Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [92]
Xeries shook his head, stroking her frail arm. "I told you I am not going to cast you away. You are my fartrite. You always have been."
With a wave of his arm all the doors swung wide, revealing dozens of open coffins all standing upright. Inside each lay the body of a different woman-or what had been a woman, long ago. Now they were all dried up. Their skin clung tight to their bones, brown, creased, and tormented. All had their arms crossed over their chests, and all were dressed in the finest of silks.
The coffins were stacked one on top of the other in rows, like dolls displayed on a shelf. On the top in the center there were two unoccupied coffins.
"You see," said Xeries, pointing to the preserved, utterly drained woman. "I'm not going to cast you away. I'm going to keep you forever-right there, on the very top, where I can see you the best."
His wife wobbled and fell to her knees, her legs giving out from under her. "Are they… are they dead?" she whispered, horrified.
"Not quite," said Xeries, still holding her hand. "Though they no longer have enough life-force to keep me alive." "Are they suffering?"
"I do not know," said Xeries. "They cannot speak, and I have not thought on the matter much."
She pulled her hand from his and buried her face in her palms, her veil smearing with tears. "Why did you show me this?"
"So you would understand," replied Xeries. "I am not getting rid of you. You'll always be here, immortal like me."
He bent down and draped his arm over her shoulder. "You know I love you. I have always liked you the best. That's why I saved you the best spot. Right on top. The queen of them all."
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The horses whinnied and skittered a bit, startled by the rumbling of the huge stone citadel hanging overhead. Part of the blackness separated from the rest, and it lowered, slowly descending to the ground like a drawbridge.
"Guess we came to the right spot," said Quinn, steeling himself. "You ready?" he asked Mariko, squeezing her hand.
She nodded. "Are you?"
Quinn smiled. "Let's hope so."
"What about me?" Evelyne shifted in her saddle. "Is no one worried about me?"
"After half a year in the Cellar," replied Quinn, "I suspect you're going to feel right at home in there."
"You may even see some of your old friends," quipped Mariko.
The black bridge reached the ground with a resounding thud, sending up a plume of dirt. Inside, an orange light issued forth, illuminating the area, and from it came a horde of gibbering monsters. Their flesh shimmered in the light, like pieces of broken obsidian falling from the Ridge itself.
They marched down the bridge, in two rows, their claws grinding out a high-pitched scratch as they mashed against the stone below their feet. Reaching the ground, they spread out, surrounding the three riders.
Nearly as big as the horses themselves, the creatures took up very deliberate positions, as if each had been assigned a spot-trained soldiers following routine orders. When all of the beasts were in their places, they began to march back up the bridge, Quinn, Mariko, and Evelyne between them.
The horses whinnied more, not at all comfortable with the strange, deformed beasts or their smell. The bridge, like everything else associated with this citadel, was made from chipped obsidian. The smooth, broken edge of the stone made it difficult for the horses to keep their balance, and the normally surefooted mounts were forced to move very slowly or slip and fall.
The black bridge vibrated under their feet. It seemed the whole citadel shook, ever so slightly, with tremendous power. As they climbed, the shaking became a hum, filling the air in addition to moving the floor.
Reaching the top, Quinn peered up into the center of what looked to be a dormant volcano, chiseled and sculpted over hundreds of years. Carved-out alcoves covered the ceiling and the walls. Where one ended, the next began. It looked like a beehive-hundreds