it as well … except me.”

Celestria leaned over and kissed Lasidious on the tip of his nose. “How great are you, my pet?” she purred as her hand cupped the backside of his head to play with his hair.

Lasidious enjoyed the moment, and then he looked past Celestria at George. “Are you going to suggest to the demon-cat that traveling with George will be key to the life he desires?”

“Oh, yes, yes, yes, my love. I think Kepler would make a wonderful travel companion.” Celestria grinned. “If he doesn’t devour him first, of course. I worry Kepler will test him.”

Taking a seat on Lasidious’ lap, the goddess leaned in and bit the top of his ear. “Nonetheless, I shall work on the suggestion and see that Kepler is influenced. Let’s manipulate them to meet at the pool 3 Peaks from now.”

Lasidious nodded. “If the cat kills George, then so be it. We still have another mind to influence, but we should do what we can to save this one. When the moment is right, George will be our best option for success.”

The Mischievous One rubbed his hand across Celestria’s stomach. “Just make sure you stay out of sight from the others. You’re beginning to show.”

Celestria pushed Lasidious’ head back. She responded only after a kiss followed. “I knew I chose you for a reason. You’re the smartest of all the gods.” She kissed him again, but during this moment, she added a taste of her tongue. “I’ll leave you now, my sweet. You should get the mortal underway.”

The goddess chuckled. “George is going to have a heart attack when he meets his first undead demon-jaguar. I hope the poor guy gareshes his pants.”

Celestria leaned into Lasidious again and brushed her cheek against his. She whispered into his ear, using her sexiest voice, “Goodbye, my most desirable devil-god.” With that, the goddess vanished, leaving behind the echoes of her laughter reverberating throughout the room.

Lasidious marveled at the sensuality of her departure before he turned his attention back to George. “Let the games begin. You’re about to start the adventure that will be your new life.”

The God of Mischief reached into the pocket inside his tunic and produced a picture. Holding it up, he added, “Well, Abbie, I hope your daddy is ready for this. I can’t wait until he learns about the prize hidden inside the staff … assuming he isn’t dead before he gets the chance.”

CHAPTER 4

Mental Breakdown

Back Inside the Temple of the Gods

Southern Grayham

SHALEE SLEPT OFF THE effects from bonding with her new staff, and then Mosley led the Earthlings toward the exit of the temple. According to her watch, She had only slept for a couple of hours, but she awoke rejuvenated.

“This temple was built by the Collective as a reminder of the importance of the Crystal Moon, not only to this world, but the others as well,” Mosley said. “It doesn’t matter which deity a being serves, this is a place for all to worship and thank the gods for their bounteous gifts. The strongest leaders of many grand packs have walked these hallowed halls.”

Mosley stopped speaking and redirected his attention to the base of one of the pillars. After sniffing its circumference, he shook his head and snorted. “Unacceptable.”

This piqued Sam’s curiosity. “What’s wrong? You look irritated.”

Mosley continued to sniff, but during this series of moments he explored the base of two other pillars while Sam and Shalee watched. “It’s aggravating. The pillars within this temple are unmarked. I want to claim this territory, but to do so would be disrespectful.”

Shalee rolled her eyes. “Are you saying you want to pee on everything? Am I understanding you right?”

Mosley growled. “I’m saying this territory has been unclaimed. It calls to me to make it mine.”

“Goodness-gracious, Mosley, who’s going to know? If it’s that big a deal, just give one of them a squirt and get it over with. We aren’t going to tell anybody.” She nudged Sam with her elbow, “Isn’t that right?”

Sam looked at the wolf and shrugged. “If you feel the need to urinate on stuff, then have at it. It’s not my house.”

It was easy to see Mosley’s emotional struggle as he stood there for a long series of moments, quietly debating. He lifted his head, looked in all directions, then turned sideways against the pillar. Once he was sure no one was watching, he lifted his leg and released a quick stream. Then, like a child, the wolf darted down the great hall and waited for Sam and Shalee to catch up.

It was easy to hear Mosley’s excitement. “How exhilarating! I’ve never done anything so mischievous. My father would have been proud of me. To claim a territory as coveted as this would be the talk of the pack. I can’t wait to see my brothers. Their cubs’ cubs will forever howl the tale of my bravery and conquest.”

Shalee raised her free hand to her mouth and spoke just over the top of her fingers as she pressed them against her lower lip. “You’d make a good Texan, Mosley. You’ve got a little rebel in you.”

After enjoying the compliment, Mosley turned his attention back to more pertinent matters. “As I was about to say, this particular temple is for the beings of Grayham. There are similar temples on the other worlds, though they hold only replicas of the Crystal Moon. All temples are protected by the power of the gods in every direction for a half-Peak’s journey. This protection gives the inhabitants of each world a safe place to commune with their deity.”

As the night terror wolf finished speaking, two 50-foot long, sinister-looking serpents with large fangs and cobra hoods slithered past. Shalee grabbed Sam’s arm as they undulated past and whispered, “Mosley, psst, Mosley. Hey! Those are some big snakes. Are they really allowed to pray like other folks? Isn’t it some sorta health risk?”

She turned to watch as the serpents slid farther away, then a new thought popped out of her mouth. “Oh, my lord in Heaven, can you imagine how many purses a girl could make with all that skin?” With a wave, she snapped her fingers. “It’s all about the accessories, Mosley.”

The wolf chuckled. “I can only assume you’re referring to a type of bag. If so, you might want to wait until the serpent sheds.” The wolf lowered his nose to the floor and sniffed. “The serpents leave an awful smell.”

Sam cut in, “What other kinds of beasts come here?”

Mosley shook his head. “All kinds, of course. Have you not listened to anything I’ve said?”

Sam grunted. “Your answer fails to narrow the scope. Thanks for nothing, Mosley.”

The wolf ignored the sarcasm. “The gods agreed, placing you in this temple would be the safest starting point for your journey. The temple is located many Peaks northwest of the city of Brandor. Your paws will be sore before we arrive.” Mosley used his snout to point to a map resting on the west wall to show the humans how far Brandor was from their current location.

Shalee studied the gold frame that the map had been placed inside. “Sam, can you believe the beauty of this place? Sure, big snakes slithering everywhere is kind of creepy, but if you look past that, this place is incredible. There isn’t anything on Earth that comes close. I’ve never seen such detail. Everything is so ornate. I’d love to study the blueprints.”

Mosley interrupted. “The temple is an exception. Many dens on Southern Grayham are not as exquisite. Bassorine felt that many locations throughout the kingdoms should remind you of your old homeworld. The Collective wished for your transition to be as smooth as possible. If you ever see the other worlds, their look and feel will not be like Southern Grayham. Because of my service to Bassorine, my eyes have seen these differences.”

Sam and Shalee looked at each other and shrugged, unable to imagine the concept of another world being so accessible. Sam’s mind churned with questions, but the temple doors leading to the outside world opened. The doors were enormous and required a slow, steady pace to accomplish the task. Numerous hinges, almost as long as Sam’s Mustang convertible and about as wide, supported weight equal to 30 elephants. At 40 paces tall, the doors arched toward each other at the top.

Sam studied the doors and thought
, They must be two meters thick. They can’t be gold. Gold would be too heavy.
“Shalee, can you imagine the sound they would make if they slammed into the wall? This place had to cost an arm and a leg to build.”

Mosley tilted his head. “Sam, I can assure you the gods accepted no arms or legs as payment for the temple’s construction.”

“Don’t be silly, Mosley,” Shalee quipped. “He didn’t mean it literally.” She chuckled. “I look forward to seeing more of Grayham.”

“I’m sure you will enjoy yourself, Shalee,” Mosley replied. “I find Sam’s comment to be curious.” The wolf thought a moment and then shook off the awkwardness. “The temple is unlike any other den on this world. Grayham does, however, have many wondrous destinations.”

Once outside, the humans were at a loss for words. The view was breathtaking—a moment where the soul had to stop and absorb the magnificence. The temple was built on a large plateau. The structure sat quite a ways from the edge of a steep drop called Griffin Cliffs. It was more than 7,000 feet to the bottom, and all around the expansive steppe were natural springs that surfaced and pooled together before flowing over the edge. Many types of exotic flowers, as well as other species they had never seen, bloomed around the pools. The sight was glorious—beyond glorious—and Shalee could have stayed forever.

Sam studied his surroundings and figured there had to be at least a few hundred of these natural springs that fed peacefully into one another. The sound the water made as it rippled toward a large pooling area was soothing to his ears.

Moving closer to the edge of the cliffs, the group peered over. Sam could see and feel the energy of the falls.
I wonder what the volume of water is that is released into the lands below. I can’t fathom how many gallons it would take to create a natural wonder of this magnitude.

The trio watched in silence as a cloud of mist billowed in all directions. The water from the falls hit the rocks below with such tremendous force that the mist covered an expansive area.

Mosley spoke. “Sam, the springs generate enough water to supply three kingdoms. The territories of Southern Grayham slope away from the temple.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Sam responded. Taking a deep breath, he thought,
This place makes Niagara Falls insignificant.

They worked their way clear of the precipice and toward a large platform made of wood. Its perimeter was encircled by a railing that offered a pretense of safety, and as they walked up the steps, Sam turned to Mosley and spit out a list of questions. “Okay, okay. I can see this is clearly not Earth.” Sam pointed to the south and then to the north at a colorful planet on each horizon. The world to the south radiated many purple hues while the other radiated a spectrum of orange which spawned more questions. “Where are we?”

Mosley looked confused. “I’ve already told you. Your paws have found their footing on Grayham. More specifically, Southern Grayham, on top of Griffin Cliffs. You saw the map inside the temple.”