The Sword and the Flame: The Forging

by CP Bialois

  Gilliam nodded with a sad smile, he didn’t know where his words had come from. Whether the words were his or not didn’t matter, for now he wondered at what was given to him that night. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he turned back towards the broken down warehouse with their destination behind it. From that moment on, each step seemed to move them forward at a running pace even though the pace Gilliam set was the same as a few minutes before. Strange how quickly one’s perception can alter things, he thought as they turned past the far side of the deserted warehouse. There he stopped at two large wooden doors reinforced with steel sitting in front of him on the ground, their locks glowed in the darkness.

  Before anyone could say anything good or bad, Janessa stepped forward rubbing her palms together. “This won’t take no more than a minute.” Kneeling on the ground, she studied the lock for a few seconds and mumbled something about dual tumblers and then searched through her pocket for her tools.

  Gilliam, Berek, and Galin all exchanged looks of knowing. Berek smiled and shrugged, “We each must use our gifts when necessary.”

  Galin stroked his beard, “True enough, just glad I never left my lock box unattended.”

  Viola saw the looks the three exchanged and she felt her face flush. They were understanding, at least she assumed the cleric was. Mystics of the light tended to look down on people like her and Janessa, but then he had thrown in with them hadn’t he? She couldn’t help but feel them judging her and Janessa.

  “We have to eat somehow.” Viola meant to sound off hand; like she was one of them, instead it came out sounding defiant. She noticed Janessa tense somewhat, either her curiosity was aroused or she was prepared to come to Viola’s defense if need be as the mage had come to hers. Viola chose to believe the latter, but to her surprise Gilliam responded to her first.

  Gilliam’s face looked haggard, like he bore some great weight that could never be understood. Viola felt ashamed for her previous tone after seeing the pain and age in the cleric’s blue eyes. “We pass no judgments, as we are far from angelic ourselves. Please don’t misunderstand what we say or do.”

  Viola nodded and her apology was accepted without hesitation. Janessa heard it all as she worked to open the lock. She didn’t cry or take any of it as an insult; in fact she took the whole event as a compliment. It seemed at last they found friends that didn’t judge them without the benefit of the facts. As a Halfling it was something that was seldom, if ever experienced.

  Halflings, the scourge of the land, the kings of thieves, were a couple of phrases often used by the other races throughout the world of Pyrain. From the day they came into being, Halflings have been as unique as any other race. They were created by the Goddess Arabeil to personify her mischievous nature towards her siblings’ creations. She copied her oldest sister Helus’ race of Elves and their features, but decided to mock the Elves’ statuesque beauty by making them half the size of their cousins, hence the name Halfling.

  Next, Arabeil gave them the urge to travel in opposition to her twin brother Crax’s Dwarven race. No Halfling would ever be at home in a confined environment like the Dwarves. As a final point, she looked to the oldest of her siblings for her greatest challenge. Rowan created the humans to embody nobility, grace, and the will to enjoy one’s existence. To balance those qualities, he granted them shorter life spans than the rest of the Pyrainian races, meant as an example to the other races as well as his siblings that everything must come to an end. Excited about the prospect of her creation, Arabeil placed her brother’s mantra “Living life to the fullest” as the main driving force for the Halflings.

  Arabeil chose to omit the traits of her remaining siblings’ creations from her own. Narsa enjoyed anarchy and hated anything beautiful hence her creations such as Ogres, Goblins, Hobgobins, etc were hideous. After being shunned, Narsa felt insulted hence her creations sought to destroy those of all her siblings.

  Not to be outdone, Draco did the opposite of Arabeil and created the dragons that embodied everything the rest held in high standards, alas they included the darkness of Narsa’s creations. But it was worth it to maintain balance, which he claimed was essential. Thus Arabeil didn’t mimic anything from him stating his creations were perfect and couldn’t be duplicated. Already smug and arrogant, such praise created incredible tension between Draco and his other siblings. Because of that, Arabeil couldn’t be blamed by their father for causing trouble.

  On the day the first of the Halflings took their first breath, the rest of Pyrain didn’t know what was unleashed on their world. Since then the Halflings became some of the most prevalent thieves the world had ever known. A lock couldn’t be made they couldn’t pick, not a pocket or change purse was safe from the master pickpockets, and due to their size, quick feet, and quicker wits they proved to be difficult for the larger races to catch and throw in prison. Compared to rabbits more than anything else, a Halfling caused most people to break out in cold sweat and dread the day they met one of the cursed creatures.

  Such is the reputation that will follow the last Halfling to their deathbed. Though examples are plentiful, few believe the stories of noble Halflings existing as they’re overshadowed by the negative rumors most hold dear.

  It’s the last category Janessa believed herself to be in, if she was ever asked the question. Like most Halflings, she wasn’t evil or conniving like her people were made to sound. The other races have more inherited darkness in their hearts than the worst of the Halflings. Those were some of the thoughts flowing through Janessa’s mind while she worked on the lock to the entranceway of the tunnels. She didn’t take offense at what had been said, she was pleased and happy she was able to surround herself with such a collection, even though it was by accident.

  With a click the lock opened. Beaming with pride, Janessa stood to open the door and wondered if her new friends would like to go to her home, the home of all Halflings, Journlest. The Halfling word for journey. Hopeful they would, she pulled on the metal rung meant as a handle but it didn’t budge.

  Certain she hadn’t pulled hard enough, Janessa was about to try again when Galin took hold to help her. She couldn’t help but smile at him. Galin flushed, “No offense lass, but it is large and undoubtedly heavy.”

  “None taken. I’m big enough to know when I’m overmatched.” She noticed Berek crouch next to them and search for a handhold along the side. “I’ll be offended if the three of us fail to budge it.”

  Berek smiled, “We could use a couple of Ogres. I hear they have a good grip.”

  Gilliam chuckled while both Viola and Janessa looked at the humans for any hint of what they meant. The only hint they had was the look on Galin’s now bright red face, which Viola couldn’t see. “Now’s not the time lads. Ready? One… Two… Three!” The three pulled at the door with everything they had, but it didn’t budge. Their exasperation was voiced by Galin as he threw curses at it that would make a sailor blush.

  Panting, the three of them sat in the dirt attempting to catch their breaths. Gilliam went to each one, whispering a blessing on their sore, and in Berek’s case bleeding, hands. Once he finished he looked at Berek. “Is it locked from the inside?”

  Berek shook his head, “There’s no evidence of a lock besides the one she opened.” He motioned to the latch that had been over the lock. Once it was unlocked, it flipped open leaving no other devices. “No lock could seal a door like that, nothing made by man that is.”

  Gilliam looked at Galin then at the others; he was out of ideas, “Then what?”

  “It must be a magical lock.” Viola answered as she moved over to help Janessa in case she was needed.

  Berek was the first to nod as Galin spoke. “Never seen so much sorcery in my life until today.”

  Gilliam looked to Viola, “Can you open it?” He knew a magical seal was a simple spell, but aside from some parlor tricks and the near disaster with the scroll he was anxious as to the limits of Viola’s abilities. Though he wasn’t sure Berek could
break the spell, Gilliam trusted him over a mage in training. Besides, it was important they knew her limits before finding themselves in a situation she couldn’t handle.

  Seeming to know what the cleric was thinking Viola smiled, not her usual carefree smile but one full of arrogance. He thinks I can’t do it! I’ll show him! She thought as the spell was already on her lips. A second later the large door covering the opening swung open and a rush of stale smelling air rushed out to them.

  Viola smiled at Gilliam, “Satisfied?”

  Gilliam nodded, “Yes but why magic it like that?”

  “To keep intruders from entering the city unawares would be my guess,” Galin offered breathing in the musty air with deep breaths. It smelled just like home.

  “Or to keep something out.” Berek’s eyes were locked on the darkness of the tunnel. The look in his eyes sent shivers up everyone’s back, except for Galin.

  “I just said that Berek. Your mind’s someplace else.“ Galin snorted his response. All their talk of magic grated the Dwarf’s nerves. Like all of his kind, he distrusted magic in any form.

  “That’s not what he meant.” Viola rubbed her arms against the sudden chill sweeping through her.

  “The spell sealed the door from the inside. Something doesn’t want us to go in there.” Berek’s tone was matter-of-fact.

  Gilliam looked at his nephew in complete surprise. How would he know? “You sense something?”

  Berek shook his head. “Nothing I can place.” He looked at Viola, “You?”

  Viola shook her head; Janessa’s hand grasped hers and gave a squeeze. They were scaring themselves over nothing, Viola was sure of it, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

  Berek took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “No way to tell by standing around out here.” In two strides he was partway down the stairs leading into the dark tunnel. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

  Gilliam’s eyes searched his nephew’s for answers. After a moment he nodded, “We’ll go in together. Galin bring up the rear, Viola stay behind me in case we find something.”

  Galin shook his head readying his hammer. “This night is getting stranger by the minute.”

  Berek smiled at him, “Who wants to live forever?” A second later he and Gilliam disappeared into the darkness with Viola and Janessa close behind them.

  Grumbling, Galin followed. “I wouldn’t mind trying to.”

  In Halfling fashion, Janessa turned and smiled at the grumbling dwarf. “We won’t leave you behind.”

  Galin’s face hardened, which caused Janessa to chuckle. “Only I’d get stuck with a group of court jesters.” More grumbling threatened to come out but Galin clamped his mouth shut. He lived long enough to know there were plenty of dangers underground and none of them needed a warning by a grumpy Dwarf.

  The darkness of the tunnel enveloped them as they moved deeper inside it, much as a scared child would pull a blanket over his head to hide from some imagined evil. The companions traveled a few yards before stopping. Using his night vision, Berek could see torches along the walls held in sconces. Satisfied, he took a few from their perches and handed them to each of the companions.

  Knowing Berek’s plan, Viola spoke a word of magic and the torches burned for the first time in years. While the light was warm and welcoming, Janessa had a sudden fearful thought. “If something doesn’t want us down here, won’t the torches give us away?”

  No one spoke for a moment until Viola shrugged, “Whatever it is already knows we’re here.”

  Janessa’s hands tightened on her torch, “How? We’ve hardly made a sound?”

  “Once the wizard lock was broken the one that cast the spell would know.” Viola moistened her lips with her tongue. “If they’re still alive.”

  The words seemed to settle Janessa’s nerves. Of course whoever cast the spell was dead. No one had been down there in at least a century. Satisfied she smiled, she didn’t mind running into someone that was dead since they couldn’t do any harm. She didn’t like the queer feeling fear gave her.

  Berek and Gilliam exchanged a look, they were both wondering what was waiting for them when Galin spoke. “Not to worry lass, plenty of creatures to be fought down here that can be killed.”

  With their concerns addressed, the companions continued their journey into the depths of the city’s history. It was strange, as Janessa noted later, that none of them noticed Berek hadn’t taken a torch even though he was in the lead. Unknown to her, one did notice, and despite their newfound relationship, Gilliam’s concern began to grow. Berek seemed to have lost himself, as if he was being drawn to something only he understood. The cleric came to believe his nephew’s soul wasn’t in danger to the source of his powers. Instead, he was certain Berek’s soul was in danger because of his powers. Mindful of the slight change, he was determined to keep watch on the young fighter.

  Chapter 16

  Without the stars to aide them, time lost all meaning for the companions. The one certainty was the tunnel, for the duration of their walk it remained level and straight, leading them at least a mile away from the city. At one point, they passed a stone arch cutting through the foundation of the city wall. The path remained clear of obstructions through the years, giving credibility to its intended use for emergency evacuation. Thus their surprise when the tunnel turned to their left and opened into a small rounded room littered with digging tools. Picks, shovels, buckets, and such were scattered around, including a few barrels of water and crates of food. Across from them were two tunnels, one appeared to lead up towards the surface, the entrance Berek and Gilliam had been searching for, the other looked to lead further underground.

  Without a wasted moment Galin stepped forward to eye the work. He made no secret of his opinion that the tunnel was built by humans. Dwarves were never as sloppy in their work as to leave tools lying around to be found. It took the briefest of moments for Galin’s skilled eye to notice the differences. When complete he motioned to the rest to see, “Look here, this isn’t smooth like the other entrance.”

  “So?” Berek looked from the dwarf to the chipped stone lining the passageway. “They were in a hurry.”

  Galin smiled, “No lad, this is recent. Those tools haven’t been down here very long. A couple of months at most. Notice how the handles are new? The ground’s full of vermin that’d bore in and eat the wooden handles.”

  “Someone’s been digging here.” Berek breathed, he wondered who it could’ve been and didn’t like the options that came to mind.

  The rest of the companions looked around, their anxiety building while thinking about when those would strangers be back. Each of them had their own thoughts on the proper course, but none wished to speak for fear they’d display their own weaknesses, greed, or fears to their companions. They each felt it queer that they came together with little to no knowledge about one another but they still couldn’t be completely truthful within their group. As the oldest and, as the rest believed, the wisest of the group, Galin glanced at each of them. “It seems to be a simple choice, left to the surface and right into darkness.”

  Viola’s brow furrowed for a moment in thought, “It is easy.” She paused for a moment before she continued. “It’s playing on our fears.” The young mage became aware everyone was staring at her as if she had grown a beard and danced like a Hobgoblin. Ordering her thoughts, Viola continued. “Don’t you feel it? As soon as we entered this chamber it was like a shroud over our eyes, but instead of clouding our sight it did so to our judgment.”

  They listened, ready to dismiss her theory as lacking logic and reason but instead turned their thoughts onto themselves. A few seconds passed until Janessa broke the uneasy silence. “Whatever did this expects us to listen to our fear.” The realization brought immense pride to the Halfling as she was the first to accept what they all realized. For her companions, all it did was solidify her friend’s reasoning. Without giving anyone time to think over and question what fear they had, she
looked at Berek. “Which do you choose?”

  For the first time since he met the Halfling, Berek wanted to backhand her for giving everyone a reason to watch him, as if he had become their fearless, or fearful, leader. He sensed the mage was correct, though he had no idea how. If asked he would’ve stated “It just felt right”. He glanced over his left shoulder at the two choices. He knew which one he feared and therefore which one he was to enter. After taking a deep breath he opened his mouth to answer but his uncle interrupted him.

  “Are you certain it’s magical? Surely you have a detect magic spell handy?” Gilliam’s tone was even but with a trace a fear in it.

  Viola nodded, she had several spells prepared for the various artifacts they would find if Janessa and Berek were right. “I do, but keep in mind whoever magiked this corridor did so with the ability to hide it. The spell would, most likely, fail.”

  “And if it’s not an illusion then we’d be separated.” Gilliam lowered his gaze to the floor of the chamber. He didn’t like their situation in the least.

  Galin crossed his arms deep in thought. “We’d be separated no matter our choice. If the young lady is right, I doubt we’d all agree on the choice.”

  “Not necessarily.” Berek’s voice caused each of them to look to him. The feeling it brought out in him wasn’t pleasant or welcomed. “We could be brought together after we pass through.” He looked to Viola, she was the expert on this matter.

  In answer Viola nodded, “But nothing is for certain, we may never see one another again.” Her words resonated off the walls around them, the echo making them feel small as if they were in a ravine with no escape. She cleared her throat, “The only sure choice is to go back.”

  Berek’s eyes flashed for a moment at the thought of running away. While the rest contemplated doing just that, he glared at the two tunnels that caused this rift. He could go back and kill Renard, which would be easy enough. He may even survive the ensuing battle with Fech. Anything was possible, one could alter their destiny. He made his decision; he was never one to run away from anything. Even if he continued on alone it would be his choice to make. He was surprised to see Janessa watching him as if she knew what he was thinking but wanted to hear him say it.