Chapter Seventeen
Zordan
Mordjan's head snapped up, and his eyes narrowed. "You saw the cave?”
"I did. I was shown how it came to be."
Mordjan shook his head. "I . . . I've seen enough to know that I shouldn't be surprised by any elven magic, but I still have a skeptical turn of mind."
"I understand." Lielle raised an arm in the air. "I need to go to the Crystal Cave. There's a sign in there, something we have to look at."
Zordan raised his chin. “I'm coming with you."
When she raised her hand a second time, Mordjan said, "Wait. Take off your exoarmor. You won’t fit inside the cave that way.”
Zordan paused and began stripping off the armor until he stood in just pants and his shirt.
Mordjan grunted. “You’re going to be cold on the way down.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Mordjan said, his lips quirking upward for the first time.
It was the happiest he’d ever seen the other cyborg, and for some reason, that made Zordan suspicious. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“That you have to pass the test to reach the cave.”
“What is the test?”
“Let’s just call it a leap of faith,” he said smugly. “The names of the Guardian and the Protector are Valdjan and Ithyll,” Mordjan offered out loud grudgingly.
Lielle nodded as if she already knew that and raised her hands to create a portal. The other side opened onto a high cliff top, and Zordan threw an arm out so Lielle didn’t fall over the edge when she came through the portal after him.
“Where are we?” he spoke loudly so she could hear him above the wind.
Lielle held the hair back from her face, shaking her head. “I don’t know. This isn’t what I saw in my vision.”
“You mean you haven’t had a vision of how to get there?”
She shook her head again. “I don’t have visions of everything.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Zordan muttered, peering over the side of the cliff, unable to see the bottom beneath the clouds.
All at once he realized what Mordjan had been so happy about. He threw his head back and stared up at the sky, silently cursing elven magic. “A leap of faith? If I live through this, I’m going to punch that asshole in the face the next time I see him.”
Lielle was looking at him in shock. “What are you talking about?”
“Mordjan said we have to jump.”
“Jump?” she squeaked.
“Yes. Although I don’t know what you’re worried about,” he muttered. “We all know where you’re going if you die.”
She hopped from foot to foot, obviously not wanting to jump.
“Come here,” he said firmly, holding out a hand.
When she clasped it, he swung her into his arms and leaped over the side in one motion.
She shrieked and clawed at him as they began to fall, but he didn’t let her go. If he was wrong, at least he would break her fall.
“Zordan! What if you’re wrong?” she screamed.
“Then this is going to end a lot sooner than we both wished,” he said in her ear.
But inexplicably, as they passed through the clouds, they began to slow. Before long, he was setting Lielle down on a sandy beach beside a river flowing into the open ocean. High cliffs met them on either side of the river, forming a wide canyon that stretched inland as far as he could see. For a moment, he was homesick for Vidora. His castle had stood upon the high cliffs, far enough away to protect from invaders, but close enough that the views of the pristine waters beyond were unobstructed.
Lielle smacked him in the chest, her eyes narrowed. “Don’t do that again.”
He chuckled, completely unrepentant, so she ignored him and strode toward the cliff face, her eyes searching the rock. He joined her. "What are you looking for?"
"There's an entrance here somewhere. I saw it in my vision," she paused. "And I can feel it."
He switched to infrared in an attempt to see the magic, but in the next moment, there was a door in the cliff where there hadn't been one before.
"Greetings, Lielle, Zordan." A cyborg in full exoarmor stepped out of the shadows of the cave, holding a golden sword and golden shield.
Lielle took in a breath when she saw it. "The emblem of the queen. You must be Valdjan."
He raised the visor on his helmet cautiously. "And how did you know this?"
"I was there, watching from the sidelines. It was the most fun we've had in ages." She sighed. "Not much happens in the higher elven realm, you know. We only get to watch as the fun stuff happens on the lower planes."
"If by fun stuff, you mean that we jump over cliffs, take tests, fight to the death, and try not to die, then I guess you're right." Valdjan's grin showed that he was only half joking. "But please, come in. Ithyll will be pleased to officially meet you."
The elven Guardian met them just inside the doors, smoothing her white gown, her face fetchingly flushed. Zordan's eyes went to Valdjan, who stood slightly behind her. The other cyborg winked at him.
He turned to find that Lielle wasn't paying attention to any of them. She had crossed the room and stood before a wall of solid rock, touching what looked like a golden keyhole.
Zordan leveled his gaze on Valdjan. "Is that keyhole hiding the crystals everyone keeps talking about?"
Valdjan appeared reluctant, but at Ithyll's behest, he took a golden key from around his neck and strode to the wall of stone, inserting it into the golden keyhole. “We’ve just rebuilt this outer section of the cave,” he explained, “The merchildren sent a wave that washed away the first cave, and we thought the golden keyhole was too exposed.”
The solid rock simply vanished, and Zordan's breath caught at the vision of several enormous crystals. They were taller than the turrets on his castle, some of them almost as thick. When Lielle raised her hand, illuminating the space with golden light, he saw that the crystals stretched farther back than he could see.
“Oh, gods,” Lielle breathed. “They look so much bigger in person.”
“Yes. Endless power for the right beings. You can imagine what will happen if the Ardaks get their hands on them.”
Seeing the crystals, Zordan knew it could never happen. What little he’d heard of the Ardaks and their treatment of other races made them impossibly evil. He couldn’t imagine giving evil this kind of power. A shudder went through him then, one that had nothing to do with the chill of the cave.
Zordan stepped into the cave, walking along the edge to see how far back the crystals stretched. "What are your defenses for this place?"
"Our biggest defense is secrecy. Very few beings know where this cave is, and it is protected by strong magic," Ithyll explained.
Valdjan broke in, "No one can get here by land. But sea is another matter. The mermen have gotten through, and I believe if they try hard enough, the Ardaks will, too."
“Merpeople?” Zordan rubbed his forehead. “What are those?”
“Beings who live in the sea, with torsos and upper bodies like us, but lower bodies that are long tails, like fish. However, they can use magic to give themselves legs so they can walk on land.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not,” Valdjan replied, glancing at Ithyll. “Actually, Nirjhar is due any moment, which is why I’d left the cave in the first place. It will be good for you to meet him. When you see them fight, you’ll be glad we have them. They are truly formidable in the ocean or around water. We have a treaty with them. King Nirjhar has offered to help us defend this place so the crystals won't be stolen."
"What is the size of his army? What are the types of their defenses?"
“Allow me to give you an update.” The slow, deep voice from the entrance caused all four of them to glance in his direction. The male was truly formidable. He dripped water as if he’d just come from the ocean, which Zordan supposed he had. Long dark curls flowe
d past his shoulders, his body thick with muscle. Naked save for a small loincloth of iridescent scales, his eyes went to the women, who had covered their giggles with their hands, hurriedly changing them to coughs.
Zordan saw a flash of mock anger cross Valdjan’s face as he crossed the floor to take Nirjhar’s arm. “You really have to learn to wear clothes.”
Nirjhar threw back his head in a deep laugh. “What are you worried about, Mountain Man? Your woman’s eye shouldn’t be straying. . .yet.” His wink at Ithyll spawned another fit of giggle-coughs. “Besides, clothing is a waste of my magic.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Zordan said, “maybe wait until after we defeat these Ardaks.”
“Yes.” Nirjhar nodded solemnly. “I came today with the final count. I have just over two thousand warriors, and Merryth is teaching our people magic. It is evolving beautifully among the populace. The children were the first, and are much better at it than the adults.” His face was chagrined.
“The children can create tornadoes, hurricanes, pull ships out of the sky with them," Valdjan enthused. Ithyll elbowed him and his face fell. "But, of course, we can't use children in a war. And one of Kiersten's visions showed that if we did, the Ardaks would vaporize their ocean, killing everything within it."
"Vaporize their ocean? What does that mean?"
Valdjan swallowed. "Kiersten said they would use a weapon from the sky that would boil the water instantly. There would be no time to flee, and in seconds, the water would disappear, leaving behind only the smoldering bones."
"Fuck!" Zordan reached out an arm to steady himself against the wall. How could they fight power like that? What hope did they have?
“Exactly.” King Nirjhar squared his shoulders. “We obviously want to avoid that outcome. So our army will be stationed here, some in the caves, some just under the water.”
“The magical shield around this place will protect them all from view until it is penetrated, so we have to hope that doesn’t happen,” Ithyll explained.
“But if it does, we will be here. Many of our adults are learning to form tornadoes and hurricanes, and we will use them on the ships that penetrate the shields before they land,” Nirjhar informed them. He clapped a hand on Valdjan’s shoulder. “Be assured, Protector, we will also fight to the death to protect this place, and the crystals inside, from the Ardaks.” Nirjhar’s voice was almost a growl. “We don’t want them to have the power of the crystals to use on any worlds, not just our own.”
The conversation descended into a few pleasantries, but Zordan couldn’t set aside what he’d just heard. The Ardaks could vaporize entire oceans. They had something called a planet-killer. From all accounts, they wouldn’t need to land to use those devices.
How was he going to defeat them with simple armies on land?
They needed to focus on the ships and the magic, and hope to hell they could find the key from Lielle’s vision—before it was too late.
Chapter Eighteen
Lielle
After Nirjhar departed, silence descended over the cave. It was impossible not to think of their plight, their slim chances of success against the Ardaks. Gathering her courage, she spoke into the silence. “I know our chances might seem. . . small. But the vision was sent to me for a reason. We still have to find the key.”
“What is the key?” Valdjan asked.
With all of their eyes on her, it was impossible not to feel nervous. Even worse to tell them that she still didn’t know what it was.
“I’m still putting the pieces together,” she admitted. “I just had another vision, which brought us here. A symbol, in a smaller chamber.” She crossed the room and stood before a wall of solid rock. She waved her hand and it disappeared, revealing a cavern that was much smaller than the Crystal Cave.
"How did you know that was there?" Ithyll asked, crossing the room toward her.
"I saw it in a vision.” She led them inside and pointed to the floor, where an elaborate symbol was emblazoned into the rock. "You see this symbol? Pharadis told me to watch for the symbol. That it would show me the way."
"Who told you that?" Valdjan frowned.
"Pharadis.” She thought for a moment. “Only on this plane, he was an enormous bird of. . ."
"Paradise!" Ithyll finished. "I called him Paradiso. We were good friends during my time as the Guardian of the Crystal Cave. And not too long ago, he saved my life." Her eyes fell and her lower lip began to tremble. "He gave up his mortal form to give me this body after I died."
Impulsively, Lielle gave Ithyll a hug. “I witnessed your death. To be fair, the merchildren never thought you would be hurt when they sent the wave. They didn’t know their own strength.”
Ithyll nodded, wiping her eyes.
"This bird said the symbol would show us the way—what do you think he meant?" Zordan asked.
"I'm not sure," Lielle replied slowly, joining him next to the symbol. In a smooth motion, she bent and traced the edges of it with her fingers.
“I’ve used all of my ocular enhancement options, but I can’t find any trace of magic,” Zordan said.
"I've never taken particular notice of it before," Ithyll said. "It was just part of this place. To my knowledge, nothing special has happened here since I've been the Guardian."
Zordan perused the tiny chamber, his frustration obvious in the hard lines of his body. "Riddles and more riddles. Can't your visions ever just say what they mean?"
His eyes were so hard that she stepped back. "I think he was trying to, but even he may not have known what this place would become. He was just forming the cave when I saw him," Lielle defended. "In either case, we ran out of time. I was pulled back here before he could finish his thoughts."
"So there's nothing here." He turned away from them all and faced the wall, staring up at the ceiling. “The visions are riddles, and we’re wasting time here when I should be talking to the elves at Renwyn, discussing their skills and abilities.”
Frustration rose within her as well. She thought she’d been sent here to help them. But what good were her visions if they didn’t bring them any closer to the key?
Zordan heaved a sigh and turned back to them, running a hand through his hair. "Valdjan, Ithyll, if you have free time, would you examine this room more closely and see if you can find anything more than this symbol?"
"Of course," Ithyll answered promptly.
They quickly said their goodbyes, and Lielle opened a portal back to Renwyn. He didn’t look her in the eye as he went through and her shoulders fell.
“Lielle!” Ithyll called just before she could go through the portal.
She paused, holding the portal open as the other elf crossed the floor.
Ithyll put her arms around her in a brief hug. “We all thank you for coming here. I cannot know the sacrifice you made to take mortal form, but I can guess.” She paused and lowered her voice, “As well as I can guess you are starting to have feelings for Zordan.”
Lielle’s eyes opened wider and her gaze flew to Valdjan, who was standing close enough to hear every word. She held up her hands to deny it, but Ithyll shook her head.
“Don’t bother to deny it, and Valdjan isn’t going to tell anyone. But please understand, it’s difficult for the males to show their emotions, especially now when we are almost at war. It’s like a wall, and it takes a long time to break through. I can tell he likes you, too. I just wanted to ask you not to give up on him.”
The small speech bolstered her flagging courage, and Lielle raised her chin. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Ithyll responded warmly. “And thank you. We’re more grateful than you know.”
Lielle smiled, her chest warming.
Which made her all the more unprepared when two hands gripped her sharply the minute she arrived in Renwyn.
“Planet-killers. Ocean vaporizers,” Zordan spat, fury in his eyes. “These Ardaks are more powerful than any ground army could fight.”
When s
he said nothing, his voice grew urgent. "You saw a future where we lost. But did you see a future where we won?"
Her eyes grew bright and she turned her head to avoid his gaze. Her throat worked but no sound emerged.
His voice rose and he shook her. "Tell me, Seer! Did you see a vision where we won?"
He didn’t move, didn’t even seem to breathe as he waited for her answer.
She didn’t speak, but the grief in her eyes must have told him everything he needed to know.
“Fuck!” He shouted, turning and striding off into the forest, in the opposite direction of Renwyn.
Finally, her voice returned.
"No," she whispered into the silence.
Chapter Nineteen
Zordan
Zordan strode away from her as quickly as he could, crossing the ground with enormous speed. Please don’t follow me, he begged her silently. As a commander, he would call this a strategic disengagement. But the male within him knew he was running away.
If there had been ten days until the attack when he’d arrived, by his count there were only seven left.
Everywhere he turned, there were fewer warriors and weapons than they needed. Every time he heard of the Ardaks, their might and technology grew.
He should be watching the elves spar, but didn’t have the stomach for it. He couldn’t take another tale of loss today. Couldn’t find out they had amazing powers, but there were too few of them to make a difference.
He veered off to the left, going deeper into the trees to the north of the palace. Trekking through the forest was second nature to him. The castle at Vidora was surrounded by forest, becoming more treacherous inland as the forest grew denser and the animals more predatory. He’d trained there since he was strong enough to hold a knife—too small still to hold a sword.
He began to climb a small hill, searching for a vantage point that would allow him to see over the treetops. Even angry, even demoralized, the commander was there in the back of his mind. He needed to get the layout of the land.
As the climb began to clear his mind, he heard the crunch of leaves far behind him. He didn’t turn his head, but rounding a boulder he caught a flash of Lielle’s skirt as she followed him.
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