Fearing some ploy of the beast, Holk asked, “Why?”
“For in order to have the mirror deliver you to a specific destination, something from that destination must be used in the mirror’s construction.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” the dragon lowered his head until he was at eye level. “You need an item that is native to where you wish to go. Most often rock is used. For you see, in order for the object to be effectively incorporated as part of the mirror’s creation, it needs to be ground into a fine powder.” Kazzra chuckled. “You have a day to acquire it; then I hunt.”
“But how can I get something from my home when I don’t have a way to get there?”
Kazzra laughed. “Not my problem. Our deal is struck.” He made to return to his resting place upon his hoard.
“Wait!”
“Yes?”
“How do I put the components together once I get them?”
“Do you really think you will?”
Weren’t the clothes on his back from home? Perhaps they could be used. “How? You said you would tell me.”
The head swiveled back toward him. “So I did.” Kazzra then instructed him in the proper sequence of actions in order to imbue a mirror with translocation properties.
Once Holk had repeated the process back correctly, Kazzra turned to Streyan. “Take him to the Grotto and then show him the way to the Cave of Winds.” To Holk he said, “From there you proceed alone.”
“Not a problem.”
Kazzra’s head reared back and laughter rolled forth. “See you in a day, human. Be sure to provide me with excellent sport.”
About to respond, he felt Streyan’s hand slip into his and they were no longer in Kazzra’s cave.
Streyan let go his hand. “This is the Grotto.”
They stood on the banks of a small stream running through a narrow cavern. On either side grew a variety of plants as well as several trees. Through an opening over a hundred feet in length in the cavern’s ceiling above, Holk was surprised to discover starlight.
“Can we get out through that?”
The boy shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve never tried.” Turning to head downstream, he indicated for Holk to follow. “The Cave of Winds is this way.”
“Right.”
Moving to follow, Holk kept glancing to the stars above and wondered what may lie beyond that opening. One thing he knew for certain, home did not lay that way.
“How far is it to the Cave?”
“Not far.”
“Where do I go from there?”
Streyan kept his head down as he replied, “Can’t tell you. Have to show you.”
“Why?”
“Just do.”
They reached where the stream cascaded down a gentle slope. Streyan followed it. Beyond the slope, the streambed deepened until they walked upon a shelf some three feet above the flowing water.
About this time, the stench of Ti-Ocks became noticeable.
“We need to be quiet. If they hear us, you’ll never reach your destination.”
Holk nodded and rested a hand on his sword hilt.
Streyan soon left the side of the stream and led them to a cavernous opening that was easily three times taller than Holk and two-thirds that wide. Ti-Ock stink was much more pronounced. The boy brought them to a halt.
Motioning for Holk to lean toward him, he whispered, “The Cave of Winds is not far. But to get to it, we must pass through Ti-Ock territory. Stay close and whatever you do, make no noise.”
“Don’t worry. I shall be as quiet as the dead.”
“If they hear us, that’s exactly what you will be.”
Holk could tell the boy was not trying to be funny but believed exactly what he said.
The tunnel beyond the cavernous opening ran unusually straight for a naturally formed passage. Holk didn’t think it had been dug out by the Ti-Ocks as the walls were rough, irregular, and lacked any markings that would have been left behind by tools.
They hadn’t gone far before light came into view farther down. As they drew closer, silhouettes of Ti-Ocks could be seen moving about. Streyan slowed his pace and kept to the right side of the passage. Holk followed suit.
Armored Ti-Ocks there were aplenty, but also females and their young emerging and then vanishing in what quickly became clear as a network of tunnel openings.
“Their city,” was all the explanation Streyan gave. When the boy made to continue forward, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
“We aren’t going through there, are we?” Holk couldn’t see any way they would remain unnoticed if they did.
Streyan shook his head. “No.” He then pointed toward a narrow opening this side of the first set of Ti-Ock tunnels. “There.”
Holk was none too sure they could even make that without being discovered. But when Streyan started forward once again, he followed along behind.
Of storefronts and homes, there was no sign. The tunnel they traversed simply held a honeycomb of openings that extended down either side. It must be a major thoroughfare of some sort.
As the narrow opening drew closer, Streyan hunkered down more and practically plastered himself against the tunnel wall. Edging forward, he would pause when a Ti-Ock happened to glance their way. Once the creature turned away, he would proceed a little farther.
They were ten feet from the opening when a commotion up ahead brought them to a halt. Two Ti-Ocks were quarreling. One was armored while another wore a simple, brown robe. They spoke in hurried and stern tones while gesticulating wildly. Other Ti-Ocks paused to watch the unfolding events. Many were on the opposite side of the quarreling pair and had a nearly unobstructed view of the two trespassers sneaking through their realm. If not for the shadows, they would assuredly have been seen.
As quickly as the argument began, it came to a halt. The armored Ti-Ock turned about and walked away while the robed one retained his position in the passageway until a few moments after the other one had departed. Then it, too, continued on its way as did the onlookers.
Holk wasn’t sure who got the better of the other. He was just glad it was over and they were once again progressing toward the narrow opening.
After two more periods of motionlessness while pressed to the side of the passageway, they reached the opening and ducked through.
It was very narrow and had just enough clearance for Holk to walk erect without scraping his head. The light from the passageway lit the tunnel for a short distance. When it grew too dark to safely see the irregularities marring the floor, Streyan whacked a sunstone against the stone wall and they continued.
“We won’t meet any Ti-Ocks in here,” the lad assured.
“How much farther is this Cave of Winds?”
“Not far. Soon, you’ll feel a breeze.”
Sure enough, Holk soon felt the wafting of a cool breeze. The farther they went, the stronger it became. From a soft breeze, it grew to a blustery wind, then increased to a strong flurry that forced them to bend forward in order to not be knocked from their feet.
“Almost there,” Streyan shouted. Hand braced against the side of the passageway, the boy struggled for each step.
Holk fared little better.
They came at last to where the passageway ended at a ledge that overlooked darkness. A sound like the wail of a thousand tortured souls shrieked from out of the darkness before them.
Streyan glanced back at Holk and grinned. “Want to see something really interesting?”
His initial response was no, but then he reconsidered as he didn’t want to antagonize his guide. “If it doesn’t take too long.” He had very little time to idle away sightseeing. Kazzra had given him a day, and some of that had already been lost getting there.
The boy shook his head then brought the sunstone toward a section of the wall on their left that bore a pattern of faint sparkles that glittered in the sunstone’s light. In a swift motion, he struck the pattern with the sunstone.
I
nstantly, the sparkles flared to life. From the point of impact a trail of sparkling light coursed along the wall and passed through the opening. Holk stepped forward and discovered how after it left the passageway the sparkling trail entered a cavern and divided. One branching trailed to the left, the other to the right.
Again and again, each strand split as they made their way along the walls of the cavern until scores coursed every which way. The darkness that had been so impenetrable began to give way to the light-trail’s growing luminescence.
Staring at the cavernous ceiling where no less than a dozen light-trails meandered, Holk couldn’t help but be awed. “Incredible.”
“If you think that is something…”
Turning his attention back to the boy, he saw Streyan gesture to the center of the enormous cavern. In the ever brightening light put forth by the myriad network of light-trails, a massive vortex came into view.
A hundred feet tall, it filled the entire central area of the cavern. Holk had never seen its like before. Travelers would tell of vortexes that appeared in the summer months across the Plains of Arma, but he had never before encountered one.
“What causes it?”
Streyan merely shrugged. “I don’t know. Kazzra once said that it had been here for centuries.”
Holk turned a disbelieving look upon the boy. “It’s never stopped?”
“No.”
So awe-inspiring was the sight, that he almost forgot why they were there. “Where do we go from here?”
“We don’t.”
He cocked an eye at the boy. “What do you mean? Kazzra said for you to show me the way.”
Streyan nodded. “But he also said that from here, you were to proceed alone.” Motioning for Holk to accompany him, the boy moved to the edge of the ledge. A series of steps winding down the side of the cavern led to the rocky floor below. Streyan directed Holk’s gaze to a pair of columns framing a dark opening not far from the end of the steps.
“There.”
“I can get to the room where the Ti-Ocks make the mirrors?”
“Yes. The passageway beyond the pillars will take you to where you wish to go.”
“Are you sure?”
The boy nodded.
Holk descended a step then paused to glance back over his shoulder. “What…?” he began but Streyan had already used one of his hand-helds and vanished.
A day. That’s all the time he had before Kazzra would seek him out. There wasn’t a moment to spare.
As he descended from the ledge, the steps gradually took him closer to the swirling vortex. Its winds grew ever more furious and whipped hard as they sought to knock this unwanted intruder from his feet and dash him on the rocks below. But Holk maintained his balance and succeeded in reaching the bottom.
The noise coming from the vortex was deafening this close. Despite the fact that it swirled in a cavern, the air itself held very little dirt. Other than a few specks striking with the force of arrows shot from bows, he reached the pillars unscathed. Once in the passageway beyond, the force of the wind greatly diminished. He whacked his sunstone against the tunnel wall and made his way from the Cave of Winds.
The passageway continued straight and uninterrupted for quite some distance before the first side-passage came into view. The passageway beyond the pillars will take you to where you wish to go. Had Streyan meant to keep to the tunnel? Or would he have to depart from it and take one of the others? Cursing the boy for not accompanying him, Holk decided to keep to the main tunnel.
After that initial branching, others appeared at regular intervals. First, one would appear on the right, then another on the left. Each proved to be dark and lacking in any clue as to where they led.
After passing the sixth tunnel, there appeared a light farther down the main passageway. Holk shielded his sunstone and proceeded in the dark so as not to give away his presence. The light, as it turned out, was from a torch burning in a sconce where another passage intersected his.
He paused before entering the light, listening to see if Ti-Ocks might be in the vicinity. Not hearing anything, he moved into the light and peered around the corner to the right, then the left. Both directions lay quiet and deserted. The one to the left soon fell to shadows once it passed beyond the light-radius of the torch. Down the right-hand passage was another area of light in the distance. It was too far for him to make out anything. He hurried through the convergence and continued on his way. Barely perceptible at first, the stench of Ti-Ocks grew more noticeable.
Another half dozen passages came and went before the light from a pair of torches came into view. As he drew closer, Ti-Ocks could be seen moving within the light.
The torches burned at a convergence of five passageways, his being one. One went left at a sharp angle while a matching tunnel branched off to the left. The final two were part of a fork that split the passageway he currently followed into two.
Down the right-hand tine of the fork, further lights and the movement of bodies could be seen. The left-hand held fewer lights and motion was at a minimum.
Both ways looked identical. Holk could not determine which way would be construed as a continuation of the tunnel. Cursing Streyan once more for not having accompanied him, he stayed back in the shadows as he worked to determine which way to go. At the present, the point seemed moot as any attempt by him to pass through the five-way intersection would precipitate discovery.
Time was not his friend. He couldn’t afford to simply sit and wait for however long it would take the convergence of passages to clear so he could proceed. Whenever a Ti-Ock departed into one of the tunnels, another would emerge; sometimes more than one. And what if one decided to come his way? No, he had to get through and now. But how?
Time passed all too quickly as he worked on a plan to make his way through without being detected. One plan seemed to resurface more than the others. In his pack he still carried that piece of purple cloth. If he wrapped it around his upper torso and walked quickly…but no; there was far too much “humanness” left exposed for the deception to pass even the most cursory of glances.
Anxiety at the wasted time eventually forced him into action. He had to take the chance. Removing the cloth from his pack, he draped it over his head and held it tightly closed in front of his chest. He waited for a time when more than one purple-robed Ti-Ock was within the convergence of passageways, then stepped forward quickly.
Head down, practically running, he passed into the lighted area. Ti-Ocks glanced his way for he was the only one moving with such speed. One spoke to him in their guttural language, but he kept his eyes on the floor of the tunnel ahead and continued forward. A second Ti-Ock hailed him. Out of the corner of his eye, Holk saw the beast turn toward him.
Speeding through half a score of Ti-Ocks, he angled toward the darker of the two passageways of the fork. After what felt like an eternity, he passed beyond the light and entered the sheltering shadows.
A glance over his shoulder revealed several Ti-Ocks standing in a group looking his way. None seemed overly concerned with him; instead they appeared curious. Holk didn’t stop to ponder the lack of pursuit or alarm. Accelerating to an all-out run, he quickly left the convergence of tunnels behind. Unfortunately, moving that fast brought him to the next illuminated area all too quickly.
This time there was an arched way on the right. Twin torches sat sentinel, one to either side. Pausing in the light’s fringe, he peered through the arch to find many Ti-Ocks moving about. Tables, stools, and the odor of burnt meat brought to mind a dining hall. Tightening the cloth about him once more, he hurried past.
In the shadowed area between the dining hall and the next area of illumination, a Ti-Ock walked. Holk kept to the side of the passageway opposite that of where the Ti-Ock moved. When they came abreast, the Ti-Ock bowed, spoke several words, then continued on.
Holk couldn’t believe he was making it through so easily. Could his disguise really be that effective? Or did they not care he was in
their territory? Either way, he continued forward toward his goal.
Six more lighted areas were successfully navigated, and multiple Ti-Ocks bypassed without sign of the room wherein Ti-Ocks created their mirrors. Holk began thinking he may have taken a wrong turn at the five-passage convergence. Maybe the right-hand tine had been the correct path? When a sixth and seventh had been traversed, he considered the possibility that turning about may be required.
Wasted time!
A long, dark tunnel still stretched before him. There was another illuminated area, but it was far in the distance. Go back or continue? The thought of going back didn’t sit well with him. Deciding to investigate this next area before backtracking, he raced forward.
During his trek toward the next lit area, the myriad of passages already passed played through his mind. If one had been the way he should have gone, would he be able to figure it out in time? Feeling the weight of fate settling upon him, he prayed that this would indeed prove to be the correct passage.
A single torch burned within a wall sconce next to an arched opening. Brighter light from beyond the archway lent its brilliance to that of the torch. Voices conversing came from the other side. As he drew near the light, he came to the realization that the voices spoke not the bestial tongue of the Ti-Ocks. Though the language was unknown, Holk knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that those speaking were human.
Surprise brought an abrupt halt to his progress. Humans in a Ti-Ock controlled area? Unbelievable! Shocked to say the least, he crept forward stealthily until he reached the end of the shadows. There, he could see partway through the archway to the other side.
A quartet of men sat around a table. They wore armor identical to that worn by the corpses encountered within cages in the silvery land. Their laughter and camaraderie for some reason felt out of place.
Could that be why the three Ti-Ocks failed to attack him earlier? He glanced to the sword hanging at his hip, the one with the red gem in the hilt. Had they thought him to be one of these men? It would also explain why he currently remained unmolested. Maybe it hadn’t been the purple swath of cloth; but because of his sword.
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