1 comments/ 4965 views/ 5 favorites The Tower of Dreams By: KoreGoddess I. The Kalahari Plains were in truth no more than a vast, sun-scorched desert that lay between the ghoul haunted forest of Werewood to the west and the fertile river valleys of the Zanthar to the east. Here indeed was a place that Hathor, goddess spirit of nature, had long ago forsaken. Not a single living entity; bird, beast, or insect, made its home there. No one had ever been known to cross it's wide wastes and any who dared to enter therein had never returned. Since time unremembered, it had been a place where death reigned supreme. But one day the impossible happened, and a lone figure entered into that silent tableau. A living being of any sort seemed a grave impossibility amidst the desolation of that endless plain, an impossibly small creature set against the backdrop of those limitless wastes, but this lone adventurer was naught but a teen aged girl, and for one so fragile to be found wandering alone in the barren and inhospitable regions of the Savage Lands seemed a joke that only the gods would enjoy telling. Her name was Kore, and she was very young, having seen no more than sixteen summers, yet she was already a figure most obviously blossomed into ripe femininity. Her breasts were large and round, as was her hips and buttocks, and would have been the pleasure of many a lusty man. Her flesh was sun darkened and well muscled, for her youth had been a life lived in the forest. She carried a bag over her shoulders and a long gnarled walking staff in her right hand. She had been driven to the wastes of the Kalahari by necessity, and the flames that consumed her former home took whatever clothes she once had. Fate had never been truly kind to her. Before the passing of her sixth year, her mother and father had treated her as no more than a laborer at best, and at worst, an extra mouth to feed and clothe. The wizard Azimuth had rescued her from a life of drudgery and despair, and she'd been grateful for the new life he offered her, as strange as that new life had been. Perhaps it would have been better if the wizard had let her die, she thought, for she'd become a curse both to him and herself. In order to save her friend Melissandra from what she thought was a fate worse than death, she'd managed to summon up a demon using forbidden lore she'd gained from study of the darker aspects of Azimuth's magic in his library. But she had been betrayed by Melissandra, and only later did she realize that they both had been manipulated into consummating a dark and devious design long anticipated by the demon imp, Zhagmyr Khan. She'd freed Melissandra, but only at the cost of becoming a thrall to the demon, who would completely possess her body after a period of one year. Azimuth had been slain by were beasts of the forest, and with him had perished all his magic works, including the invisible barriers he'd constructed to protect them in their forest haven. Now she had been forced to flee the devil haunted forests of Werewood for fear of her life and soul. She had come upon a vast waterless waste. As was well evidenced by her cracked and swollen lips and darkly burnt flesh, she'd been ill-prepared for a journey across the Kalahari Desert, a sun-scorched abyss that stretched for many days march in all directions. Her hair, once golden and crimson like the fire of a sunset, had been dulled by the dust of the trail. Her jade eyes had grown bloodshot and weary. Her loose-fitting doe-skin shirt was torn and frayed from sleeping on the ground. Her leather breeches were in tatters. Only her moccasins, laced tightly below her calves seemed to have withstood the rigors of the trail. She had come driven by a desperate need, fleeing blindly from the doom that pursued her, straight on towards the doom which awaited. All that she owned she carried in the pack on her back. The water bag that hung by her side was already empty. She was weaponless, bearing only the ebon hued walking staff. For a moment she halted, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. Naught met her gaze but the endless monotony of the barren plain. The desert swam to her vision. Her throat was parched and swollen from dehydration. She knew she couldn't go on much further. Her strength had abandoned her. The end was near. She stumbled on impossibly, only to collapse within a few yards and fall sprawling into the bitter dust. She was unable to rise again. She knew not how long she lay there. Vaguely, the knowledge that she was dying began to forge itself into her departing senses, but she was unable to force herself to rise. The world was slowly slipping away. What a waste, she thought. I could have done so much more...... A furtive sound alerted her weary senses. From over the top of a low dune, a sleek panther silently stalked. Half-heartedly, Kore began to chant a spell of protection, but she knew she didn't have the energy to complete it. The great cat's whiskered jaws drew back to reveal inch long needle-sharp fangs. Kore prepared for death. But instead of a snarl, she heard a whispered voice which seemed to emanate from within her mind. "You are the one I was told to seek," said the voice, the voice of a woman. "Can you stand? I can lead you to a place where there is water." It's all a dream, Kore told herself. Its all a dream and I've lost my mind. I'm dying in the desert. There is no great black cat talking to me. It's all a product of my fevered imagination. "If you wish to further doubt the evidence of your own senses, then stay here, by all means, and die," said the pantheress. "But I've been sent here to rescue you, whether you would believe me or not. Do you have strength enough to go on? The oasis isn't far." Kore mustered the last vestiges of her remaining energy and stood before the great cat. "Lead on," she said. The panther spun lithely and set a nimble pace across the empty desert sands. Kore somehow trudged along behind, placing one leaden foot before another in an agonizing ritual of torture which seemed as if it would never end. Then, miraculously, when she thought she could go on no further, green grass and golden flowers began to spring up before her wondering eyes, and there, like a miracle of the gods, was a thin crystalline ribbon of water sparkling merrily in the afternoon sun. Huge willows lined its shore, their shade providing a much needed haven from the fiery demon that shone above. Kore cried out with joy and fell to her knees in the cool water, splashing it over her dust streaked face and arms. Then she brought the cool nectar to her lips and drank her fill. Sanity returned slowly to her eyes. "Do you feel better now?" The pantheress was watching her from beneath the sweeping branches of the willow. "Yes," she replied. "I thank you for your timely rescue. But how did you know of my danger?" "I was ordered to find you and lead you to this safe haven by the cat queen, Shiamat. I am called Taerlen. I am one of the few of all my people who speak the tongue of men, for I am the daughter of Shiamat. That was why she chose to send me." "Its most strange," said Kore. "Why should the queen of cats concern herself with me?" "Because of a friendship she once made with a wizard. He saved the queen's life and this was an opportunity to return his favor." "Azimuth," Kore said. "Aye. That was the name of the wizard. He is a friend to all the beasts of the land and water. He knew my mother in the elder days." "He was my mentor. We lived together in Werewood. He was slain and our home destroyed after I summoned a demon in order to save my friend . But the demon tricked me and now I seek some means to free my soul from eternal bondage. If I do not do so within the space of one year, I will be possessed forever by this demon, whose name is Zhagmyr Khan." "That is a tragic tale," Taerlen commented. "Yet what is it you seek in these desert lands? There is naught that dares to live here." "A vision of my mentor, which came to me in my dreams, told me to make my way to the city of Nantarri, which lies to the east, and when I arrive, I am to take passage on a certain ship I'll find docked there. I know no more, but it may be the only way to free myself from eternal bondage to Zhagmyr Khan." "There were once caravan routes which stopped at these oases often in the time of my ancestors," Taerlen said. "But there were more rains then and now the traders no longer pass across these desert sands. Water is extremely scarce in these accursed lands, especially now in the heat of summer. This is the garden of Shiamat, and once it spread for miles along this forgotten vale, full of flowers without number, verdant forests, birds and all manners of four footed beasts, but now this is all that remains, the last refuge of the living amidst an utter desolation." "I am eternally grateful," Kore said, "Though I fear I've naught to repay you for your kindness." "The earth is kind," replied Taerlen. "The goddess is kind, and she gives to all. My kindness to you is but a repayment to her." The pantheress stared up at the sun, which was at last sinking swiftly towards the western horizon. "Rest here for a time," she said. "The day is swiftly drawing to a close." II. The sun at last sank behind the western horizon. Night fell swiftly. There was no moon, but the stars were flung like fairy dust flung across a midnight field, a stream, a cloud of shimmering light coursing cross the ebony sky. Kore quickly fell asleep in the cool shade of the trees. For the first time in many days, she had no nightmares. Taerlen woke her many hours later. "The moon rises," she said. "Shiamat comes." Kore shook the sleep from her eyes and looked around dazedly. "Shiamat, coming here?" she asked, startled. "But why? Why does the queen of cats concern herself with me?" "Because though you don't remember me," I know you only too well!" spoke a new voice. Across the desert sands came a wondrous procession of three great cats. The first was a snow white tigress with immense golden eyes. She was flanked on both sides by two great leopards who walked in perfect pace with her, though always keeping several steps behind. "There was a tigress like you when I was very young," Kore whispered. "I remember we used to play with you, all three of us girls when you visited Azimuth. That was a long time ago." The white tigress rose up on her hind legs, and with an impossible delicacy, hugged Kore with both of her forepaws. In a moment, it was no longer a tigress that embraced her, but a very tall and beauteous lady. Her lithe form was draped in a long robe of white silk, and her hair flowed white and shining across her shoulders and back. Her eyes were still golden and cat like. "To me, it seems only moments have passed," Shiamat said, and she smiled. "This is beyond all wonder!" Kore exclaimed. "Legends are now come to life!" The Lady Shiamat smiled once more. A gentle look she bestowed upon her. "You are not much more than a child in years. What know you of ancient legends?" "Only that which Akhmun taught me, and those things I read unbidden in his library," Kore explained. "I know something of the Elder Gods." "They were never gods," sighed the Lady. "You speak of the Elohim, who were created to be servants of the twelve, created to make manifest order from the chaos that was the earth. Nay, they were never gods, though even now they desire to be thought of as such by mortal beings. The years of their lives span beyond human imagining, but their power is not infinite, nor is the length of their lives. Even those that call themselves gods and goddesses must someday die, and the Elohim most dearly fear to do so." "I've heard Azimuth speak of these things," admitted Kore, "But I haven't heard of any gods dying in this world." Lady Shiamat laughed, and in that laughter there was only joy, but no mockery. "Gods and goddesses die all the time," she said. "I was one of the twelve that set out the land beyond the seas of light. In gleaming ships of glass and gold, we crossed the abyss of time and space and came at last to this world. Of the twelve, only three of us now still live. The rest have gone on." "I've heard the stories," whispered Kore in awe. "But that means that you have lived years beyond counting, perhaps even beyond comprehension....!" The golden eyes sparkled. "I told you, to me that you are no more than a child." "That I can believe, but what was it that brought you to seek me out amidst these endless wastes?," she asked. "And how did you know where to find me?" "I had a dream of Azimuth," answered Shiamat. "His spirit spoke to me in a vision, and he told me that he was dead." "I fear your vision was true, and that it was I who was the cause of his death." Kore admitted, and her eyes held a haunted look. "I saw his spirit too, and he told me what I must do.........to heal the hurt I have done to myself......" "I know well the curse that you carry in your soul," admitted the Lady. "And though Azimuth told me to aid you here in the desert, I know not what his ultimate plan for you was, nor can I even venture a guess." "He appeared to me as if in a vision," Kore explained. "And told me to take this ebony box to the sea where a ship awaits me at the port of Nantarri. The name of the ship is the Sea Demon." "That is a craft of ill omen," Lady Shiamat sighed, frowning. "It is the ship that men sail upon when they wish to make a pact with those that rule over the powers of evil. For gifts ephemeral and material that they themselves will name, they make bargains with their souls. I cannot imagine Azimuth advising you to take passage on that ship!" "But he did," argued Kore, "And that is what I intend to do." "Let me see the ebony box," said Shiamat. Kore took out the box from her pack and slowly unwrapped the white silk that she had covered it with. "There is a spell of containment surrounding it," Kore explained. "Else it would devour the light, even the light from the sun, and all would turn to midnight until it was covered once again." The Lady Shiamat frowned, peering into the unfathomable black void that comprised the box. "This is an ancient object of power," said the Lady. "I've heard rumors of such talismans, but the rumors have always been evil. Azimuth gave you no clue, no key to it's workings?" "No," Kore replied. "He told me only to not let it out of my possession, and that I should find a way to open it." "These objects can be very dangerous," Shiamat advised. "No one knows what it might contain. I do not trust it." "I'll heed your advice," Kore promised. "But I must now make my way to Nantarri as swiftly as possible." "Taerlen will guide you to the edge of the desert safely," Shiamat assured her. "You must make your own way to Nantarri from there. I must go now. Though my heart is touched with dire forebodings of this path you've chosen, I wish you a sincere farewell. You are a true and honest spirit, and pray that you'll succeed in your quest." "One last question before you depart, if I might be so bold," said Kore. "How long did you know Azimuth?" The Lady Shiamat smiled, and the light that shone from her was like the sun breaking over a mountain, and then she laughed, and the light that shone from her was too much for Kore to look upon and she shielded her eyes until it had passed. "I've known him for a very long time" she said, the light still shimmering in her golden eyes. "Since the beginning, you might say. For you see, he was one of the twelve original companions, just as was I. Alas, there were but seven of us left on the earth! Now we are only six!" And then before Kore could ask any more questions, she was gone, vanished into the night. Kore thought she saw a steak of white flashing across the starlit sky, but it was too swift to be certain she'd seen anything at all. "She did you great honor," Taerlen told her as she crept from between the boles of two ash trees. "Not often does she deem to share her wisdom with humans." "How does she transform from a great cat to a woman?" asked Kore. "That is greater magic than any I've ever seen." "She is the Queen of Cats," answered Taerlen, as if this should explain everything. "All of her line can transform at will, for there is not just one body, but two." "I don't understand." "At the beginning, each of the twelve chose an animal and a human form, and it is their choice in which of these shapes they wish to appear," Taerlen explained. "It was while in their beast shapes that they made manifest the many tribes of creatures that now populate this world." "And does each of these twelve tribes of beasts still have a king or queen?" "Yes," Taerlen replied. "Each tribe has passed down the crown and the gift to it's descendants, so that there is always a king or queen. But many are growing wilder every century, forgetting the ways of their forebears and descending once more to the bestial. Many have now forgotten how to converse in the language of men." Kore looked into the great pantheress' copper hued eyes. "I thank you, Taerlen, for all that you are doing for me," she said. "I hope that one day I can repay you in some way." "I but do the will of my queen," Taerlen smiled. "But even if I had found you without knowing who you were, I would have tried to help you, for you seem of good heart." "I hope your trust is not misplaced," said Kore. Then she went to the creek to fill her water bag and freshen her face. She rejoined Taerlen. "If we continue to the east," said Taerlen, "We'll come eventually to the Forbidden Sands. No man or beast can survive there. We must skirt to the north around it to reach the oasis on the other side. From there, it's only a short journey to the Kalihara River, which you can follow all the way to the Atlantean Sea and the port of Nantarri." "Why not cut across these Forbidden Sands?" Kore suggested, "And thus avoid the toil of so many unnecessary miles?" "Because in that place lies the Valley of Ghosts, wherein stands the Dream Tower. It was there that Lemurian wizards of ancient days wove the terrible magic with which they drew forth those beings called the Elohim from beyond the stars. It was the action of those gods coming to this plane which created the Forbidden Sands in the first place. It's certain doom to go there!" "Why do you speak of doom?" asked Kore. "What evil hangs over this Valley of Ghosts?" "I cannot say, exactly," Taerlen replied. "It's always been taboo for any creature to enter that valley. No beast, bird, or lizard dwells anywhere near there. All creatures have shunned the place." "But if there is a city, there may be food, or weapons," Kore pointed out. "I'll need these things to survive." "Cities are the abodes of men, and are thus accursed," Taerlen replied. "If you go to the Valley of Ghosts, you must go alone." Kore pondered these words for a time. "You've been a good friend to me, Taerlen," she said at last. "And I know your advice is probably wise. But I cannot forgo the exploration of this unknown city. Call it human curiosity, if you will, but I will go to the Valley of Ghosts." "I call it madness," answered Taerlen. "But I see your mind is set, and won't seek further to deter you. I'll lead you to the border of the valley, but I'll go no further." Thousands of stars flamed high above, flickering like the eyes of demons. Only the mournful sigh of the desert wind disturbed the silence. The last remnants of the sun's dying fire stained the western horizon in colors of orange and deep crimson. To Kore, it all seemed like a dream. Even the great black cat which paced beside her was no more than a shadowy fantasy. Her eyes burned as crimson as the light of the stars above. "Tell me more about Shiamat," said Kore. The Tower of Dreams "How does one describe such a cat? How does one describe such beauty, such perfection? And she is a brave and courageous as well! Many moons ago, a tribe of humans invaded our lands from the south. They slew many of our number for our pelts, which they evidently valued highly. Shiamat herself led us into their hunting grounds in the middle of the night while most of their number still slept. She tore out the throat of the waking guard and led the attack on the rest! So sudden and brutal was our fury that no human escaped alive to tell tale of their destruction." "If all humans are so evil, then why have you befriended me?" Kore asked. "Not all humans are evil," Taerlen replied. "Often they're just ignorant. Sometimes they just don't care. Then there are many who place responsibility for their own actions and fates on entities called gods, and this serves to allow them to console them for the foul deeds of their wasted lives." "Sometimes I too wish I were a cat," said Kore. Taerlen eyed her strangely. "I think you would make a good one," she said, smiling. 3. The morning found them walking towards a line of low hills which had etched themselves against the light of the rising sun. Taerlen paced a short distance ahead, leading the way. Suddenly she stopped, lifted her head and sniffed at the air. "I can go no further," she said. "Here begins the Vale of Ghosts, and fear is on me now. Will you not reconsider your rash decision?" Kore gazed to the east. A range of low green hills beckoned enticingly just beyond a last long stretch of desert. To the North, the direction Taerlen insisted they take, the desert stretched as far as she could see. "I will take the path through the Vale," she said. "I go alone. It is my own folly. You've led me well and true and have been a rightful and honest companion on the road, and I thank you for your aid." Taerlen lowered her head. "It's certain death to enter the Valley of Ghosts," she said. "I salute your spirit, friend Kore, but I fear I'll see you no more in this world." "Perhaps a greener world awaits me beyond this mortal vale," Kore said. "I don't fear death. Naught that's happened in my life so far makes me want to cling so desperately to existence. It's a worse fate than death that I fear." "Take care still, Kore," said the pantheress. "Your life may have meaning to others, if not to yourself." With these words, Taerlen glided away across the desert sands and vanished into the bright haze of the morning. The mysterious hills still beckoned in the hazy distance. Kore pushed on towards them. The silence was now absolute. Not a single bird crossed the desolate sky. The hours passed and the day wore on. Black clouds scrawled over the sun, shadows bringing blessed relief from the incessant heat. Dark fingers of storm sprang out of the glowering hills. Lightning shattered the sullen sky and the distant rumble of the storm gods echoed across the plains. But still no rain fell. The stark hills were still waited an unguessable distance away. Kore increased her pace. The air grew sullen and still and the sky turned black as coal, but the gods of the clouds toyed with her, refusing to unleash their fury, though they continued to glower above her like a horde of hungry ogres. Peering through the gloom, she thought she glimpsed a spark of silver, as of moonlight reflecting from some distant metallic object. Could it be the tower that Taerlen had described? Her blood was racing through her veins. Some ill-defined fear spurred her on so that she nearly flew across the sands. Her green eyes darted this way and that, striving to pierce the darkness that had descended on the land under the shadows of the clouds. A stroke of lightning washed the plains in sheets of ghostly shimmering light, revealing that she stood amongst the ruins of an ancient city. And there before her, shining like a brand of crimson fire piercing the storm-ravaged skies, a tower stood, just as Taerlen had predicted. Wary as a lioness, Kore approached the tower. As she drew nearer she was able to observe more details of the miraculous structure, a silver needle piercing the firmament of the night, fashioned with an ethereal and delicate strength that seemed far beyond the capabilities of mankind. Its surface gleamed as if encrusted with a thousand jewels. A high wall surrounded the entire structure. A pair of massive twisted-iron gates formed the only entrance to the courtyard within. Kore pushed against the gate. To her surprise, it opened easily under her touch, as if it had been waiting to make such an invitation to some weary traveler. Only gods themselves could have erected such a tower, she reasoned to herself. Perhaps Taerlen had been right to avoid this place after all. She passed within the wall. Thunder rolled once more in the black skies above. As she approached the tower, she observed for the first time the golden stair which spiraled along it's side, leading to a dark aperture in its surface that once must have been a door. She stopped. Her eyes had caught some furtive movement near the top of the stairs. Was it only her imagination which seemed to glimpse a dark robed figure crouching in the shadow of the door? The figure was nodding at her, though Kore could discern no face beneath that shadowy cowl. Slowly it turned and vanished once more within the tower's mysterious depths, and she was left wondering if she had really seen anyone there at all. Her instincts urged her to flee from this terrible place as swiftly as possible. But balancing that was her natural curiosity and her desperate need to find something to eat. She was starving. Throwing caution to the winds, she climbed the stair spiraling along the outer walls of the tower. Everything spun below her, a miniature world growing smaller and more dreamlike as she ascended. Finally, she came to the landing she had seen from below. She had climbed to an immense height and now could observe a great deal of the surrounding terrain. It wasn't a reassuring sight. Only the mountains to the East offered any possible haven, and they still seemed immeasurably distant. She turned to the dark aperture that yawned in the tower. All was silent, and her senses, amplified by a hastily whispered incantation, indicated the immediate presence of no living creature. Thus reassured, she recited a spell of illumination, holding her right hand so that light cascaded from within her own flesh, opening the darkness before her. She was a white flickering ghost in the dark. The lambent glow revealed another landing within and another stair which led down into the depths of the tower's murky interior. She followed the stair until she came to a door which glittered strangely in the spectral light of her magic. When she drew near, she discovered that the wood was embedded with tiny jewels of countless number and variety. Rubies, opals, diamonds, sapphires and dozens of other gems she couldn't identify formed intricate patterns across the door in lines of crystalline flame. She pushed open the door and stepped inside. For a moment she was transfixed by her surroundings. She stood in a chamber filled with a golden light. Silver and crimson threaded tapestries, woven with the infinite patience and skill of long dead craftsmen, hung like ghosts in the air. A thin mist drifted through the chamber, like the swirling of ancient dust. Nothing seemed wholly solid or real. She had stepped into a dream. The mist swirled and danced. A breeze blew in from a forgotten niche, carrying with it a scent of jasmine and fragrances of other days. Her mind drifted back to happier times, before she had been cursed by both Zhagmyr Khan and her own stupidity. She felt a sense of peace such as she hadn't known for many a moon. Before her, half-obscured by the drifting mists, was still a greater marvel. There, set upon an ebony table carved with obscure and indecipherable symbols, was set a meal fit for any king or queen. Her mouth watered as she gazed upon a succulent variety of fruits, breads, and plates of steaming vegetables. All were laid out as if for a feast which she had unwittingly interrupted. She picked up a chunk of the dark brown bread and smelled it. It was still warm from the baking chamber. She bit a large chunk off. It tasted delicious. She helped herself to a bowl of steaming vegetable stew and sat down to eat it with her back to the wall and her eyes fixed on the door through which she had entered. But no one disturbed her meal, and with her hunger at last fully satisfied, she rose from the table, deciding to make further explorations of the tower. After all, she decided, someone must have prepared this feast for themselves. She was determined to discover who. She rose and left the chamber. Following her instincts, she found her self traversing a long and narrow hall. She manifested a sphere of illumination to lead her way thru the shadowed corridor. Cobwebs and dust clung to every surface, yet there was no sign of any spiders or insects nor any other living thing within. The silence was all consuming, and even the sound of her steps, stirring clouds of dust, seemed muffled by the thickness of the atmosphere. She thought she glimpsed a shadow, a dark shape, long and sinuous, gliding into the deeper black. But it had been so swift she couldn't be sure. A doorway loomed before her. The ball of spectral light went in before her, revealing naught but an empty corridor, but in the next instant, it was miraculously extinguished. She leapt back. But it was too late. The serpent sprang out at her from the depths of the dark, all sinewy and shadowy itself. Its coils were about her waist before she knew, shimmering like oil, they wrapped themselves ever tighter, the questing head slid up between her breasts. Its flickering tongue lashed at her lips. She screamed. The creature was startled by the sound, drawing back. In that instant, she drew deep within herself, called forth the heat of her inner fire and directed that intense temperature into her hands. Fire blazed like a crimson star in the aura that emanated from her fingers. There was a hiss of burning flesh and the snake recoiled. Its grip around her waist was instantly loosened. Kore could see the mark of her hand scorched black in the coils of the snake as it slithered away into the darkness once more. She cast another orb of light. The snake was nowhere to be seen. Just then, a figure stepped through that door. Kore leapt back. A woman stood before her. Her strange golden eyes flared when they saw her, like those of a wild animal. She was as beautiful as some heathen goddess, thought Kore, standing entirely naked and unashamed. Her muscles rippled across her arms and legs as she moved as lithely as a jungle beast. She tossed the mane of her long ebony hair behind her shoulders. The light that reflected in her jade green eyes was strangely familiar. "Who are you?" she asked. "What do you in this tower?" "Don't you remember me?" asked the girl. The she shook her head and laughed. "Of course, but how could you recognize me? It is I, Taerlen!" Kore was too shocked to answer for a moment. "Taerlen!" she cried. "You came seeking me after all!" "I could not let you face the horrors of this tower alone," she said. "But now let's get away from this place as quickly as we can!" "But how?" asked Kore. "You were a cat, and now you are a woman!" "I think you already know that that there are those who still know the secret of how to transform into more than one form. Since I am daughter of Shiamat, I have been trained in this knowledge." "I thank you for coming here for me," said Kore. "I know how hard that must have been for you." "This place is terrible," said Taerlen. "And there's something here, a snake I think, but it doesn't seem to like my smell, and avoids me when I come near." "It attacked me," Kore informed her. "But I suspect it will think twice about doing so again." "Good," said Taerlen. "Now we really should leave. Continue east from here as you like, but rest not here in this haunted place!" "I sought naught here but momentary rest from the desert sun," Kore replied. "I would willingly depart now." Taerlen lifted her head, turning her eyes this way and that. Her nose sniffed the air. "There is danger about," she said. "Something else is coming." Kore too felt a sense of growing apprehension. A wave of almost physical cold seemed to pervade her entire body, and it had enveloped the entire chamber. There came a sinister sibilant whispering, as if from within the depths of the walls. Then came a terrible, persistent pounding, so tremendous that Kore feared the entire tower would be shaken down from within. "Prepare yourself!" said Taerlen. "Something comes!" The pounding grew louder, still louder, until Kore was holding her hands over her ears. "Its too much!" she screamed. "Make it stop!" The doors at the opposite end of the chamber burst open. But there was nothing there! Only a cold and nauseating presence. Something huge and breathing heavily had entered the chamber, a curious repulsion, a slobbering hiss. The floor boards sank creaking as if beneath a massive weight as it lurched towards them. The horror was coming for them! They ran. Through doorway after doorway, they fled with the horror on their heels. At last they came through a passage of an iron door and barred it behind them. Kore secured the lock just as the invisible creature began to pound at the door once more, seeking entrance. "We're trapped here," Taerlen said. "There is no exit but the way we came in. We can only pray that this door will hold it back, at least for a while." "What is it?" Kore asked "Who knows? But I suspect it's the same creature that drove away or killed all the former inhabitants of this city. I fear we'll probably never know the true answer." The pounding continued. It sounded as if the whole tower would soon come tumbling down around their heads. Kore calmed her mind, deliberately shutting out the tumult that besieged them. She reached out with her psyche, trying to determine more of the nature of the being that stalked them. Immediately, she sensed something was terribly wrong. It was like leaping into a vortex, a whirlpool that threatened to drag her soul out of its framework. There was really nothing there. She leapt back into her body, falling shuddering into the Taerlen's arms. The nearness and nakedness of her body, her flesh was warm and silky against hers. Again, she fought off this sense that she was falling into a dream state. Taerlen was truly beautiful as a human female, thought Kore, as beautiful as a goddess. She was so lonely. The natural passions of a young woman long repressed, the aching need for tenderness and gentleness long unfulfilled....... She could not tear her eyes from Taerlen's magnificent body. Her eyes were burning coals as they met Kore's gaze. With a wordless cry, they fell into each others arms. Kore felt she was being swept away on a tide of passion so swift that it threatened to overwhelm her. Their hands caressed their welcoming flesh, sending ripples of pleasure up and down their spines. Taerlen's touch was soft and warm and strong, traces of fire on the silk of Kore's flesh. Her mouth rained hot kisses on Kore's lips and throat. Delicious stirrings like fiery electric sparks coursed through her nerves, igniting an unquenchable flame that burned with a delicate ache in the depths of her body. She sighed as Taerlen's roving hands filled themselves with the substantial weight of her breasts. They ached with long repressed desire as she kneaded the hard buds of her nipples between her fingers, tugging gently but demandingly upon them. Tremors of joy passed through Kore's body. Somehow, her breeches had been removed and Taerlen's beautiful face was between her legs, her mouth and lips kissing those secret places she so desired to be touched. The pounding of the demon continued without, but within, Kore knew naught but the ecstatic shudderings of her own body as her lover drew wave after wave of pleasure from her with the skill of her nimble tongue and eager lips. After she had wrung complete and utter surrender from her for the third time she showed Kore how she might please her in return. Kore kissed her golden belly and silken thighs, then she showed her how to use her tongue on a woman's sex. Kore, grateful for the chance to repay the wonderful sensations she had experienced, eagerly responded, pressing of her tongue and lips firmly up and down the crevasse of her slit as she asked. She continued to direct Kore's mouth to those specific places she wanted kissed and caressed until as time passed, she began to breathe more heavily. She moaned, pressing her mound tightly against her face as she writhed in pleasure-joy. Her face became flushed and her nipples taut and swollen. Her eyes took on a new tenderness. She then cried out and flooded Kore's mouth with a jet like spray of her nectar. Kore continued to kiss her as she felt Taerlen's sex pulsing beneath her lips and her body convulsing in its ecstatic moment. She was fully wet and open. Kore slid two fingers inside the heated furnace of her pussy. She opened her legs and curled her body around her.Her fingers encountered Kore's own sex, entering her with more ease than she would have thought possible. They remained silent and still beside each other indulging in the pleasure of the closeness of their bodies. The fingers felt good inside her. Little ripples of pleasure cascaded through her loins. She trembled in her lover's arms. Slowly, she began to ride her hand. Fingers slid deeply into her, and the mouth of her sex clasped greedily at them as they withdrew and plunged in once more. She felt more alive than she had ever felt. Sensations like the purest essence of magic touched her deeply within, growing stronger and stronger until she cried out again in ecstasy, flinging her self at the stars with her lover at her side. With the fury and abandon of a wild beast, her pleasure surged through her. Her mind left her body. Fiery stars whirled through the vast black depths of space. In that instant of total immersion in oblivion, she saw the truth. Her mind reached out into the history of the tower as her spirit was hurled back against the current of time. She came into a world such as she had ever known, to a time when the Lemurians had still inhabited the ancient city and this tower had been their pleasure hive, where they could rove freely in their fantasies and see and feel and hear and think them as well. The tower was a tower of dreams, where the very thoughts of the Lemurians had been brought to life, where jaded Lemurian men had dreamed dreams of long limbed women stroking their cocks and tired middle aged Lemurian women had indulged their wildest sexual fantasies. And now it still stood, an ancient abandoned plaything of the Lemurians. But it had not gone to sleep. In all the years since its construction, it had grown to crave the dreams of men, and now it would still do anything to trap humans here, dreaming until they died. "Now I understand!" she said with a gasp. "Nothing here is real. No sight or sound here can be trusted, feared or lusted after! The demon isn't really there!" "I don't understand," said Taerlen. "It seems very real to me!" "We must go," said Kore. "The substance of our dreams are its life blood. Even the passion we've shared in this chamber is made into its sustenance. It's waited here far too long without dreams, and now nightmares are its only trade. If we stay here much longer, it will invade our dreams once more, drawing us back again and again to sate its bizarre appetite. It will never let us escape. We are it's only source of dreams." The Tower of Dreams "I'll prove it!" said Kore. "I'm going to open the door!" The pounding continued from without. Now it was combined with a terrible smell. "No!" cried Taerlen. "I'm afraid! I can't face what is behind that door!" "That's what the tower is counting on!" cried Kore through the tumult. "It will manifest anything your mind suggests to keep you enthralled in its power!" And with that, she flung open the iron door. She gasped with shock. Even she hadn't expected what they saw now. The hall they had passed thru was not the same. It was no longer a hallway at all. Instead, there stood before their amazed sight a large luxuriant chamber. The floors were carpeted with thick richly woven rugs. The walls were draped with beauteous tapestries depicting colorful scenes of satyrs and nymphs frolicking thru flower dappled meadows. Near the rear of the room, a vast marble stair swept down to meet the floor. A man was descending that stair. He was naked. His sex stood erect before him like a proud standard as he moved towards them. He smiled. Kore felt an urge inside her to touch him, to run her hands over that smooth muscular body, to lock her fingers in that mass of black curly hair. She felt the urge of her sex calling to her in a way that she had never felt before. She realized with a shock that she was wet.... and she wanted him. She knew it was a dream of course. Perhaps the play with Taerlen had all been a dream as well. Had they both only shared the same dream? She no longer cared. So what if it was a dream? He was there. She was there. Taerlen was there. Why should they not? She saw the sex of the god man and it seemed harder and bigger than ever. Her desire rose up in her unbidden, a fiery wave that she could no longer dispel. She reached out for that beautiful cock. Surrender to the moment, her body was telling her. Just let it happen. The she saw the man's upper shoulder and on his flesh was the blackened mark of a woman's hand. Instantly, she drew back, as if from a viper! The scene before her wavered. To her dismay, the elegant chamber vanished. Everything was now in a miserable state, as if it had been shattered in a war and left for a century to rot. All was in chaos. Nothing was as she remembered it. The man before them was no longer a man. A monstrous black snake slithered away from them, weaving thru the fallen rubble. Kore directed her mind out swiftly and lashed out with a stunning spell, followed by the bars of bitter confinement. The creature was frozen in its tracks. "What is it?" asked Taerlen. "What happened to us?" "Nothing happened to either of us," Kore answered. "Nothing happened. Our psyches were manipulated by some malevolent magic from eons past. They say that in the Elder Days, before the first mountains fell, there were workers of a great magic called Dream Twisting. They served those who wanted to gain some purpose in dreams that they couldn't achieve in the reality of their lives. They used these dream-towers as places to act out the fantasies and scenarios of those that hired them. But this is dream magic gone mad." "It seems to be a man after all in his true state," said Kore, kicking at the fallen form of the naked stranger with her boot. "Though not nearly as handsome as he appeared moments ago!" Indeed, it was true. The man was darkly handsome and very similar to the man they had seen before, but his body and face held none of the near godlike perfection of the male creature they had just seen. He was rousing now, but was still held captive by Kore's spell of confinement. "The tower..." he whispered. "What?" asked Kore, leaning down to hear him better. "The tower is for dreaming," he said laughing half maniacally. "I came here seeking ancient power, and I found it, but I never guessed what form it would take! Now I am captive of my own dreams. All the treasures men have ever sought their lives over are herein contained. And here all dreams are realized! But there is no escape from them! There is no respite! I've been trapped here so long by my own dreams I'm not sure what is real anymore. Perhaps you are a dream as well." "Dreams don't have names," said Kore. "I am Kore. What is yours?" "I am called Marzak," he said, rubbing his tousled black mane. "I came from Nantarri, to the east. I came here seeking an icon of power, but I was trapped in this tower and know not how long has passed since I passed into its domain." "This is my friend Taerlen," answered Kore. "This is the year of the dog, in the second cycle." "Three long years I have been trapped here! His brown eyes widened, then darkened with fury and despair. "Little wonder that I've gone nearly mad! If I hadn't accumulated many years of experience in matters of arcane knowledge, I think I would never have survived!" "It holds us here with our dreams," said Kore. "Why can't we escape with dreams as well?" "It's not that simple. How do you find the exit?" asked Marzak. "Can you find that with your dreams? The tower has a thousand ways to deceive you." "The illusions are meant to entrap humans," Kore mused. "But would they have the same power over beasts? Taerlen, when you came here, why did you change to your human form?" Taerlen hesitated. "I don't know for sure," she admitted. "It was a compulsion I felt unable to deny. To tell the truth. When I was in my natural form of a feline, a great terror was upon me and I couldn't bring myself to follow you here. Only in human form did I at last find the courage to pursue you." "That is the answer," said Kore. "Only humans believe in their dreams, and I suspect only humans can be trapped by them. Can you change back now to your feline form?" Taerlen shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "The thought of transforming now overwhelms me with terror. But I'll try." It was uncanny and more than a little frightening to watch the hair sprout from Taerlen's flesh, to see her body shifting from a beauteous woman to a sleek and dangerous feline. Yet when it was at last done, she couldn't deny that she still recognized the familiar form of the woman hidden in the cat. Taerlen's bright eyes glittered greenly in the shadows. "I see now," the pantheress said. "The tower is not what it seems. It is nearly fallen and its power is almost vanished. Only the dream spell keeps us here enthralled. We believe we're still trapped when indeed we've always been free." "You are mad," said Marzak. "The tower still holds us prisoner. It will never release us." "No," answered Kore solemnly. "You're wrong, Marzak. We are already free." Starlight streamed in from somewhere above. She peered up to see to her surprise that there was an immense crack in the side of the tower which she'd never before noticed. That crack widened even as she watched. "There is our exit," she said. " I suggest we take it now!" Swiftly, they clambered over the fallen rubble. Soon, they had fully emerged from the tower and the feel of the open air on her flesh was delightful. When they looked back, they saw that the tower was not as they had first seen it. The regal gates were crumbling. Most of the upper walls had long ago collapsed. They made no further attempts to explore the shattered corridors in that ancient placer. Descending the short flight of steps, they fled away as quickly as they could, never daring to look behind them. "Free!" whispered Marzak. "At last I am free again, after praying so long for release! I think I had given up hope long ago." "It was all just a nightmare," said Kore. "When we stopped paying attention to it and being afraid, it lost hold of our minds, and the illusion was shattered." "Well, we have all made an amazing escape, in my opinion," said Taerlen, licking her paws. "Now we know why no one ever comes here!" "This is a terrible place," Kore agreed, "And we were lucky to escape with our lives. We were what this city still lived for. The substance of our dreams are its life blood. I think it won't last much longer with no dreams to sustain its existence." A shimmering field of shadow was emanating from the shattered tower. It reached out, further and further towards them, but at the last moment, just before it could touch them, it vanished. In the next moment, the last remaining walls of the silver tower crumbled in a massive cloud of rubble and dust. "The curse of the dream tower is ended," said Kore. "Our combined lack of belief in the power of its reality was its final death stroke." "You seem to know much of sorcery, perhaps even as much as I," noted Marzak. "Under what school did you study?" "I went to no school, but was tutored by the sage, Azimuth of Werewood in my childhood," Kore answered. "Azimuth!" gasped Marzak, his eyes growing wider. "But he is a legend! His adventures are no more than tales told to children!" "I assure you that he was very real, though he is dead now." "I should think he would be," agreed Marzak. "Even the stories of his deeds are centuries old." "Only centuries?!" Kore repeated. "Azimuth claimed to have lived more than a thousand years." "And that is the truth," said Taerlen. "You remember that I told you that Azimuth had saved Shiamat, queen of the cats? That rescue took place almost 800 years ago!" "This is like a tale out of the old legends," said Marzak. "Not even a wizard can live that long!" Taerlen led them out of the valley. They traveled for many long hours afterward, but at last they came to a place where grass grew and here and there were even clumps of tamarind and patches of clover. "We have passed out of the wastelands," said Taerlen. "My task is done here. I accomplished my mission, and though I do not understand all that's happened here, I will tell her the full tale of this adventure to my queen. She is wise." "I wish you well, friend Taerlen," said Kore. "Give my thanks to your gracious queen. And also I thank you. Without your aid, my bones would surely have blended with all the myriad of other fools who have perished in the dreaming tower. And more than this, I will miss you and your company." "Fare well to you, Kore," said the great cat, rubbing her massive head momentarily against her thigh. "I pray that we'll soon meet again. You're most unique for a human." And so, swiftly and silently as she had come, Taerlen vanished once more into the desert haze. "Whence go you now?" asked Marzak. "I am bound for Nantarri, on the Western Sea," Kore answered. "Nantarri is where I now return. I'll accompany you, if you don't mind. Together, we might stand a better chance of making it than alone." "Agreed," said Kore. "I can't say I'm sorry that I've finally been liberated from that accursed place," said Marzak. "I'm in your debt, make no mistake, and whatever you might ask of me, it is yours." Yet, even now, I yearn for those dreams I lived, and I dream also of those dreams I might have gained if I had been able to gain control of the tower and the powers therein." Kore sighed. She wanted to put such thoughts behind her. She still lived, that much she knew, whether it was a dream or not. And she was still accursed. In the east, the sun was rising, dispelling all dreams and nightmares in the glare of its scorching reality. Kore and Marzak walked towards the dawn. THE END