“Here,” Karvus said, grabbing the second oar and shoving it at Tygra. “Leave that and get paddling!”
Tygra dropped the bowl and vigourously set into propelling the floundering craft. He kept looking over his shoulder, his strokes not as deep as Karvus liked.
“Don’t worry about the serpent!” Karvus barked, looking over his own shoulder despite his advice. “Damn you, paddle!”
Was that a ripple in the water? Karvus looked forward. They were almost to the island, but it felt like they barely moved. The water in the skiff had climbed three-quarters of the way up the gunwales. Tygra’s warhammer lay submerged beside the man. It wouldn’t be long before the weight of the water-logged boat dragged it under, but still, they paddled for all they were worth.
Another ripple creased the surface of the rolling waves, much closer this time. The beast moved incredibly fast.
The skiff’s bow thumped off a submerged rock. Both men yelled, thinking the serpent had rammed them.
An ear-piercing screech rose the hairs on their bodies. Beady, black eyes, separated by a dark, bony ridge, lifted high above the water atop a massive, reptilian head. A forked tongue, larger than Karvus’ battle-axe, flicked out between the serpent’s upper and lower fangs, the curved teeth resembled ivory daggers longer than a polearm. Its head hovered upon its thick neck for only a moment before splashing beneath the waves and disappearing. A long section of its scaly hide broke the surface, following the serpent’s dive.
“Come on!” Karvus yelled.
The bow careened off another rock and the boat came to a crunching stop. They had hit the bottom of the gravelly lake bed. The shoreline appeared a lifetime away.
Without thought, both men were over the side and into the frigid surf. With Karvus’ help, Tygra located his warhammer and dragged it from the bottom of the sunken boat, the weapon tangled in a coil of rope. Karvus severed the rope with a dagger allowing Tygra to pull his hammer free. Weighted down by boots and fur cloaks, they slogged their way toward land.
The sound of splintering wood gave them pause. The serpent closed its mighty jaws on the disabled vessel; worn planks snapped like kindling within its crushing bite.
“For the love of the serpent,” Karvus muttered. He bumped into Tygra’s back and shoved him, nearly pushing him over.
The serpent lifted the boat effortlessly out of the water and shook its head. The front half of the boat spiraled into the lake while shattered pieces flew sideways through the air. The creature emitted a mighty shriek and what remained of the boat’s stern dropped from its mouth into the waves.
Karvus and Tygra looked back to see the colossal serpent rise twenty feet above the lake’s surface. Its head recoiled and shot forward as it launched itself at them.
The lakebed rose rapidly underneath their feet. They stumbled and fell to their knees but were up and running as soon as they hit bottom.
A loud splash made them jump and stumble sideways as the serpent crashed into the shallows—its mouth close enough to feel its hot breath. A deafening roar escaped its gaping maw.
Karvus and Tygra ran across the gravel beach. A tangled mess of rope was draped around the head of Tygra’s warhammer and snagged on the ground, but he refused to let the weapon go. Their desperate flight took them up a steep embankment overlooking the shore. As one, they fell to the ground beneath a tree, fighting to catch their breath. Below them, an irate serpent screeched its displeasure and slipped beneath the waves.
The sun shone directly above, its warmth filtering through the barren branches of an ancient elm. The serpent had withdrawn into the lake and disappeared around the island’s eastern point. The same direction Karvus’ ring indicated they needed to travel.
Great, he thought, the wizard is on the smaller island after all. Now what?
Beside him, Tygra followed his example and shrugged off his fur cloak, shivering in his sodden leather breeks and damp tunic, He upturned his boots to empty the worst of the water.
Karvus was certain the ring had burned the skin on his finger, but when he took it off, there was no visible evidence of it having done so. He shook his head. How he’d love to pitch the cursed thing away and be done with it. Be done with chasing a wizard. Be done with bowing down to that finger-wagger. He sounded so like his father, he wanted to scream. The way he felt at the moment, he wouldn’t care if he relinquished the empiric duties his people expected of him. He’d like nothing better than to grab his three wives and all of his children and disappear into the Wilds, but there was no way the family would permit that. Certainly not the family and nobles at court, and certainly not Helleden.
As fearsome as the Kraidic lifestyle and customs were to outsiders, they paled in comparison to the oppression the sallow-faced sorcerer had so easily instilled within him.
Karvus clenched his teeth. He should have buried his axe in the man’s skull when he had the chance. He grunted at the thought. As if Helleden would’ve been caught off guard so easily. Deep down, Karvus knew that not making a move on the sorcerer had been a wise decision.
“What’s the matter?” Tygra asked as he strained to pull on his second boot.
“Huh?” Karvus frowned. Realizing he had grunted at the absurdity of his thoughts, he said, “Nothing. Get your stuff on. This cursed thing is itching to lead us.” He held the ring at arm’s length, switching hands frequently to prevent the tingling sensation from making him drop it.
Tygra leaned away from the talisman and rose to his feet. He hefted his unencumbered warhammer, and with practiced efficiency, slid the haft over his shoulders and into the loops along the leather sash draped over his tunic. Squatting, he grabbed the length of rope and began coiling it. “Have you given any thought to dealing with the wizard?”
Karvus put the ring down on a flat rock and pulled a curved dagger from his waist belt. He selected a length of leather thong dangling from the bottom of his fur cloak and severed it to fashion a crude necklace. Perhaps the sorcerer had been right to suggest he suspend the ring from a cord. Being careful not to let it touch his head, he draped the ring around his neck, letting it come to rest upon his tunic below his beard. His companion’s words never registered until he was satisfied he could transport the ring safely this way. “I have no idea. Surprise him, I guess. I aim to walk straight up to him in a friendly manner and lop his head off before he suspects anything amiss. I’ll need you to deal with his companion. For the love of hell, I hate wizards.”
Tygra looked out over the waves. “This isn’t any ordinary wizard.”
Karvus glared at Tygra, but he didn’t detect any subtle innuendos that his aide was gainsaying his ability to deal with the situation. His face softened. “Ya, I know. The Wizard of the North.” He flicked a stone and watched it tumble down the steep embankment. He heard, rather than saw, that it had made it all the way to the beach. He looked Tygra straight in the eyes. “You know, that’s what really rots me. Why would Helleden send you and me after this Wizard of the North? Alone. If this wizard has come off Dragon’s Tooth, wouldn’t you think he’s the real one?”
“Aye, makes no sense to me either,” Tygra said. “Unless he just wants you out of the way.”
“I’ve thought about that. If that were the case I would already be dead. Helleden’s proven he’s capable of killing anyone in his way. Hell, he destroyed most of Zephyr without stepping foot off that mountain. And yet, I believe he fears the Wizard of the North.” Karvus drifted off into deeper thought.
“Why wouldn’t he just create another firestorm? I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like the sky had fallen.”
Karvus shook his head. “I’ve wondered that, too. Something’s preventing him.”
A smile upturned Karvus’ lips. That was it. Something prevented Helleden from achieving his goal. As such, the sorcerer required the Kraidic army. I must discover what that something is, he thought, the first real glint of hope he had since encountering the Stygian Lord.
Stretching his neck to loo
sen its tightness, he nodded to himself. It wasn’t over yet. There might be a chance to rid the world of Helleden Misenthorpe and conquer Zephyr.
“Come on, Tygra. The eye beckons.”
Tygra cast him a curious look.
Karvus laughed, a sound that seldom escaped his lips. “I’m thinking our encounter with the wizard may not go as we expect.”
Tygra frowned.
“I believe there is more to this wizard than we think. If Helleden fears him, then…” He shrugged and left the rest unspoken. He checked the Serpent’s Eye to ensure it hadn’t changed direction and set out toward the eastern shore around the next point.
Through the trees, a mass of bare rock shot up from the ground. The scent of burning wood caught his attention. Karvus made to go around the rock formation, but the Serpent’s Eye widened as they passed the arched rock. He touched the ring and pulled his finger away like he had jabbed it with something sharp. The eye clearly pointed down.
Kneeling on the edge of a flat boulder, Karvus leaned out. The rock formation formed an arc above a hole that disappeared into the hill beneath them.
He had mixed feelings about the revelation. He didn’t know if he should be relieved they didn’t have to find a way over to the next island. According to what the ring told him, the Wizard of the North, if indeed that was the person the eye pointed to, was to be found beneath the earth.
“What do you see?” Tygra asked.
“Looks like a cave. The eye points to it.” Karvus tried to locate a safe way down the treacherous slope. He pulled a pair of black leather gloves from his belt and put them on. He touched the ring, satisfied. The gloves protected him. Backing away from the brink, he walked behind the back of the outcropping. Off to the left, farther up the hill, grey smoke wisped through the treetops.
“There.” Karvus pointed.
The remains of a campfire sputtered within a ring of stones. A crude stand of branches had been driven into the ground beside the firepit.
Tygra pulled his warhammer from over his shoulders as they searched for whoever was responsible for building the fire.
The Serpent’s Eye looked to the ground at their feet.
“The wizard must’ve stopped here last night. Come on, we can’t be far behind.” Karvus started away.
A steep descent marked the eastern edge of the arch, but it appeared manageable. Tygra was forced to put his warhammer on his back again to free up his hands.
At the bottom of the arch, they found themselves on the edge of what appeared to be a lagoon during high tide—a sizable puddle, stagnant and rank within its centre.
Tygra’s warhammer was back in his hands. He watched the rolling lake and peered into the gloom beneath the arch. “You mean to go in there?”
Karvus let the ring dangle on the cord—the eye’s flame-like pupil maintained a steady stare into the depression. “Seems so.”
Karvus sent Tygra to fetch a handful of thick, arm’s length branches. They removed their damp shifts and tore them into strips, coating them with animal fat they carried in small leather bags. The fat was no substitute for soaking the cloths in oil—the torches flickered, sputtered and went out more often than they remained lit.
The dank, curved walls lining the tunnel flickered in the meagre torchlight as Karvus and Tygra made their way deeper into the relatively level tunnel.
Moving as quickly as the slippery ground of the tunnel allowed, they came upon a deeper depression along the passage floor. Before they knew it, they were knee-deep in foul-smelling water.
Tygra emerged from the far side of the pool just as his torch fizzled out. He put his warhammer down and pulled out his flintstone, but no matter how he tried, the brand wouldn’t relight.
He heard Karvus clomping around the left side of the tunnel, muttering to himself. At one point the emperor bent down to inspect a water stain on the tunnel floor near an irregular outcropping of rock. He suddenly stood up and stomped over to Tygra, examining the blazing eye on the end of the thong around his neck. “We’re close. They were through here recently.”
It didn’t help that Karvus stood over him. Disgusted with the torch, Tygra tossed it into the water and produced another one he’d jammed uncomfortably inside his tunic. He opened the small fat pouch and dragged a dirty strip of cloth through the scant remnants of grease. If he’d had time to think about it, he would have questioned his emperor on how they expected to get back out of the tunnel. Surely their torch supply wouldn’t last much longer. With Karvus breathing down his neck, anxious to get his hands on the wizard, Tygra wrapped his second last stick with a greased rag and set about igniting the concoction.
It took several tries, but Tygra managed to get the brand burning. As soon as the flame took, the emperor splashed off into the gloom. Tygra snatched up his warhammer and scrambled after the half-crazed man. He worried the wizard would hear Karvus stomping up the tunnel. If the wizard realized he was being hunted, they were in deep trouble. Karvus’ light disappeared around a gradual left-hand bend.
“How much farther do you think?” Tygra whispered harshly when he caught up.
“How would I know that?” Karvus snapped between heavy breaths.
Tygra almost knocked him over as the emperor stopped to study the ring. The flaming pupil shone with an intensity so bright it cast an orange glow between them. There was no doubt where it was looking.
“I can feel the damned thing through my glove. He must be close.”
They splashed through a shallow puddle, increasing their pace to a jog. Ahead, on the edge of darkness, the tunnel straightened out. In fact, Tygra and Karvus saw more of the tunnel walls than they should have been able to given the poor light their torches offered.
A faint light permeated the darkness ahead, casting the tunnel in a soft blue glow.
Tygra slowed his pace to match that of the emperor. Together, they hugged the left wall and crept forward, remaining in the shadows. The tunnel opened into a vast chamber, its floor lost beneath a black pool of water that refracted the unknown light source.
Putting a finger to his lips, Karvus darted a look into the cavern. He immediately pulled back with a startled look on his face.
Tygra flinched. In the twenty years he’d known Karvus, he’d never seen the man show fear, but it was clearly evident in his bulging eyes and jumping jaw muscles.
It took all of Tygra’s nerve to squeeze past Karvus for a look. A cavern lined with smooth walls rose out of a pool the size of the king’s courtyard back home, refracting a dull blue glow. At the cavern’s centre, a massive stalagmite rose high overhead, supporting a pedestal near the chamber’s lofty ceiling.
Wrapped around the natural rock formation lay a sinuous body, covered in pearly grey scales. Its colossal head was bigger than a man was tall. Its tiny, white eyes were fixed on something against the left-hand wall. Opening a mouth filled with hooked teeth, the beast screamed and started to uncoil itself from the central pillar. The ear-piercing screech reverberated painfully around the grotto and down the tunnel. The massive serpent was half again as large as the one that had attacked them in the lake.
There Comes a Time
Sadyra stood at the bottom of the long stairwell leading up to the healer’s chamber in the Chamber of the Wise complex, impatiently waiting for the others to catch up. Alhena insisted that he be allowed to walk on his own and their pace suffered for it, but Larina pointed out that if they wanted to have any chance of rescuing the king, they all needed to be as rested as possible. To expect Olmar to carry the old messenger all the way back to Gritian and then fight like there was no tomorrow, which Sadyra knew would most likely be the case, was a little much to ask of the sailor. To his credit, Olmar had offered anyway.
The faint glow of Alhena’s torch wavered from down the tunnel, still a long way off.
Gradually, Olmar’s muted voice reached Sadyra as he loped along, hunched over in the low tunnel, breathing heavily. She smiled hearing Larina curse, her slight form hidden b
ehind Olmar’s girth.
“Can’t you move any faster, Lunkhead? Sadyra’s probably dining with the king by now.”
“Bah,” Olmar snorted. “That’s ‘er just up ahead. Don’t ye knot yer knickers, lassie. Ye’ll be movin’ quick like, soon enough.”
“Shhh!” Sadyra hissed at them. “They can hear you all the way back to the marsh.”
Alhena gave her a forced smile and sat on the bottom step, clearly exhausted.
Olmar dropped to his knees to stretch his back, forcing Larina to squeeze past his bulk. Her torch nearly burnt his shoulder, while the crossbow, slung over her back, scraped along the tunnel wall. He cried out, “Kraidic whoreson, lassie, ya tryin’ to burn ol’ Olmar?”
“It’s a wonder you even fit down here,” Larina grunted. She stopped in front of Sadyra and asked, “You ready?”
Sadyra cast a sidelong glance at Alhena and Olmar. Neither man appeared ready to face whatever awaited them at the top of the stairwell. “Let’s wait a bit. The healer’s chamber is empty and the hall beyond was quiet.”
“You’ve already been up there?” Larina was clearly surprised.
“Of course. You expected me to do nothing while you guys crawled here?” Sadyra winked, knowing full well Larina had no choice in the matter. It had been Larina’s assignment to protect their rear in case something followed them into the tunnel from the far end.
Alhena pulled himself to his feet with the aid of his stick. Without a word, he started up the long flight of flagstones.
Sadyra looked to Olmar, then called after Alhena, “Save some fun for Midge, if we ever get him moving again.”
Larina smiled and patted her on the shoulder, squeezing between her and the rusted iron torch bucket on the floor. “You stay with Lunkhead, I’ll go after Pops.”
Soul Forge Saga Box Set Page 65
