Arinome took several steps forward from the formation and raised an open palm to the unseen sky. With a low, bellowing note, a flare of golden light shot upward, exploding at great height into flashing streamers of Celestial energy that cascaded slowly downward. The resulting illumination was quickly subdued by the Abyss, but it allowed a better view of the oncoming horde.
Dozens of sinister bipedal forms raced toward them. They were roughly human-sized, char-black, bearing twisted thorns across lithe limbs. Thaelios estimated they’d be overrun within moments. Joining the mass of similar creatures were a handful of larger demons with grotesque bodies, closer in size to Arinome.
One had a great horned head like a scaled bull, with massive arms ending in crab-like pincers. Another fiend was shelled and bloated like some sort of upright turtle, only with nightmarish teeth and claws.
There were others, but Thaelios didn’t have time to examine them before his Aasimar neighbors broke into various harmonies. Their music was both invigorating and ominous, and the Celestials took slow anxious steps forward while awaiting the charge.
Thaelios felt a sudden urge to relieve himself, struggling not to while absently trying to recall the words to any spell at all. His lips trembled but nothing came.
“Come, quickly!” Palomar urged, though it was Saffron who yanked Thaelios’s arm. “Sheathe your weapons.”
Dyphina and Be’naj did so, but Saffron’s spear lacked a covering. Whether disadvantageous or not, its light provided some comfort as Palomar rushed the mortals away from the imminent conflict. Thaelios heard the clashing of weapons and battle cries behind him, but didn’t dare look to see if they were being followed. All he could do was follow the bobbing of Saffron’s spear-tip and try to breathe through the heavy air.
The screams and curses were horrible but dimmed to nothing as they ran, though Thaelios could not even see the ground he tread upon. Luckily, the terrain seemed level, though as soon as he celebrated that fact something tripped him and he skid face-first across the ground. No one else noticed, and Saffron’s light gained frightening distance.
The ground was ice-cold as Thaelios pushed his hands against it to rise. The comparative silence, now that he wasn’t running, astonished him. Only his labored breathing countered the surrounding quiet. He thought about calling out to the others to stop, but the realization of where he was prevented him – what if something else heard?
He tried to resume running, but a few steps confirmed that the ground was no longer smooth, and a sharp pain in his right knee protested against supporting his full weight. He could see it now, though. Gazing toward the invisible horizon, the red glow of distant fire provided a beacon he could at least make for. Saffron would have to realize he wasn’t with them before long and return. He cursed himself: how would she find him? Her light was already so dim, nearly swallowed by the darkness.
Thaelios hesitated, then drew his own blade. The Tanar-ri could see through the blackness, after all. With the light of his weapon, he saw that the ground was littered with debris, resembling broken pieces of whatever the hard floor was made of. He headed for the fire-light, though managed only a brisk walk. Anything faster brought too much pain.
He’d lost sight of Saffron’s spear but forced himself to believe they’d find one another along the way. It was the only way he could keep moving. At least the red glow seemed to be growing. After what could have been an hour, Thaelios heard the sound of debris shifting along the ground. He stood still, wondering if he’d kicked a loose piece, though he knew deep down the noise came from further off.
Holding his blade high, he turned in a circle, staring into the unfathomable layers of shadow, looking for movement while hoping he saw none. He heard the sound again and snapped toward the direction it came from. Something stood motionless at the edge of his light, or at least he thought whatever it was hadn’t been there before. He took a tentative step closer and the object moved, looking like a rotten, stunted tree come to life. It growled like a small dog and then charged, sending Thaelios into a stumbling back-step.
“Impecto!”
The familiar voice seized Thaelios’s attention just in time to catch streaming shards of blue energy fly from Dyphina’s outstretched hand, her silhouette illuminated by the curved blade of her Celestial sword. The magic arrows streaked past him, striking the aggressor with a sound of cracking wood. It fell to the ground, still, and by the time Thaelios could look up again, his fellow apprentice was nearly crushing him in a one-armed embrace.
“Why did you leave us?” she asked, her voice muffled by his tunic as she pressed against him. She sounded scared, but he hadn’t yet found his own voice to reply. Dyphina drew back, and when the glow of her weapon was lowered, he saw the others approaching, their own blades unsheathed.
“What spell was that?” was the first thing Thaelios managed to say. He’d never seen Dyphina use such magic before.
She snorted incredulously, then smiled and shook her head. “It was in Master Cauzel’s spellbook, you ring-tailed lemur.”
“Thaelios!” Saffron cried as she drew closer. She bent forward once within a few strides, struggling for breath. Be’naj and Palomar approached more slowly.
“My friend, how did you get separated?” Be’naj asked. “We thought we’d lost you.”
Momentarily out of danger, he was touched by their concern. “I fell and became lame. I didn’t dare cry out.”
“It is my fault,” Palomar said. “I pushed too hard and should have taken the rear position.”
Saffron stood tall and shook her head before settling her gaze on Thaelios. “We were getting close before we realized you weren’t there. Can you still move?”
“Not quickly. I can walk.”
“I shall carry you the rest of the way,” Palomar stated. “We are not far from the repository but should be quick about it.”
“Do you know what happened to the other Aasimar?” Thaelios wondered aloud, though he knew the battle was unresolved when they left. Just this once, he wished someone would lie to him.
“Khanarme is an experienced Marshall; I expect he found a way to overcome the odds, or lead his charges safely home. I look forward to greeting him upon my return to Mount Celestia.” Palomar hooked his arms around Thaelios’s from behind and took to the air. They flew slower than in the Doomwait, and Thaelios wondered if the air was indeed thicker in the Abyss. It was still a struggle to breathe normally.
Thaelios watched the red light as it grew brighter and eventually revealed hints of the building they were intending to enter. Palomar landed a good arrow shot from the nearest forges, leaving Thaelios a few moments to take in their destination while the women caught up.
Unearthly smiths toiled at a dozen forges set at the tips of a six-pointed star, outlined by a trough of molten lava. The clang of hammers on anvils punctuated the near constant push of air from giant bellows at each station. In the center of the star rested a black spire, the top of which was concealed in darkness far above. While the smiths were obviously not of any mortal race, they didn’t look strictly demonic, either.
“Do you think we have to climb that?” Dyphina asked, stepping in close behind Palomar and peeking around one of his broad arms.
“We will only know once we’re inside.”
Saffron walked a few steps closer to take a better look. “How exactly are we supposed to get past those forges? Just walk in like we’re not from another plane?”
“Those don’t look like Tanar-ri. My guess is, the smiths will stick to their work unless we interrupt them. I worry the repository itself will be better guarded.”
“Shall we, then?” Saffron asked. “If Khanarme had to retreat, there’s no telling when demon reinforcements might arrive.”
Palomar nodded and walked purposefully toward the dark spire, although his head swiveled between the forges to prevent any surprises. Be’naj laced an arm around Thaelios’s shoulder and offered to support him.
“Thank you,” he sai
d, accepting her help even though he wasn’t sure he needed it. They doubled their staggered steps to keep up, until Saffron called out a warning.
“Look up!” she cried, extending her spear to point toward the peak of the spire.
Two of the vulture-like Tanar-ri Palomar had struggled against in the Doomwait were diving toward them from the darkness above. Without hesitation, the Aasimar drew his greatsword and sang, causing his already radiant blade to crackle with additional energy. Be’naj untangled from Thaelios and drew her weapon as well, preparing to smite the demons should they attack.
This time, Thaelios kept his wits. He’d been studying a new illusion from Cauzel’s spellbook and felt confident it was close enough to his mirrored image that he could pull it off. He placed a hand on Saffron’s back and recited the spell.
The demons let loose their evil mockery of a bird-like shriek as they drew near, angling their flight to strike at Saffron and Be’naj with their frightening talons. A moment before impact, Thaelios’s spell took effect and Saffron appeared to shift positions without actually moving. The demon altered his path but merely clutched at vacant air while Saffron drove her spear upward into its belly.
Be’naj simultaneously lifted her shield and sword to both ward off and wound her opponent, but its talons knocked her off-balance and she couldn’t follow through. Palomar took advantage of Saffron’s blow by leaping into the air, rising above the staggered Tanar-ri, and slashing downward. A thunderclap peeled through the thick air as Palomar’s sword sundered the flesh between the vulture-like demon’s wings.
The creature crashed to the ground with a horrid death-wail, leaving Thaelios to search the sky for the second fiend. It had soared past Be’naj and disappeared into the darkness, though he still heard the beat of it wings high above. Then suddenly, the flapping stopped with sharp pop, accompanied by a flash of grey mist.
“He’s gone to fetch others,” Palomar warned. “We should be swift.” He landed, sheathed his heavy sword, and jogged toward the spire once again, leaving the others to follow.
Thaelios kneeled to help Be’naj off the ground, sending another surge of pain up from his knee. “My thanks,” she said, putting the tip of her blade into the hard ground and using its leverage to stand.
He winced but said nothing, taking note that the smiths at the nearest forges had stopped their work to stare. Their black faces appeared stern but none had moved closer. “I think we’ve attracted too much attention.”
“Hurry!” Saffron called back at them. She and Dyphina had covered nearly half the remaining distance to the dark obelisk.
With Be’naj helping support him, Thaelios gathered with the others before a tall crease in the obsidian façade of the spire. It may have marked a doorway, but the panels on either side were flush with the upward slanting face of the protrusion. Once his fingers found purchase, the muscles in Palomar’s arms and back bulged as he struggled to force the heavy panels open, but they wouldn’t budge. When he relented, Saffron wedged her spear into the crack to pry it open but had to surrender lest the shaft snap in two.
“Perhaps there’s another way in?” Be’naj tilted her head back to get a more complete view of the spire. “Maybe a window higher up?”
“Oh, Thaelios!” Dyphina shouted as she clasped her hands together. “What about that spell you cast to unlock our chains in the mines?”
He shrugged. “It’s worth a try.” The metallic sounds of the smiths hammering away at the forges had returned, and looking around, Thaelios saw that they were once again being ignored. Maybe the workers were slaves and lacked the Tanar-ris’ interest in eliminating everything not of their realm. If so, would Saffron demand they stop to free the smiths?
Wiping the thought from his mind and concentrating on the crease he hoped was a doorway, Thaelios summoned a portion of his power and spoke, “Otreritus penicul.” To his pleasant surprise, the sound of grinding stone murmured back from underneath the panels’ smooth, black surface. When the grating stopped, the doors popped forward the span of Thaelios’s little finger.
“Wonderful!” said Palomar before he reached between the panels and slid them open along the length of the outer wall. The space beyond was pitch black, but Saffron’s radiant spear provided enough illumination for Thaelios to spot a surprised Abyssal denizen staring back with vacant sockets from behind a chest-high partition on the far side of the entry chamber.
The creature looked like a humanoid skeleton wrapped tightly in red, leathery flesh. A rim of small horns adorned the crown of its head, and its body looked wet with clinging droplets on the verge of dripping to the floor.
As recognition flooded its features, the demon dashed toward a serrated glaive propped against the back wall where it met the partition. Palomar moved just as quickly, drawing his sword as he raced forward, and slamming its tip into the wall as the demon reached for its weapon.
“Intruders!” it howled telepathically as it yanked its hand back. “Intruders in the Pit of Runes!”
Thaelios had no idea over what distance a creature from the Outer Planes could project its thoughts, but he worried reinforcements were on their way. He stepped into the spire after his companions had flooded past him. By the white light of their Celestial weapons, he saw the rest of the room was empty except for a small winged creature the size of a monkey. It screeched at them from its perch in the left corner of the room but didn’t leave the stand it rested upon.
Palomar had turned his blade toward the humanoid demon and backed him off with a threatening step forward. “You know what happens if I slay you on your home Plane, don’t you, Babau?”
The demon snarled and snapped its bony jaws. “What do you want here, Aasimar?”
“Where are the runestones kept?” Palomar asked, failing to mask his urgency.
Thaelios kept an eye out for the appearance of new adversaries, knowing it was only a matter of time. The winged creature in the corner kept up its annoying racket, and Thaelios realized it was probably a Quasit. He’d read about ambitious Shapers summoning such Abyssal fiends to serve as magical assistants. Given his current experience, he doubted such a pact could possibly be worth it.
The demon Palomar had called a Babau reluctantly pointed toward the only other door in the chamber. Across the opposite end of the partition from where the creature’s glaive was kept, the panel was similar to the outer doors – smooth and dark – though it did bear a simple metallic handle.
“Open it!” Palomar demanded.
While the demon slowly ambled over from behind the partition, its expression undeniably malevolent, Thaelios peered over the obsidian divider. Open upon the counter on the other side was some sort of mighty ledger, its massive pages inscribed with columns of Abyssal runes.
Liquid dripped from the Babau as he snaked his way to the door, and a hiss accompanying the droplets that struck the floor. The demon spared a second look at Palomar’s gleaming greatsword before reaching out and pulling the handle.
The panel looked heavy but slid to reveal a rectangular compartment barely big enough for them all to squeeze into. In the pale light of the Celestial’s sword, Thaelios barely made out the reflection of numerous runes lining the walls, their dark surfaces slicker than the surrounding material.
“Is this some sort of trick?” Palomar accused upon seeing the dimensions of the compartment, which had no other exits.
“I think it’s a transport,” Thaelios offered. He recognized many of the runes as numerals, followed by what he guessed were location categories. He boldly stared down the Babau. “Take us to where the Destination Stone for Ishmere is kept.”
The demon snarled, indignant that a mortal would dare to command him, but the flat of Palomar’s blade pressing against its chest held it in check. “Do as you’re told,” the Aasimar ordered.
Taking stock of the number of radiant weapons in the compartment, the Babau relented, pressing his palm over one of the runes in the wall, which glowed a sickly green at his touch. The
room shook and then started moving downward, the sensation of dropping causing Thaelios’s stomach to tighten uneasily. As they descended, the air grew so hot that perspiration broke out across his body. It only took a few moments to reach their destination, but when the door opened again, the Babau seized the opportunity and bolted.
Be’naj lunged to grab it by the arm, but immediately released it in a gasp of pain. Thaelios could hear the skin of her hand sizzling. “Come back here!” Saffron yelled as she gave chase, though the darkness of the room created a disadvantage for her.
While Dyphina checked on Be’naj’s injury, Palomar followed Saffron, leaving Thaelios to step slowly from the transport chamber. He had no desire to try running down a demon. The space they’d entered was cavernous, and rows of shelves nearly twice his height created alleys between them. True to the Abyssal schema, instead of being neatly lined, the rows were offset, creating a labyrinth of turning corridors.
Saffron, Palomar, and the Babau became lost to him in the maze, and the glow of their weapons with them. Thaelios unsheathed his dagger for light, though the massive room’s deep emptiness threatened to swallow it.
“There must be something magical about this place,” he marveled aloud. “Its darkness is almost palpable.”
“Can you bring that closer?” Dyphina asked, squinting to better see Be’naj’s palm.
Thaelios obliged, meeting the women half-way as they exited the transport compartment. Be’naj’s hand was bubbling slightly, and Thaelios’s side twitched with the memory of Gullagion’s acid melting his flesh. Her burns didn’t appear nearly as deep, though still clearly agonizing. Be’naj was biting her lower lip to cope.
“What we need is a quick drink from that Celestial Spring, though we’ll have to settle for our waterskins.” Dyphina ducked behind Be’naj to dig into her backpack. “We’ve got to rinse this so it doesn’t get worse, even if it hurts.”
The Hall of Doors Page 17
