Zahara's Gift

by A. J. Walker

  “Well, I’ve never met a dwarf either,” Anders said.

  “And you wouldn’t unless you lived near these mountains and traded with them,” Nadir said. “They keep to themselves under that mountain and rarely do they come out. Like I said before, they’ll defend their homes fiercely. That’s how they’ve managed to survive in the same place for so long. Well, that and they have a very wealthy mine.”

  For the rest of the day, Anders tried to keep his mind off the rapidly approaching battle. It was hard, however, because he knew they had only one more day of travel through the mountains before they would be looking down the valley at Merglan’s fortress.

  Upon establishing their camp that night, the only thing anyone could talk about was the battle they would be fighting the next evening. Anders hoped he would see his two cousins again soon. It seemed like years since he’d last been in their company.

  He reflected on how dramatically his life had changed and wondered if he would be able to go home after it was all over. An idea popped into his head that once he and Thomas and Kirsten were reunited, he could take them back to the elf city where they could live with Zahara. It was a fantasy, most likely impossible. He’d never heard of a human living with the elves, other than when they were training for war, as they had with Ivan.

  They woke at dawn and spent their last day hiking through the Eastland Mountains. Anders kept his thoughts to himself; it seemed no one wanted to talk. Everyone focused on the battle. They stopped in the early afternoon. Ivan and Nadir went ahead to scout. The army took this time to eat and rest one last time before the march on the fortress. The two were gone for several hours before returning to the group. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky.

  “Red and the other captains are in position. All we need to do is send a group of men to get them to join our ranks,” Ivan said to Nadir and Jorgen. Anders and Max stood nearby, listening to their conversation.

  “There is a problem,” Nadir said. “I couldn’t find the elves who were supposed to be here by now. I’ve tried to contact my father with the mirror, but it’s not working.”

  “They have forsaken us,” Red’s father said. “I should have known your people would never help us.”

  Irritated by this, Nadir said, “My people understand the threat that Merglan poses to them as well as to you. They would not abandon us. Something else has happened to them. There’s no other explanation.”

  “Bah,” the leader of the Rollo people said, throwing up his hands and uttering a sling of Rolloan curses under his breath.

  “I believe him,” Ivan said. “The elves would not let a petty dispute between your people risk the destruction Merglan could bring to their kingdom.”

  “What do we do?” Jorgen asked.

  “We stick to the plan,” Ivan said confidently. “We must trust that the elves will be there to assist us when the time comes.”

  Jorgen made some grumbling noises and agreed he would continue with their plan. “I’m not counting on them,” he said as he walked back to inform the others. Ivan turned to Nadir and told him to continue searching for the elves, while he assembled a team to retrieve Red and the other captains.

  “With or without them, we will march down the foothills and out across the valley at nightfall,” Ivan said to Nadir before he left. Nadir nodded his head and took off at a run to search for the absent elves.

  Chapter Sixteen

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  Crystals in the Darkness

  MEANWHILE, LIFE AS A prisoner in Merglan’s fortress posed daily challenges. Each evening Thomas ached from the hard day’s work in the mines. His crew and others dug deep into the ground in search of metals that could be forged into weapons and armor for the master’s army. While digging deeper into the terraced slopes of the pit, Thomas discovered brightly hued crystals embedded in the rock. The first time he’d seen the brilliant blue hue emanating from the scored rock it scared him. The darkened wall of the pitted hillside suddenly began to glow. With each swing of his pickax, the rock chipped away and the blue light grew stronger until it consumed the darkness surrounding him. Each time he uncovered one of these crystals, one of the heavily armed guards would quickly confiscate it, stuffing it away into a locked crate.

  One day Thomas found himself working alongside a tradesman from Southland who’d been captured during the attack at the Grandwood Games when they broke through rock together, exposing one of the brightly shining crystals. The tradesman from Southland had seen many shiny trinkets in his thirty years living in Kartania and told Thomas he’d never seen any stone that could match the beauty of this crystal. The man pried it from the wall and hastily stuffed it into his pocket. Thomas tried to warn him against it, but one of the guards had seen the glow from farther down the shaft. The Southland tradesman attempted to act as if nothing were amiss, but it didn’t take the guard long to discover the blue light shining through his pocket. Instead of handing over the crystal and hoping for a lenient whipping as punishment for his crime, the prisoner struggled to keep the crystal. Before Thomas could help him out, the guard had drawn his long knife and stabbed the tradesman in the gut. The guard took the crystal and left the prisoner to bleed out slowly on the mine’s cold floor. There was nothing Thomas could do to save him. After witnessing this, Thomas quickly abandoned any notions he had of keeping any crystals he discovered following that day.

  Kirsten and Maija continued to clean the rooms of Merglan’s highest in command. They were forced to scrub every inch of the stone floors in the chamber rooms, often until their knees were bruised and bloody and their hands raw from the strong soap and water. The head maid, Chantal, had placed guards at the stairwell leading out from the chamber rooms. If they noticed the girls weren’t down on their hands and knees scrubbing, one of the guards would pin them down while the other guard whipped them with a bullwhip. Maija struggled less than Kirsten, and her lashings weren’t as severe as her cellmate’s. Stubborn and strong-willed, Kirsten would struggle to free herself from the guards, but the muscular men overpowered her with each whipping. Soon Kirsten realized it hurt less to have bloodied knees and sprained wrists from scrubbing the floors than to have half-inch-deep lashings across her back, cutting through the fabric of her thinly woven wool prisoner garb.

  Despite the guard’s watchful eyes, Maija and Kirsten discreetly searched the belongings of all whose rooms they cleaned, but never found anything of interest. Kirsten hoped desperately to find something that would help them escape. Having no luck in the chambers, Kirsten couldn’t help but think of Merglan’s door just down the hall. She was convinced Merglan had locked something away upstairs in his chambers that could be the key to their escape. The urge to sneak into Merglan’s room became overwhelming, but she never allowed herself to fall victim to her curiosity. Kirsten didn’t want to find out what the guards would do to her if they found her sneaking about in Merglan’s chambers.

  They’d whip me to death with that awful bullwhip, she thought. If only those guards would leave for an hour.

  While Kirsten schemed with Maija on how to break into Merglan’s chambers unseen, Thomas discovered more crystals in the mine. As each day passed, the torturous way in which the prisoners were being treated drove many individuals to attempt an escape; yet each one met the same end. Thomas watched several people try to scale the cliff walls. If they reached the top without falling, an invisible force launched them off, sending them high into the air before falling to their deaths.

  Kirsten and Maija saw others who attempted to run through the open gates if the opportunity presented itself. These would-be escapees were either killed on sight by the guard’s blades or, if they made it past the guards, immediately transported back to where they began their escape attempt.

  Most evenings when Maija, Kirsten and Thomas returned to the courtyard, they’d be escorted directly into their cells by several armed guards assigned to their cellblock. On occasion, however, they�
�d return to the courtyard and find the guards hadn’t yet arrived. Whenever this happened, they were glad to find a moment’s reprieve from the harshness of prison life. With a watchful eye out for Merglan’s guards, they would share whatever had happened since the last time they’d been able to talk. Thomas told them about finding the crystals and having them immediately confiscated each time. After mentioning the crystals, Maija recalled seeing guards carrying heavy crates into Merglan’s chambers.

  “I thought they were just crates of stone. It seems like each delivery is always followed by muffled knocking sounds, like they’re tapping on rocks, or whatever they are, to build something,” Maija said.

  “I haven’t noticed any of that. I wonder what he’s doing with them?” Kirsten asked.

  “Whatever it is, it must be something important,” Thomas said. “The guards are quick to take the crystals from anyone who discovers them.”

  “Maybe it has something to do with the magic he’s woven into this place.” Kirsten suggested. “Maija and I have been searching through all of the belongings in the rooms we clean. Nothing so far has revealed itself to be helpful for an escape plan, but maybe Maija is right and these crystals are the clue we’ve been looking for?”

  “Let’s say they do have something to do with the magic of this fortress; Merglan would make sure they were heavily guarded, wouldn’t he? If he won’t let any of us prisoners leave, how heavily protected do you think he’d have something like these precious crystals?” Thomas asked.

  “If we’re going to escape, we’ll need to risk finding that out. I say it’s worth the risk,” Kirsten said boldly.

  Maija nodded, “I think you’re right. We should find out where they’re taking the crystals and see for ourselves if they have some kind of magical powers keeping us trapped inside these walls. Doing something is better than doing nothing.”

  “If you insist on snooping around, be careful,” Thomas said. “I think something big is about to happen.”

  “What do you mean?” Kirsten asked.

  “I mean like a battle or something. I overheard some guards talking about orcs and kurr gathering by the hundreds outside the walls. We’re mining so much metal for their weapons. On top of that, I’ve noticed enough frantic activity that I’d say they’re going to war,” Thomas said with his eyebrows raised.

  “I hope it’s the two that Merglan and Thargon were talking about in secret that have come to fight them and get us out of here,” Kirsten said.

  “You two try to find out how they’re using the crystals and I’ll try to get some more information about the army of monsters gathering outside the gates,” Thomas said, delegating duties to support their plan.

  They agreed and went to their cells for the evening before the guards arrived, sure to give them a lengthy lashing if they caught them consorting.

  After a guard locked their cell door and sound of his footsteps faded into the distance, Maija whispered, “Kirsten.”

  “Yeah,” she whispered back.

  “I heard Merglan talking about us today.”

  “Really? When?”

  “It was when we were about to eat lunch. He told Thargon to have the guards keep an eye on us. He said he noticed something strange about us, that he can’t read our thoughts the same way he can everyone else’s.”

  “That’s weird.”

  “Yeah, I think that might be why he always stops and looks at us when he leaves his chambers. I’m worried he might be onto us about our plans for escape,” Maija said with a concerned twinge in her voice.

  “You just said he couldn’t read our minds, so how could he know what we’re plotting,” Kirsten said, trying to comfort her.

  “I guess you’re right. We might want to be more careful about talking in front of any guards. Also, it might be hard to sneak into Merglan’s chambers if we’re being watched,” she said.

  “Then we’ll just need to be more careful. I hope the guards become too distracted with their preparations for battle to pay more attention to us,” Kirsten said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens, I guess. Goodnight,” she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

  “Goodnight,” Maija replied.

  Kirsten could hardly sleep thinking about the crystals and the army of orcs and kurr. The next morning when the guards came by slamming sticks on their cell bars to wake them, Kirsten was already up equipped with a plan for the day. She would clean the rooms until just after lunch when Merglan usually left his chambers for several hours. Then she and Maija would make sure no guards were around and sneak into his chambers to look for the crystals.

  The morning spent cleaning went as it usually did. Kirsten noticed a guard at the end of the hall watching them as they worked. They scrubbed the floors and carried out the dirty laundry and waste left on the floor by the filthy occupants. Maija and Kirsten stopped cleaning and ate lunch early, hoping to be in the hallway to see Merglan leave his chambers. After a quick bite and a talking to from Chantal about how to properly make the beds, the two went back to work. By mid-afternoon they were running out of things to keep them busy when Merglan left his chambers. He walked down the hallway as he usually did, pausing to stare at them as they scrubbed tirelessly at the same section of spotless stone floor before he continued on down the length of the hall.

  “It’s so creepy when he does that,” Maija said to Kirsten, irritated by his leering look.

  “Yeah, he definitely doesn’t like not knowing what everyone in his fortress is thinking,” Kirsten said. “Is he gone?”

  “The door at the far end of the hallway just closed,” Maija said tilting her head to listen.

  “What about the guards?” she asked.

  Maija leaned a little harder toward the entrance to the hallway, “They followed Merglan.” The upswing of the last syllable she spoke told Kirsten she was surprised the guards also left.

  “It’s crazy that you can hear things so well,” Kirsten said.

  “I know, its weird. It’s something that just started happening recently,” Maija said. They looked into the hallway, checking both directions.

  “All clear,” Kirsten said.

  “And Chantal left before we went for lunch. She hasn’t come back yet,” Maija added.

  “Perfect,” Kirsten said while stepping hesitantly into the hallway. Maija followed and they ran up to the door that led to Merglan’s chambers. As Kirsten pushed, the door squeaked on its hinges and swung open. They slowly climbed up the staircase, making sure to be quiet in case others were in Merglan’s chambers. At the top of the staircase a second doorway led into a room. Kirsten turned to Maija and put a finger over her lips to let her know to be extra careful as they approached the top of the staircase.

  Kirsten watched closely as she neared the top stone step and could see more of the room beyond the doorway. She didn’t see anyone as they inched closer. The room was large with extremely high ceilings. She could see tables, chairs, and a desk through the doorway. Checking in both directions, she gave Maija a thumbs-up and motioned to follow her into the room. Enormous bookshelves lined the walls, rising high into the air. Both of them stood in the doorway in awe.

  “Wow. It’s beautiful,” Kirsten said, taking in the magnificence of the chambers.

  “Remember, we need to find the crystals before he comes back,” Maija said, nudging Kirsten to keep her on track.

  The two began searching the room. Not entirely sure what they were looking for, they rifled through the desk, searched throughout the shelves, and even looked under the rugs. They searched everywhere but didn’t find anything that resembled a crystal.

  Finally Maija called to Kirsten, “Come over here! Check this out.”

  Maija pulled aside a banner hanging as a decoration on the wall. Behind the banner several lines deeply engraved into the wall resembled a doorway.

  “Is that a door?” Kirsten asked.

  “I think so,” Maija said. “But there’s no han
dle or knob,” she said as she searched the area where a handle would normally be installed on a door.

  “Look at this,” Kirsten said pointing to the ground. On the floor next to the wall was a strange marking, a spiral carved into the stone floor.

  “Maybe it’s the doorknob?” Maija said.

  Kirsten bent down and felt it. She pushed on it. Feeling it release, the spring-loaded spiral carving extended up from the stone floor. She turned it to the right. It twisted and the hidden door in the wall cracked open.

  “Wow!” Maija said, amazed at the secret doorway’s complexity. Maija pushed the door open. It led into a long narrow passageway. It grew dark in the narrow hallway as the light from the chamber room grew more faint. In the distance at what appeared to be the other end of the passageway, they could see a glow. As they approached, the glowing light seemed to shine a brighter blue. The passageway led to another large room with high ceilings. The only light in the room was a glowing hue of light blue that radiated from the end of the narrow hallway.

  “Maija look!” Kirsten said. She pointed across the room to the origin of the blue light. There, neatly stacked into a giant slab rising twice the height of her family farmhouse and running nearly the length of her barn back in Grandwood were brightly glowing crystals, emanating the unusual light.

  Maija tugged on Kirsten’s shirtsleeve. She looked at her with a furrowed brow, “What is it?”

  Maija’s eyes widened as she pointed at the ground in front of them. Kirsten’s eyes, at last adjusted to the dim blue light, could now see clearly what she had failed to see before. On the ground in front of them lay an enormous dragon spread in a heap, comfortably-sleeping on the floor. She watched as its dark scales rose and fell with each breath. Kirsten almost shouted in fear, but put her hand over her own mouth to avoid making any noise. She returned Maija’s wide-eyed look. Just as they exchanged their fearful gaze the dragon stirred. It’s enormous black-scaled body shifted as it rolled onto its side and let out a drowsy growl. Kirsten and Maija didn’t wait to see if the dragon’s eyes opened. They darted down the narrow passageway and back into the master’s chamber. Kirsten closed the hidden door behind them and pushed the spiral nob on the floor back into its locked position. Both of them breathed heavily as they looked at each other.