And new it was. He had thought at first that he had returned to the vicinity of his village, but nowhere around Seram were there mountains so great. In fact, nowhere that he had been looked like this region.
The sky was overcast, but Uldyssian could still see far enough to marvel at the landscape. No, definitely not near Seram, Kehjan, or anywhere else of which he had heard. Perhaps Mendeln might have—
Mendeln! How could he have forgotten about his brother? Spinning in a circle, Uldyssian looked for any sign.
But he was alone in the strange land.
“Mendeln!” Uldyssian roared. “Mendeln!” When he received no answer, the son of Diomedes switched tactics. “Rathma! Where are you, damn you? You want me—you and that thing—well here I am! Me for my brother! What say you?”
His voice echoed throughout the mountains. Without at first realizing it, one particular peak caught his attention. It was taller, vaster than the rest, almost as if a king among kings. The more he looked at the mountain, the more he felt drawn toward it.
With a colorful curse at Rathma and Trag’Oul, Uldyssian turned his back on the peak. Nothing good could come of it, not if it somehow sought to call to him. He trod up the sloping land, glad that he had not switched to the garments of the Torajians. They were thin and airy, not suitable at all for this region. Even though he could keep himself warm, just wearing shirt, pants, and boots gave him additional mental comfort.
Uldyssian reached the top of the hill upon which he had found himself and searched both with his eyes and power for any nearby settlement. However, if there were any in the region, they were hidden from him. All he saw or sensed were trees, hills, and the mountain again.
Uldyssian stiffened.
Yes, there it was. Not any mountain, but the very same peak from which he had been retreating.
“More games!” He glared at the overcast sky, seeking the dragon. “I told you! Stop this now! Come for me if you want me!”
Again his voice echoed over and over, but still there was no reply. Uldyssian finally decided to get their attention.
Mustering his will, he clapped his hands together as hard as he could.
The resulting sound was like thunder, so loud, in fact, that it shook the trees and ground. Over and over it repeated, as if some massive but invisible storm swept through the area.
He waited, this time certain of success…but after several breaths, Uldyssian still stood alone.
“Damn you, Rathma!” Uldyssian roared. This time, though, his fury was spent. The echoes perished after only three or four repetitions.
Defeated, he knelt down by a rocky growth and buried his face in his hands. Each time Uldyssian began to believe he could face those arrayed against him, he was proven wrong.
Without warning, the ground shook again and for a moment Uldyssian thought that his efforts had caused some collapse or tremor. He leapt to his feet, not certain exactly what he planned to do, and saw that the shaking was confined to his immediate location.
More to the point, centered directly beneath the outgrowth.
He started to back away—only to find the ground rising up behind him as well. Ahead, the outgrowth swelled. It stood almost twice as tall as Uldyssian and nearly as wide. One part jutted above the rest, giving it some resemblance to a head.
And then two eyes opened up in the “head,” two eyes a deep rich brown and almost human. They glanced left, then right, then down at Uldyssian, who stood awestruck.
There was shifting in the dirt and grass that made up the mound. The outgrowth took a step toward him, huge chunks of stone and more breaking away. Another step…and more collapsing dirt and rock.
The thing now had two thick, solid legs. It paused, then began shaking itself like a wet hound. More dirt and stone flew away, some of it toward Uldyssian, who awoke from his astonishment just in time to deflect the most dangerous ones.
First one arm, then the second, formed. The earthen giant looked at the blunt end of the initial appendage. Stony fingers suddenly cracked through, a full hand created less than a breath later. The same then happened with the other arm.
Uldyssian backed up against the dirt wall behind him, but did not otherwise act. If a demon was about to attack him, then this thing was a slow-witted one. It seemed more like a sleeper waking than any threat.
The giant flexed its fingers, then surveyed its body as if seeing it for the first time. The eyes shifted and Uldyssian could have sworn that there was a tremendous sadness in them.
It spoke. Through a crevasse suddenly forming near the bottom of the head, the creature spoke.
“Wwwho arrre yyyooou…” it began slowly, each syllable sounding as if the thing was clearing a throat of centuries of disuse. “Whhooo are you…” it repeated stronger. “That calls a name…that calls a name I haven’t heard for…so very, very long?”
As the voice cleared, Uldyssian recalled what he had noticed about the eyes. The voice, while still very gravelly, was also almost human.
“Who are you,” the being said a third time. “Who calls the…name of Rathma ?”
“My name is Uldyssian ul-Diomed and if you are a servant of Rathma’s, then beware, for I’ve no love for your master!”
The giant studied Uldyssian, who now stood in a battle stance. Yet, something held Uldyssian back, prevented him from striking the first blow.
A grating, rumbling sound suddenly issued forth from the bizarre creature. Slowly it evolved into something recognizable… laughter.
“So glad I am…to have awakened for a time…if only to hear this…” The thing shook his head, sending more fragments flying. “ Rathma! No sense of humor…in that one! He would be…offended…and for me ! No, little Uldyssian ul-Diomed! Ha! Such a…long name for my…dry throat! I am no servant of…the dour one…I was…am… Bul-Kathos…”
He announced this as if Uldyssian would know the name and marvel at it. But as the former farmer failed to react, Bul-Kathos lost some of his own humor.
“The name…the name means nothing to you…has it been…has it been so long…” He studied hard his earthen and stone body. “Yesss…there is little of me and…much more of the world! What I dreamed for…what I decided must befall…me…is working well…even the forgetting…by mortal men…”
The wall behind Uldyssian collapsed. Uldyssian expected some sort of trick, but instead the giant sat down on a patch of ground that rose up to create a seat for him. Bul-Kathos eyed the empty area between him and Uldyssian.
“The years…they must number a thousand…or more.” He glanced up at the intruder. “Tell me, little Uldyssian ul-Diomed, know you…know you the names Vasily…and Esu ?”
“The names mean as little to me as that of Bul-Kathos,” Uldyssian admitted. “But all would be preferred to be known by me than that of the monstrous Rathma !”
It initially appeared that Bul-Kathos did not hear the last, for he looked to the ground once more and muttered to himself. “No Vasily…where are you…my brother?” A slight, sardonic chuckle escaped the giant. “But no Esu, either! How that would irritate…her…” As quickly as the humor came, it disappeared. “If even she…still rages…”
Uldyssian cared little for the creature’s ramblings. All that mattered was that this Bul-Kathos—whatever he was—knew of Rathma. Perhaps somehow this could aid Uldyssian in rescuing Mendeln.
He focused on one comment the other had made. “Bul-Kathos, you speak of a lost brother. I’ve one also missing. His name is Mendeln and he is a victim of Rathma! If you could in some way aid me—”