3.86 It's Never The End

         For the first time since the holocaust, the fire in the Crystal Temple had gone out, it's glowing embers and ashes completely blown out of the hearth by the sparkling tornado that had engulfed them all. Neter got up and gathered some combustibles from the floor, stacked them on the hearth, reached into his pocket, pulled out the lighter and sparked a flame.

         "What's that?" Zara quizzed, noticing it, he had somehow acquired some merchant's lighter?

         "It's some kind of fire lighting device" he replied, examining the lighter in his hand. "I found it on the ground at the Farewell Celebration." He read the script on the side. "It belonged to Nolan... God of Desire."

         "What?" Zara walked over to see, reaching out her hand. "Let me see!" Neter handed her the device, still warm from the flame. "Nolan's the god of Design, not Desire!" She examined the writing again and gasped. "Oh my god! It says Desire."

         "It saved my life" he added. "You know him?"

         "Wow…" She studied the lighter in utter wonder, how could it be? It really was Nolan's lighter! Had his title been changed? Had she misread it? She was sure he was the god of Design... She had always wondered how and why... Was it just a coincidence? It didn't matter anymore, it was almost comical to look back at it now, remembering how much she had desired him, how lush he had made her feel.

         "No…" she replied, finally realizing the truth. "I didn't even know his real name. Look!" Zara handed the lighter to Bria.

         Bria had secretly desired Nolan, too. "Nolan went to Ebar."

         "Maybe he knew what was going to happen" Neter offered, noticing the flames in the fireplace were burning bright now. But as he pulled another log from the wood pile, the pile shifted and something shiny beneath the pile caught Bria's eye. She reached down to pull it out, it was a broken Emerald Tile. She rubbed the surface of the tile to see the image.

         "Awww…" A wave of nostalgia surged within, tears filled her eyes, like a time capsule it brought back memories of good times.

         "Look!" She passed it to Zara. "It's the Fool tile! We were looking at it on the last night! Remember?"

         Suddenly from outside, a wild howl pierced the night. Everyone heard it this time.

         "AQUILLA!"

         "AQUILLA!" Nolan froze, his worst fears were now confirmed. Aquilla was still alive! Like a vice, fear seized his throat as the deadly howl pierced the night sky. Suddenly the skeletal remains and lingering odours of death inside Kergal offered terrifying possibilities, this was what had become of the gods? WAS HE WAS STANDING INSIDE AQUILLA'S NEW LAIR? WAS THAT WHY ALL THE WINE WAS STILL THERE?

         The thought was absolutely terrifying. Facing the famed beast was the last thing he wanted to face in this life! Panicked, he paced the plateau, butterflies in his chest beat so hard now from the poisoned wine, so much for his peaceful ending. He had no choice but to flee the cave for safety. Without any good ideas of where to go, he hurried back down the only way he knew, the trail towards the harbor. Perhaps he would find a nice shelter along the way, even the shoreline offered a safer place to rest rather than the Aquillan feeding platter of Kergal.

         Feeling the poison in his blood now, Nolan heaved a sigh of relief as he reached the foot of the trail before either Aquilla found him or the fatal effects had kicked in; he really just wanted to end his life in peace, nestled in a bush was fine. Fed up and ready to die, he sat down on the rocks at the edge of the water pondering the irony of his ill fate.

         The stillness of the night, the lapping waves on the rocks, illuminated by the glowing moon were hypnotic together, aiding his final request, to rest in peace. He sipped more of the wine, feeling relieved by his decision to end it his way, when suddely, a sharp pain shot through his stomach.

         "Aaa-a-a-hhh.." He leaned forward, clutching his abdomen, lights flashed before his eyes... Or were they lights? As the pain ebbed away, he got back up onto his feet and looked more closely into the water... They weren't lights... Illuminated by the moonlight he could see a glint of something shiny beneath the waves…. There was another... And another…. A golden goblet? Heart pounding, he looked wider, he could make out the bow of a ship...

         "NO-O-O-O-o-o-o-o!" He fell to his knees, clutching his heart in agony. There it was! Right before his eyes beneath the waves lay the ruins of Vikkar's ship... Loaded with all the gold!

~ It’s never The End ~