by RG Long
The last of them put a paw on the boat and Teresa pulled it up by the arm, driving her sword through its chest.
“Curse you and all other vile things,” she said, tossing the limp body back into the water. All of the other Wrents had turned to swim back to shore or floated lifelessly in the waves.
Seeing that her work was done, Teresa took a knee on the boat and sat staring back at the shore. She didn’t turn away until they had reached the ship and needed to connect their boat to the pulleys that would lift them up to the deck.
“Bah,” Gorplin said as Ealrin’s head came into view. “That bear weighs at least as much as ten of you, Ealrin.”
“I thought your race was stronger than most?” Ealrin chided with a wink. The other dwarves didn’t seem to appreciate the jest, but heaved just as well and the boat lurched upward. Panto jumped onto the deck and sent the dwarves into a pile as they overbalanced against the lack of resistance.
Ealrin saw that the whole crew was looking back to the shore, where Wrents covered the beach like grains of sand.
“There must be thousands,” Blume said, her eyes wide and scanning the place they had just come from.
“That was closer than I would have liked,” Holve said. “And I fear we didn’t accomplish much.”
He turned to face Amrolan, who was stoically looking back at his home. After a moment, Ealrin spoke.
“I’m sorry about your master,” he said. “I’m sure he would be proud of your fighting skills.”
Amrolan sighed.
“He was wise and kind,” he said. “And the closest thing to a father I’ve ever had.”
He dug into a pouch at his side and pulled out something on a long leather strand.
“Which is why he’d probably chastise me for robbing him,” he said, holding a flat pendant looking necklace in his hand. It was round, but with a large hole in the middle.
“Silverwolf,” he said. “May I see the pendant you showed me?”
She had been sitting on the rail of the ship as he spoke. Kicking over her legs, she walked over to him and reaching down her shirt and produced the amulet they had spent so long studying.
Amrolan took it from her and inserted it into the piece he held in his hand. It clicked together with a satisfying snap.
Everyone looked at those standing beside them, and then back at the pendant in Amrolan’s hand.
“What is it?” Holve asked.
“A map,” Amrolan answered, holding up the complete and full circle for all to see. “To the Everring Tree.”
23: The Island
Blume was ready to get off of the ship. She enjoyed the time she got to spend with Wisym and with Ealrin, but Teresa was moody. Almost as moody as Holve normally was. That was probably why they were spending so much time together on the boat, locked up in a cabin or else standing at the railing looking out over the sea.
Gorplin was always bantering or fighting or drinking with the dwarves. Blume was impressed with how much ale one ship could hold. She also overheard Denise telling her crew that when the ale ran out she was sure the dwarves would be furious, but also only have themselves to blame for drinking it all.
Denise was a kinder captain than Felicia had been. Captain Stormchaser had always intimidated Blume a bit, so it was nice to talk with someone who had experience sailing ships and didn’t look like she was going to have you whipped for insubordination.
But she was busy with her crew and with Amrolan, who was guiding them based off the stars and other landmarks with the pendant he had put together with his master’s piece to the island in the center of the sea. Denise said she had never sailed there before and for good reason.
The island was the haunt of the rival pirate city Blood Spire and it was understood that anyone from Death’s Gate caught there would be killed. Denise was only sailing there now under the belief that if they found what they were looking for, they would be able to claim dominance over Blood Spire. And anything that helped Death’s Gate and her brother was okay with Denise.
So now the cold winds were blowing through Blume’s hair as she sat, once again, by the stairs of the deck that lead up the captain’s wheel, wrapped in a blanket, and reading Jurgon’s book of Speaking.
She had attended a school of Speaking for a very short time in Teresa’s kingdom. She had learned a few basics there, but mostly, she was self-taught. And this book was a treasure of information about Speaking that she was sure would be helpful to her. As soon as her magic was restored to her.
For a long time, ever since coming to Irradan at least, she had worried that she wouldn’t know who she was without her magic. So far, she had impressed even herself with her abilities. Silverwolf had taught her how to fight with a sword. Denise was teaching her how to sail. And Dilinor had taught her about the elven races of the continent, which made her think about the other races that dwelled on other lands.
Maybe she couldn’t use her magic, but she could certainly learn a thing or two about whatever else fancied her.
Still, she was drawn to this book of Speaking and lore in the art. It was certainly a great work written by a very powerful, or least very knowledgeable, Speaker. There was a terribly complex bit that she was reading at the moment, about imbibing living souls into inanimate objects. But her concentration was broken by the call from above her.
“Land!” one of the crew shouted.
Blume closed her book and stood and saw that, indeed, there was an island with a single tall mountain on it ahead of them. This was what they had been looking for.
Without knowing it, her breathing had become very fast and her palms sweaty. Ealrin came and stood next to her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She looked up at him sheepishly and nodded.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m just...”
Excited? Nervous? Anxious? Scared? She supposed she was all of those things. This island may hold the secret to getting back her magic.
She could learn everything she wanted with or without her skill as a Speaker but, given the choice, she wanted her gift restored to her. She put the book back into her pack, where the other book they had discovered on Ruyn normally resided as well. Holve and Teresa were currently borrowing it to study.
At the moment, they were coming out from the cabins just as the dwarves were climbing up from below deck.
“Bah,” Gorplin said. “About time. The ale’s run out.”
Blume caught Denise roll her eyes to one of her crew before calling out.
“Should be an hour with this wind before we can run out the boats.”
“Good,” Holve said. “Time to make a plan.”
ONCE AGAIN, BLUME FOUND herself on a boat rowing to a beach. This time, however, she felt much more anxious about where they were going. The jagged mountain loomed ahead of them, tall and threatening, as they rowed ever closer. All around the mountain, there was a canopy of green, untouched by the winter chill.
Evergreens, Blume reminded herself. Trees that kept their leaves no matter the season.
They rowed until the boat hit the sand. Ealrin and Wisym jumped out of the boat and pulled it up the beach so that the tide wouldn’t carry it away. Silverwolf sat idly in the boat as they were pulled closer to the tide line. Blume jumped out as soon as she was sure she wouldn’t be pulled back by the waves. She didn’t enjoy being wet and cold, but knew it was a part of exploring in such climates.
Still, her boots squished uncomfortably for a while after they had reached the shore. She looked around at the others who had come with them. Teresa, Holve, Amrolan, Gorplin, and Brendt. And, of course, Panto. Blume liked the bear, even though he scared her with his size and the ferocity with which she had seen him fight. Still, he was gentle with her.
She patted him as he walked by. He gave a little snort and nosed her hand. Amrolan jumped onto him and looked out.
“We need to look for a rock outcropping that looks like three claws coming up out of the sand. That’s where our path
will begin.”
He was consulting the pendant they had completed. On it, Blume had seen, there was a map on how to approach the tree. She hadn’t seen every detail as others had, but she knew enough to understand that this journey would be not be boring.
“Take your boat and head that way,” Holve said as he pointed one direction down the beach. “We’ll head the other. Signal if you find the rocks.”
“What’s the signal?” Silverwolf asked.
Holve gave a long, loud whistle. Amrolan repeated it.
“Show offs,” Silverwolf muttered as she walked ahead of Holve, one of her short swords drawn and at her side.
Blume and Ealrin followed her, scanning the beach.
“So, we’re supposed to be on the lookout for other pirates, right?” she asked as they walked through the sand.
“That’s why Denise and her crew stayed behind with the dwarves,” Ealrin said. “To watch our backs.”
“It’s not our backs I’m worried about,” Silverwolf said as they walked.
“What are you worried about, then?” Blume asked.
As if to answer, a roar that did not belong to Panto echoed throughout the island. The group stood still, listening to it die away and be followed by an eerie calm.
“Don’t ask again,” Silverwolf answered.
They walked until they were able to get around a gathering of trees and see beyond them. Standing in the distance were three tall rocks. The claw like formation was easily distinguishable from the other, more rounded rocks that stuck out here and there along the beach. Holve gave a piercing whistle and they heard it echoed far behind them. The other group would come to meet them soon.
When they had all gathered around the rocks, it was clear that a path, very seldom used, was forged into the trees that lay beyond the beach. Amrolan dismounted from Panto and stepped onto it. He looked down, left and right before turning back to them.
“We follow this path until we meet a waterfall,” he said. Then, without much further explanation, he started on. Panto was waiting patiently for the others to go in as well.
When it became obvious that the bear was planning on going in last, Gorplin and Berndt hurried onto the path.
“Bah,” Gorplin muttered. “I don’t like that bear.”
Blume gave a smile to Ealrin and let everyone else pass her. She didn’t mind being by the bear at all. Ealrin walked right in front of her and Panto came behind. They were headed on the path.
The suns darkened as they made their way underneath the light canopy of the evergreens. Blume felt a heaviness that she couldn’t explain as soon as she set a foot on the path. She wasn’t worried or scared by this. But she could feel her excitement growing with every footfall.
They walked side by side in a line through the path. Everyone had their weapons drawn, though they had seen nothing that would move them to fight. A bird here. Some rabbit or other animal who hadn’t given into the cold weather’s sting darting through the undergrowth. A stream was winding through the woods as they walked, growing ever larger as they went deeper in.
Blume could smell the wood of the forest. It was a refreshing change from the fire and ash that had recently filled her lungs. The crisp air was bright to taste and made her think of both new adventures and old friends. A smile creased her lips without her even thinking about it.
Rushing water filled her ears as the stream became wider and deeper. The air was thick with moisture as spray hit Blume’s face. Turning a corner, she saw a waterfall coming down from the high mountain sides. It was as wide as three of her, but taller than the mast of the ship they had just gotten off of. Amrolan was pacing back and forth at the pool that formed underneath the waterfall. The steady stream was sending droplets in every direction.
When the entire company came to the pool’s edge, he turned to face them.
“And now we go inside,” he said.
“Inside?” Silverwolf replied with a look of skepticism. “Inside what? The water?”
“No, the cave.”
Amrolan pointed directly at the waterfall.
Silverwolf leaned over to Elen.
“You know, I think you’re right,” she whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Something has his brains addled.”
Elen did not laugh.
“There is no cave,” she said out loud, not looking at Silverwolf at all.
Amrolan just turned back to the waterfall and took a step into the pool.
Blume gasped. She wasn’t the only one. The elf had not sunk deep into the pool like she had expected, but rather, he was walking on the surface of the water.
“What is this?” Holve asked, stooping down to look at the pond more closely.
Amrolan spoke without looking back.
“Magic,” he said.
After a few more steps, he walked into the waterfall and out of sight. A moment of silence followed as they watched the ripples his feet caused in the pool dissipate and the waterfall return to its normal flow.
“Well,” said Silverwolf. “Who’s going to follow the elf across the magic pond into the secret waterfall door?”
No one moved. Except Blume. She walked over to the spot where Amrolan had been and aligned herself with his path. She looked up at the waterfall, and then down at the pool. The water seemed more than twice as deep as she was tall. The only comfort she really had was that she was a decent swimmer.
She took a deep breath and, putting one foot out into the pool, stepped down.
24: The Secret
Her foot found solid...something. It certainly wasn’t water. She saw the rippling that happened when her foot touched down, but she felt no moisture underneath her. In fact, her feet felt warm. She turned back and looked at the group with a nervous smile.
“This is weird,” she said. “But it’s working.”
Ealrin lined up and followed her lead. They were both walking on the pond at the same time. Blume put her hand out to the waterfall, not sure what to expect this time. Her hand reached the water and it felt cold. She pulled back her hand quickly, surprised at it.
“What’s wrong?” Ealrin asked. “Did it hurt?”
Blume felt her hand. It wasn’t wet. But it was cold.
“No,” she said. “It’s not that. It’s cold, but not wet.”
“The water isn’t wet?” Silverwolf asked, following Ealrin onto the pond. Her eyes were nearly in the back of her head.
Blume scowled at her, then walked right under the waterfall. She expected to feel the water pouring over her, drenching her clothes and hair. No such thing happened. Instead, she was met with a breathtaking coldness that enveloped her entire body. She took another step, and then another.
After the third, she found herself on the other side of the waterfall and in the entrance of a long, tall hallway that appeared to lead straight into the heart of the mountain. Amrolan stood in the hall, examining the runes and markings that lined the walls.
“Brave, aren't you?” he said as he looked at Blume.
“Did you know it would do that?” she asked him. “The pond and the waterfall?”
“Of course not,” he said. “But the pendant made it clear what we should do. So, I did it.”
One by one, the others followed them into the tunnel. The dwarves came last, followed only by Panto. The bear’s encouragement could be heard through the sound of the falling water.
“Alright! Alright!” yelled Brendt as he ran through the waterfall and crashed into Holve. “Get that crazed animal away from me!”
“Bah,” Gorplin said, following Brendt with Panto at his neck. “He just has bad breath. That’s all.”
Panto snorted, but still came through the wall of water, forcing the rest of the company down into the tunnel. Amrolan was still examining the runes as he sidestepped down the passage.
“We’ll need to head through here until we reach a door,” he said. “And then we’ll see how it might be opened.”
“What?” Silverwolf asked, anxiety
in her voice. “You don’t know how to get through a door?”
“The pendant doesn’t say, exactly,” Amrolan replied. “But I believe the way will become clear soon enough.”
He took a long iron rod off of the wall and touched the end of it. A blue light began to glow from a piece of Rimstone that was embedded into the torch. Holve, Ealrin, and Wisym took three similar rods which ignited with just their touch. Blume looked at them longingly. She wondered if they would react at her touch. For a moment, she reached out her hand to Ealrin’s torch, but they all moved down the passage before she could grab hold of it.
Slowly, they made their way down the high, arched wall. Blume let her fingers run along the wall, letting them feel the grooves of the runes. They were different than any she had seen before, on Ruyn or on Irradan. A faint blue glow emanated from where the runes were cut into the stone.
“Who made this hallway?” Silverwolf asked no one in particular.
Amrolan’s voice came from the front of the group.
“Not elves,” he said.
“Or dwarves,” Berndt added. “These runes weren’t made with any of our tools or practices.”
Blume observed them as she walked past them. They were set all in rows, one on top of another. Continuous lines ran from the waterfall entrance down past the light of the torches. Their footsteps echoed down the chamber and became more prominent as they walked. Sounds of the waterfall outside became quieter as they trod along.
“How long do you think it goes?” Blume asked Ealrin, walking just in front of her.
“I can’t see,” he answered. “But it doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon.
He wasn’t wrong. The tunnel continued, in a straight line, for several more steps. Blume felt like the light their torches were casting would just fall on emptiness forever. She began to realize that she didn’t like looking both ways and seeing only darkness. The light from the day was extinguished from the waterfall end. They now were enveloped in the path and in darkness.
