CHAPTER 6: THE GODDESS

"Fool!" The deity roared at Norrin who had gotten lost recalling the events that led him to this place. "If I have to repeat myself once again you will regret it! Now answer my question!"

Norrin snapped to attention, “I am Norrin Shai, Chaser prime class,” he said, feeling the sudden urge to be formal, and give his name and rank in the presence of the spirit’s obvious authority. “And I don’t know how I got here. I thought I was a dead man. The blue griffon…”

“Blue griffon? The blue griffon in the Hollow Cliffs?” The deity interrupted.

“Yes,” Norrin continued, shocked by her awareness of the creature, “It had me in its grasp and flew into the sky. I fought my way free above a small lake hoping I could land safely in the water. But then, there were all these lights. I must have blacked out because I woke up, and I was here. Have I died? Is this the afterlife?”

Norrin quietly admonished himself for asking a stupid question, because he knew was not dead. He just found it difficult to believe what was happening to him.

“No, you are not dead. Which is quite the accomplishment having fought against the blue griffon considering it is a favored beast. But you do not seem like the type of man who would try to challenge such a creature.” She told him with a straight-faced bluntness that left Norrin a little flustered.

“It wasn’t my plan to take on the griffon, it attacked me.”

“That is odd. You are certain you did nothing to provoke this attack?” The deity asked.

“Nothing intentional…” Norrin responded with a twinge of guilt as he gathered up his bandero around his neck. The deity looked at him with suspicion but moved on.

“If you say so, mortal. Now tell me, when you fought the griffon did you take some of its feathers?”

“I ripped a patch of feathers from its head, below the eyes, it was the only weak spot I could see on the beast.”

“There is the answer to how you are here then, the feathers of the blue griffon are special, and opened a gateway that brought you to this place.” The spirit answered as a matter of fact. “Do you still have any of the feathers?”

Norrin checked the area around him, to no avail. “No, I don’t. What gateway? Where is this place? Who are you?” The spirit’s answer only confused Norrin more and led to a thousand more questions in his mind.

The deity responded, “I am Nassima of the Azuri, as for where we are, I cannot say for sure… I only know I have been trapped here for a very long time. It has been hundreds of cycles since I laid eyes on anyone. I did not expect a mortal would be the first to enter this chamber. Now, look there.” She directed Norrin’s eyes upwards. On the ceiling was an engraving of five concentric circles, with smaller circles scattered inside it, connected by zig-zagged lines.

“That is a gateway access, The feathers of the blue griffon are key to opening and traveling through the gateways. How you opened a gateway directly to this chamber, however, is a mystery.”

“Wait…Nassima? Of the Azuri?” Norrin repeated in disbelief. He heard tales of Nassima, the Azuri goddess of battle, whose fortitude, intelligence, prowess, and powers were unmatched. She used those powers and her almighty weapon for the good of the people. She flew to the aid of anyone being terrorized by the most destructive of the supernatural creatures prowling the land and defeated anything and anyone standing in her way. But, one day she vanished, letting the monsters roam free and leaving the world in chaos. Many heroes went on quests searching for her, thinking her return would usher in a new age. In returning, she would rid the land of the monsters and restore peace to the world. Norrin did not believe in these stories though. To him they were tales told to children to give them hope for a better life and help them sleep despite the threats hunting them in the night. Nassima was just a myth to him as was all the other Azuri. But now, here he was in her presence, Norrin was speaking to an actual Azuri goddess.

“I have been confined in this hall for a long time, and I am afraid your fate will be the same,” Nassima continued. She seemed to pity Norrin, which surprised him, because the tales described her as a proficient and deadly warrior who showed no mercy, pity did not seem to be a part of her vocabulary. He did not want to get on her bad side, but he had several questions that nagged his brain.

“Are you the Azuri Nassima? The rogue goddess of battle? The Azuri Nassima the Missionaries say abandoned the people?”

“Missionaries?” Nassima asked, perplexed.

“Yes, the Missionaries say you decided to abandon man and let the monsters go unchecked, as our punishment for not recognizing your power.”

“That is what the stories say?” Nassima blazed brighter in anger and her visage grew in size. Norrin immediately regretted his statement.

“I would never abandon anyone!” Nassima roared, “It was I that was abandoned! I was set up and betrayed by cowards! Someone somehow separated my spirit from my body and trapped it here with these damned runes to keep me imprisoned!”

Norrin was even more confused. Nassima spoke with conviction and he believed her. The goddess would have no reason to lie to him. He did not believe in these stories anyway, they were used to push a particular agenda that benefited only certain people. But her version of the story also brought more questions.

“Okay so the tale told to us is that the Azuri Nassima left the people to fend for themselves. But, you are telling me you have been confined here against your will for centuries. What I do not understand is how can that be. You are an Azuri! One of the gods! Who can imprison a god?”

Nassima’s expression changed from anger to a mild confusion at Norrin’s statement.

“The Azuri are not gods.” She almost began to laugh at the mere thought. “We may have what you would call incredible powers, and we may live many lifetimes longer than you, but we are not gods. Anyone who has told you differently has deceived you. I suspect whoever has been feeding these lies to your kind, are the same ones that have betrayed me. Who are these Missionaries you speak of.”

“The Missionaries are men who preach and spread the religion of the Azuri,” He told her, “They tell the stories of Azuri powers, and proclaimed the Azuri as gods over our land. The Missionaries claim to teach everyone how to live in the favor and service of the Azuri, so they may be rewarded in their next lifetime. They are very influential, but I don’t think they have the capacity to capture an Azuri. They are all talk no action.”

“But do you believe this drivel that they are spreading about me?” Nassima questioned, sizing up Norrin’s intelligence.

“No, I don’t believe anything they say. The Missionaries are corrupt and beholden to the Governors and the Highborn classes. Those groups use the words of the Missionaries to exploit the lower class. They have the Missionaries claim the Governors and the rest of the Highborn were chosen to prosper by the Azuri’s divine judgement, meaning they are infallible. The Missionaries promise peace, liberty and the end of all sorrows in the name of the Azuri. But only if the common people give their loyalty, unending service and labor, to their Highborn masters”

“And do these so-called divinely chosen Governors deliver on these promises?”

“No, they don’t. How could they deliver an end to the discord of the people’s lives when they profit from the very same misery,” Norrin answered. “The divinity of the Governors and the holiness of the Missionaries is laughable. I have dealt with many Highborns. I know with certainty they are not all virtuous people hand-picked to rule by some all-powerful gods. I have argued this many times with people who have taken the word of the Missionaries as absolute truth. But I know even the sincerest Missionary, who really believed in the benevolence of the Azuri, has to answer to the Governors. I also know the Governors, and all their kind, do not answer to anyone.”

The topic of the politics between the Missionaries and the High Governors always caused Norrin’s blood to boil. He despised the way the stories of the Azuri were used to manipulate the common people. Norrin was a skeptic about the Azuri from the start, but now he knew for sure the Missionaries just concocted the words they spread. The Azuri do not care about the Highborn, and the Azuri do not care if the people lived humble, obedient lives of servitude. He did not know what the Azuri cared about, or if they even cared about anything at all. Nassima confirmed that Norrin was right along, but instead of feeling vindicated, he found himself disappointed to know the truth.

“So, the Azuri are not gods, and despite all the legends of your incredible powers, you were captured inside this enchanted prison. And now I am trapped here with you, and if you cannot escape this place it is even more hopeless for me. I will die here.” Norrin surmised.

Nassima acknowledged Norrin’s plight. “If I had my physical form, I would offer you a quick merciful death. I do not wish to witness your agonizing demise. I understand your frustration, and how hard it must be to comprehend your fate. I likewise have a difficult time understanding the events leading to my imprisonment in this hall.”

“Then you must help me.” Norrin pleaded, “You said a gateway opened by a feather is what brought me here, but I still don’t understand how it happened. There must be another way to open it again without the feather?”

Nassima reflected on the circumstances that brought him into her place of imprisonment. “Knowing that there is a portal here always gave me hope for some kind of escape. But I could not figure out how to get beyond the barrier projected by these runes without my physical form. I have become complacent and accepting of my fate.” She said as she drifted around the hall. “But yes, I will help you because now that your life is on the line, it is my duty to search for a way to freedom.”

Nassima looked up at the gateway covering the ceiling. “Now, let’s see…The blue griffon’s feather not only opens the gateway, but also keeps one on the path, otherwise one would be lost in the void between. Without a feather, a gateway cannot be used. It is too dangerous,” Nassima clarified.

“Then explain to me why there is a gateway leading to a dead end?” Norrin urged, still trying to make sense of the world. He was dissatisfied with Nassima’s answers, but he did acknowledge she was willing to help in a way. The stories portrayed her as a serious, hardened warrior, but he saw beneath the surface some compassion in her character.

Nassima pondered his question. “I always wondered that, and how I would be able to get a feather in my possession. The only way would be for someone to bring it to me. But without my physical form I wouldn’t be able to get past the runes anyway. Otherwise, it makes no logical sense to have an entry going to this point, except…” The answer struck her like a bolt, making her light up the room a little brighter from inspiration. “This gateway is not supposed to be a way in, it was meant to be a way out! There is an escape from this prison!”