“Fifty gold he’s gonna use tha axe.”
Though sadly, as I approached the palace, seeing as the towers grew taller, I saw little sign of Carlaylin. The citizens of Krea weren’t continuing a good night’s feast after all. Instead, most had already retreated, some taken captive, others just standing around and trying to deal with the post-traumatic shock.
I approached the fountain, but it was just as I had feared. My hopes fell. There was no one there. My only guess was that either Borin had lied to me (which was most unlikely during a time like this) or she had long since gone.
I gave a grave sigh as I dropped the axe, listening as the clang of metal upon stone echoed off into the distance. The axe? What the hell went through my mind? An axe?! I took a deep breath. To be honest, if I was willing to use an axe… I’m glad they had gone.
My expression was grim as I turned around to face the ballroom, most visible behind the gigantic glass windows. I leisurely, rather hesitantly, approached the windows. As I did, I touched the glass, peering in.
The ballroom was in chaos with tables still overthrown and drapes being tattered.
Father was gone, but the blood was not.
I gulped.
That stain haunted me and will most probably till the end of my days. The thing that broke me most was that I had no idea what had become of his body. I would never be able to give him a proper burial now... Even though it was one he deserved.
A burial for a hero. My father had always been a hero. Not only playing about at the fates of war and conquest considering the kingdom’s current standards, but a hero to me as well…
CHAPTER 35
LOST IN PARADISE (PART 1)
CARLAYLIN
I DISMOUNTED my ‘borrowed’ horse and focused my gaze on the path up ahead – strewn with bustling flora of all exotic kinds and ancient stone ruins that had long since been abandoned.
I allowed the horse to go free.
The sky remained wonderfully clear and warm sunlight gently caressed my skin. Birds of numerous various species flew overhead.
A calm breeze blew my hair to the side and gently pushed against the countless foliage that surrounded me.
All these ruins about me were a clear indication that I was in the right place.
Dense jungles and rocky cliffs encouraged the idea effectively.
I took a deep breath and slowly let it go, trying to capture the moment and the fresh air all around me.
“Garna la Kahukar,” I said to myself, slowly nodding with satisfaction, “I believe we have business.”
Without another word, I started wandering forth on foot, making my way down the uneven earthen path. I pushed various branches and plants out of my way, but it wasn’t long before I reached the edge of a cliff. Out in front – beyond the open waterhole – was an enormous waterfall that was rather wide, though there was no sign of a temple or a lost city of any kind.
No, instead there was a little island located in the middle of the small waterhole. The water looked green with the massive array of flora both growing on the rims of land surrounding it or in its very depths.
A strange stone mechanism built upon the island drew my curiosity.
I took three steps back and readied myself. A moment of absolute silence passed me by. I could have turned right and enhanced to the lower areas on foot, but where would the fun be in that? Where would the sense of adventure be?
The sound of exotic birds chirping, leaves rustling restlessly in the wind and the waterfall’s clear waters cascading was absolutely stunning. It was truly a moment that I would witness only once in a lifetime.
Yet, not everything could last. There was more to it than this. The soon as the moment had passed me, I sprinted forward and leapt off the cliff. Instead of panicking and flailing my arms, I actually managed to keep my composure and pulled off an amazing swan dive. I felt as the wind forced against my body until the touch of cold water against my bare skin completely enveloped me as I reached the waterhole.
I found myself in the depths of the water, but immediately pulled up and emerged. I can’t lie when I say that the water was great!
I took a quick second to scan the area for the island, which was located right behind me. I was swift to turn around and escape onto the piece of land – soaking wet and drenching the stones beneath my feet.
Naturally, it had an uneven rocky surface with large boulders and ancient totems, some even pilling on one another.
Most of the contraptions were dampened because of the massive waterfall it was facing and blanketed in thick layers of green moss.
There was no doubt this sight was over a thousand years old by the looks of it.
Indeed the great ancient bronze contraption was rather large and I had simply no idea of its use, but I was determined to find out. To me it gave the impression of a scale – a very large one at that. Massive even.
Naturally, I didn’t think this through and went for the first idea that came to mind. I dashed forward and climbed the pile of boulders. The exertion lasted me less than a minute. Luckily for me, they were quite steady and uneven and provided a good many decent footholds.
It wasn’t long until I reached the top and readied myself… Well, more or less. Point is: The height I reached was good enough to injure me. I gave an enthusiastic smile right before I jumped forward, completely disregarding any safety precautions. I landed onto the scale closest to me. I flapped my arms around to keep the balance before I managed to fall onto my bottom.
The scale I chose was facing upwards. Some sort of ancient monkey statue weighed the other one down. A gigantic and immensely heavy statue it was. And frankly, for a monkey statue, the artist really outdid himself. This chiselled piece of work was superb.
Anyways, enough about ancient monkey art.
During the first few seconds it felt pointless. To be honest, it was rather disappointing, but it wasn’t long before the scale slowly started moving downwards.
Don’t you dare think I’m as heavy as a hippogriff! There was already a large boulder on this scale for starters. It only needed a little bit of a push…
As the scale descended to the ground, huge clasps appeared from beneath the waterfall’s edge and blocked the water from falling, creating a path on either sides.
I stood frozen on the large bronze plate as I witnessed the great big waterfall splitting open as the clasps appeared, revealing a colossal temple right behind its screen.
It was no other than the amazing lost kingdom of Garna la Kahukar. To be frank, no wonder it was lost. The inhabitants must’ve forgotten where they left it. Good thing I found it. I had been working off of an old map I had managed to nick from the Bouncing Monkey Inn. It had been on the wall. It had been unattended. The barkeep looked away… You get the picture.
Fortunately, that same map I stole proved to be the actual map to Garna la Kahukar, blindly left on display.
The same moment the waterfall had split, a thick broken stone pillar was lowered down and spread horizontally across the watery gap between the small piece of land and the temple of Garna. It looked like a stable bridge. It must’ve been the work of some advanced automatic mechanism, lowering it like a drawbridge without the help of human hands. I stepped off the plate and approached the pillar. I slowly made my way to the other side.
Single drops of water rained down from the soaking structures above, frequently falling on me, but I didn’t mind. If anything, I consider this to be quite refreshing and enjoyable!
I looked out in front of me. Disregarding the magnificent sight on either side, I stared directly into the large entrance of Garna towering over me like some kind of titan.
I didn’t need to gather my courage. Instead, I just happily strolled on in. I felt so calm. It was almost as though a large burden had been lifted off my shoulders... temporarily, of course, but I most definitely made sure to cherish this little time I had to myself.
I made my way through Garna la Kahukar, eyes wondering about a
t the magnificence of this great temple.
What made it all the more better was the fallen stones, ruined structures and numerous rays of daylight shining in through the large temple’s various corridors and chambers, emphasizing the wide array of ancient debris and vegetation breaking through the stones and climbing up the walls.
This exertion involved a lot of climbing over or sliding underneath fallen structures and a lot of jumping, but man was it great! I came across a lane of water flooding the temple hall. No doubt the flooding water came from the waterfall that had been falling outside for decades.
It shimmered in the sunlight. It looked like it could get pretty deep. Not feeling the urge to go for another swim, I tried my dragonbone crossbow.
I had also brought some rope arrows along to help me in me my escapes as well. A good thing, too!
I withdrew my crossbow and gave it a loving stare. If I could, I’d darn right marry this thing! I only hope that the dragon whose bones are used here wasn’t my ancestor…
“Hello, my lovely. Let’s see what you can do!”
With a cool smile still planted firmly on my lips, I aimed for the metal pipe residing in the ruined ceiling above.
Time for a well-earned test-drive, I thought to myself and pulled the trigger. The rope arrow reached its target at the speed of light, almost at an instant and entwined around the pipe.
I grabbed the rope before it could shoot out of my reach. I gave it a tug or two to make sure that it was nice and stable. The moment my mind was brought to ease, I jumped and swung across the flooded isle before my feet could safely touch down on the dry stone floor on the other side.
I sheathed my crossbow. Giving my knuckles and neck a quick crack, I sprinted off before entering a chamber that had mostly collapsed in on itself.
I crawled through the openings, squeezed through the cracks and climbed across the rocks before entering another room.
There was an upper area ahead of me that I was too short to reach. I took a few steps back and raised my hands with full force, witnessing a set of rocks shooting up from the ground and creating a path for me – elemental magic. I climbed up and approached a ladder carved into the stone. It led into a tube-like structure leading to only Tarauntis knows where. I wasn’t scared to climb the ladder and reached the other end of the tube in no time. Though as I ascended, the thought of slipping and falling to my possible death kept replaying in my head.
Luckily I climbed out of the tube and looked out across a large flooded chamber. I stood upon a large wide podium, looking down. As my foot touched the edge, I noted a few small pebbles falling from the drop and raining down into the water. I stepped back. The chamber seemed to be divided into two by a large gate. Both sides were flooded, but not to fear! Carlaylin is here!
Before I could jump I looked behind me and noticed another statue. Instead of a random monkey statue like before, this one was built into the wall and ten times bigger. The monkey seemed to be sitting cross legged, gently holding a lotus in both hands. Its eyes were closed. The light falling in from the roof made it appear golden. It was as beautiful as it was creepy.
I turned towards the edge and cannonballed into the water. Screw elegance. This time I was just looking at how big of a splash I could make.
The water was fairly frigid, icy even since it had so little exposure to the sun and had been here for more than a few centuries in this cold temple. At least the rest of the temple was nice and warm since the late evening sun filled the halls good and even.
Technically, Garna had been baking since this morning. It’s only this chamber that hasn’t had so much light. Yet, up ahead in the second half of the room on the very right I could see a stone platform leading towards a new destination. There the sun looked fairly plenty.
Whilst still underwater, I darted off towards the gate and went underneath before finally emerging on the other side. I had to use all the power I had left, for there was a currant in this stream pulling me back. The water kept draining in the large old gutter in the first half. Yet, the water stayed filled and kept flooding this chamber because of the waterfall not far from here.
Anyways, I swam and tried to reach the stone platform, but the currant kept pulling me back. It seemed plan B was in order and I yanked out my crossbow, shooting the earthen spot on the wall at the platform, formed by various stone bricks that had long since withered and fell. Instantly, I pulled on the rope and tried to reach the platform until I finally managed. Immediately I tipped my chin towards the corridor so brightly lit. It appeared to be wider than I had first anticipated it to be. It existed of mainly muddy slopes leading upwards and debris. The stream of sunlight that came from up above fell down this corridor.
I tried running up the slope, but slipped and slid back down again, boots coated in mud.
“Okay,” I sighed, “Plan B then.”
I used my crossbow to shoot at the numerous pipes and wooden beams. I pulled up and swung upwards until one of the ropes snapped and sent me rolling back down. I ended up back where I started, only much muddier this time. I grunted angrily. I knelt down by the edge and cleaned myself with the flooding waters the best I could before returning for plan C.
That’s it. Now Carly’s angry. I’m not risking another mudslide, I thought.
I stepped back. A tingle shot down my arms and invested in my fingers as I pulled my hands back and threw them forward, a gust of wind following. It flew across the muddy slope until the mud was nice and dry. I shook my hands and smiled before trying my luck with the slope again. I ran upwards until it got so steep that I had no choice but to crawl towards the end.
As I enhanced I could hear the cries of a strong wind not far by. It got louder and louder until the noise burst into my ears. Reaching the end of the slope I stood. I had approached a massive vertical wind tunnel. The tunnel was tube shaped of course and of stone slabs. Goodness knows from where all this wind came from. All I knew was that it came from above and shot through the tunnel in a gale and disappeared in the gloom below.
I pressed my hand against the wall next to me for support. I wouldn’t want to trip and fall in… I would probably risk being sucked into oblivion!
Looking down the tunnel, I saw that it wasn’t just some smooth stone tube. Bits of various platforms jutted out from the walls in a disorderly fashion. I looked down in order to find the entrance to Gravis’ lair, but my sight was blocked by a platform.
It had to be down there somewhere. I shot a rope arrow towards a pipe up top. I sheathed the dragonbone crossbow. I gulped before finally jumping into the tunnel. I slid down the rope. It was of great length and very useful to me. The wind was constantly blowing me downward, helping with my exertion, but it also meant making me much weightier than I really was.
As I slid down, I felt a single tug at the rope. My heart almost stopped. I looked up and noticed the rope starting to break. I gasped and instinctively picked up the pace in climbing downwards, but alas I wasn’t fast enough and the rope snapped.
CHAPTER 36
LOST IN PARADISE (PART 2)
CARLAYLIN
I FELL FOR WHAT felt like miles. The tunnel would best be described as endless – so to say the same about my nerves.
Yet, as I fell I noticed a large hole in the wall down below. That must be it! It was too late to use my crossbow now, besides, I didn’t think I’d manage with me spinning out of control and all.
Instead, I tried to improvise and ‘swam’ towards the opposite wall. As the opening grew larger and much closer I pushed myself off with the most power I could possibly muster. It sent me shooting towards the hole and tumbling down the corridor of plants and rock.
The experience was unpleasant, but I made it! One could call it a bull’s-eye! I’d like not to dwell on the thought of what could’ve happened if I had missed the hole…
Rubbing my head, I slowly stood, seeing as the world spun all around me. I noticed how tousled my hair was. I pulled my ponytail straight. It had been so lon
g since I’ve fastened my hair into a ponytail… Too long.
This entire corridor exuded a dampened, mildewed smell. It was a true earth-like tunnel. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to see further beyond the cave tunnel. There was a light on the other end.
I sauntered towards the other end until the bright flash of light revealed a stunning scene of overwhelming flora masking the large cave walls that stretched for miles into the air. Rays of sunlight rained down from the large opening above. It was a whole habitat of its own. No doubt Gravis’.
If there’s one thing, this guy knows how to live!
And suddenly, I became very jealous of the fact that all these dragons had better interior designing skills than I had…
I took a few steps forward, scanning the area. Not far from here lay a gigantic beast with brown scales that looked like the earth itself. It was snoring. I pursed my lips, slumped my shoulders and snorted.
Great, I thought, just great!
If there’s one thing, never disturb a dragon whilst he is sleeping. It can and will only end in chaos and confirmed death, but I was a bit desperate. What else was I supposed to do? I really needed to talk to the guy!
I wandered towards the middle of the opening, eyes jumping around. I was pretty casual, kicking a small stone and playing with a large leaf or two until a random idea popped into my head. I strolled towards Gravis and stared at that large eye of his. I started poking it.
“Gravis. Gravis. Gravis? GRAVIS!” I yelled.
Gravis was startled and awoke at an instant with a loud piercing roar. Fire shot from his mouth like a flamethrower and came right at me. I held one arm out in front of me to cover myself. Being a Drachem means I can resist dragon fire. Good thing too! The fire reflected from my arm and spread either side of me. When the fire-bath was over and done with, Gravis finally snapped out of his daze.
“Why didn’t you burn? Worst of all… Why in hell’s name would you wake a sleeping dragon?!” he asked in a panicked, yet extremely prim and proper voice.
United Dragons Page 27
