Dusk Gate (Soul Bound Book 1)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Oh, right,” Jasmine murmured, then fell silent. She hadn’t thought of that, but if there was something inside the caves, it was best not to alert it if possible.

  The path they were following was surprisingly wide, even if the floor was uneven, and aside from Xandra’s light, the caves were completely dark. The light from the entrance had faded after only a few dozen steps, which meant that the mottled brown stone around them was cast in an unhealthy purple hue. Jasmine considered conjuring her own light, but considering what Xandra had said about her mana usage, she’d rather not draw criticism.

  A hush settled around them, only broken by the sound of breathing and footsteps. It was faintly oppressive, as was the sense of weight from the stone overhead. While Jasmine had been in impressive temples with enormous structures above her before, this was somehow different. She wasn’t entirely certain why, but it was almost like the cave felt even weightier… perhaps it was the knowledge no one had built it, or that there was an entire mountain above her head… or maybe it was just that there was so little light. Perhaps it was even a combination of the different factors.

  When Naomi slipped on a slick bit of stone, Jasmine barely caught her, and Naomi’s nervous giggle echoed through the passageway before she murmured, “Sorry, I didn’t think rock would be slippery here.”

  “Water drips through the stone and slowly wears it away, leaving stone that might seem fine at first glance, but which is smooth as glass under the right circumstances,” Nef said, glancing back at them and smiling. “It happens. Just don’t hit your head, or you’ll regret it. Unfortunately, I know that from experience.”

  “Huh. I didn’t know that… and you have my sympathies,” Jasmine replied softly, wincing in sympathy. She waited until Naomi had regained her balance to let go, and the younger priestess gave her a smile of appreciation. “How deep is the city?”

  “If I remember right, approximately another two hundred paces or so to the outermost chambers. It’s been a while, as I said,” Nef replied.

  “You still have a better memory than most non-Karakar,” Xandra said, much of her irritation masked by how she was keeping her voice down. “Aside from remembering how you asked us not to speak.”

  “Ah, ignoring my advice is not the same as forgetting it,” Nef said with a broad grin. “Shush.”

  Xandra glowered, but Nef didn’t see it, as she’d already turned back to their path. It was all Jasmine could do to keep from laughing. She managed it, but Xandra glared at her anyway, then gave the orb of light a speculative look… before it went out abruptly, plunging the cavern into sudden darkness only broken by the faintest of glimmers from Xandra’s eyes and a potion on her belt.

  “Now that is just rude, Xandra. Someone could break an ankle,” Nef said, her tone surprisingly patient.

  “I’m in a poor mood, and you’re being difficult,” Xandra replied shortly. Nef let out a soft sigh.

  “Children,” Nef muttered, then spoke more loudly. “I do apologize for injuring your tender, easily bruised feelings, Xandra. Now, please conjure the light again.”

  Jasmine could practically feel Xandra’s glare, from the way her eyes narrowed, and she had to wonder what illuminated the woman’s irises from within. After a moment the elf murmured the words of a spell, and an orb of flame snapped into existence once more.

  “Thank you,” Nef told her, grinning, then turned back to the corridor.

  Naomi gave Jasmine a confused look, then shrugged and began to follow as Xandra started moving as well.

  She had no better idea what had gotten into Xandra than Naomi did, but Jasmine wasn’t going to stress over it right now. She could always ask her once they were a little more secure.

  Of course, only a short while later, Nef stopped suddenly as the passage widened, a couple of stalactites framing the now-sandy floor almost like an immense maw. The woman crouched down, and when she spoke, there was no humor in her voice. “Well, this isn’t good.”

  Chapter 38

  “What isn’t good?” Jasmine asked, leaning to the side so she could peer around Naomi and Xandra.

  “Mm… well, it isn’t exactly my specialty, but even I can tell when a footprint is lacking something rather important. Namely flesh,” Nef replied, a hint of cheer returning to her voice. “This looks a lot like a skeleton came through here, which could mean undead. That is a bad sign, if you ask me.”

  “Undead?” Jasmine asked, glancing at Naomi in concern. She didn’t like the sound of that… but on the other hand, she did know a lot more about undead than she did about fair folk or the societies of other planes. In fact, the concern about undead rising in graveyards meant that most of the priesthood learned a lot about them, as not everyone liked cremation. With that in mind, she continued, “Do you mind if I look? I’ve learned quite a bit about undead during my training.”

  “Good, at least someone has,” Xandra said, keeping her voice down as she stepped aside. “The handful I’ve encountered haven’t been resistant to fire, which doesn’t quite exhaust my knowledge but comes close.”

  “I’d appreciate it, Jasmine. As I said, this is not my specialty, and while I know some about a few… unliving communities in other worlds, I didn’t do a great deal of research into their specific abilities. Just their societies were complex enough,” Nef said, straightening and beckoning Jasmine over. “I don’t suppose you know much about undead, Naomi?”

  “They’re a common subject for lessons among all acolytes, so… yes,” Naomi said, smiling wanly as she glanced at Jasmine. “It’s mostly because of the old battlefields from the war, and the graveyards. We can’t have undead rising to kill people.”

  “A few revenants would cause problems,” Jasmine agreed, taking cautious steps forward, though the sand was much easier to walk on than the stone had been. The problem was that if there were undead involved, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a skeleton lurking and ready to grab someone who walked overhead. That was one of the horror stories that had stuck with her, about a priest who’d been killed when he sent his guards ahead to stop some zombies and had been dragged into the swamp by a skeleton hiding in the mud.

  Xandra nodded as Jasmine passed her, reaching the spot where Nef had stopped. Jasmine was forced to edge to the side, as her position was casting a rather stark shadow on the ground that made it hard to look at the footprint. Then Naomi cast a shadow on it, and they had to maneuver a bit, the sand crunching under them.

  There were multiple footprints in the sand, many of them farther into the cave and thus not clearly illuminated, but the one Jasmine was looking at was quite clear, and she resisted the urge to smile wryly at Nef’s understatement. The outline of each individual bone where the ball of the foot had rested was impressively clear, along with where several toes had touched down, and even some of the heel. Jasmine suspected a child could have determined that the footprint was from a skeleton, let alone someone as experienced as a Karakar.

  Even so, Jasmine quickly saw a few differences in the footprint, and her eyes narrowed as she looked at it more closely. Many of the marks left by the bones were subtly thicker, and the foot seemed a bit wide for its length. She glanced at the next footprint, and while the other was harder to see, it was similar. She looked at the first footprint for a moment more, then lifted her gaze to watch Naomi.

  The human looked like she had to strain to see the footprint a little more, but after a few seconds she looked up and, meeting Jasmine’s gaze, asked, “Dwarf?”

  “Exactly my thought. The foot isn’t as long, and is a bit wider. It’s probably a dwarven skeleton,” Jasmine agreed, nodding as she looked down at the footprint again. After a moment of thought, she continued, a hint of worry seeping through her, “Which… would make sense. Dwarves are well-known for holding grudges, and when they lose a holding, it’s relatively common for them to rise as undead in response. I just have to wonder why they didn’t show up sooner.”

  “Hm. If that’s the case… I don’t know for ce
rtain, but I believe the dwarves abandoned their enclave due to their mines playing out, not because they all died. I think I heard they sealed the holding,” Nef offered. “Perhaps their dead rose after they left?”

  “More likely, someone broke in and tried robbing their tombs,” Naomi disagreed, dusting off her hands as she stood. “That’s the surest way to cause dwarves to rise, from everything I’ve heard. Once their grudges were roused, who knows what they might do? Undead don’t always follow the most logical course of action.”

  “Wonderful. So we likely have an unknown number of dwarven undead ahead of us, and fair folk behind us,” Xandra said coolly. “Even better, the dwarves wiped out a city of ten thousand fair folk. This sounds like a lovely situation. Wait, no, it’s a terrible one, and my brain must be riddled with maggots to have come with you.”

  “Well, at least undead tend to be vulnerable to holy power,” Jasmine said hopefully. “If we can get large groups of them in the same area, I can destroy them easily.”

  “If. Have you forgotten that I have virtually no defensive spells?” Xandra demanded. “These are dwarves we’re talking about. The species who invented the crossbow? A wall of fire can deal with darts easily, and maybe arrows, but your average crossbow bolt will punch right through it. Skeletons may be resistant to having holes punched through them, but people made of flesh don’t have that advantage. Something about us needing blood to survive.”

  Jasmine winced, as Xandra had an excellent point. Before she could reply, Naomi spoke up.

  “Um, why would they have crossbows?” Naomi asked, looking confused.

  “Dwarves are often entombed in full battle regalia. Furthermore, skeletons seem to have an instinctive, malevolent knowledge of how to use any weapon they find,” Jasmine reminded her. “I’m not sure it was part of your lessons, but it was part of mine. They usually use weapons they animate with until they break, but if she’s right it could be bad.”

  “And this is why I made certain my armor was enchanted to be able to turn most missiles,” Nef said, pausing for a moment, then grimaced. “It appears that our time is about up either way. I just heard a howl, which means we’re going to have company. We can stand and fight, or try to pit the fair folk against the undead. Preferences?”

  “Get them all in one place so I can put them out of our misery,” Xandra snapped immediately.

  Jasmine laughed, standing up again as she shrugged and replied more calmly, “That seems like the best idea to me. You know the way, don’t you?”

  “Essentially, yes. Whether it’s still clear is another question,” Nef replied, looking at Naomi, who simply nodded.

  “I’ll stay with Lady Alexis,” she said, and Xandra snorted.

  “First time I’ve heard you call her that since before Vanreth tried to murder me. You really must be stressed. Now, let us move,” the elf said.

  Naomi blushed, prompting a laugh from Nef, then the Karakar moved, rushing down the path to their right without hesitation. Xandra paused, gesturing Jasmine forward.

  When Jasmine passed, the elf quickly took up the chase, still holding the flame, though if Jasmine wasn’t mistaken, the orb seemed a little larger and brighter than it had been.

  Seconds after that, Jasmine heard the first howl, which sent a chill down her spine.

  Crak paused on entering the cave, his nose twitching as he inhaled, catching the scents of their target and the other companions, along with the lingering scent of smoke and the fainter smells of old bones and mold. There was something oddly familiar about the entire cavern, but he ignored it after a moment, as it being familiar didn’t truly matter. They were going into the dark, where they’d be in their element, and their enemies would require light. Light which would give away their positions.

  Glancing back at his pack, Crak growled and waved his head toward the tunnel. A chorus of growls came in response, then they rushed down the passage.

  Soon he would bring the holy maiden back to His Lady, and they would gain honor above all other packs.

  The passage gave way to a cavern, and within it were strange buildings, ones which Jasmine would have liked to stop and examine more carefully if she’d had a chance. Not that she necessarily liked the look of them. There was something about the twisted, mushroom-like building with glowing tendrils that reminded Jasmine of a jellyfish… it caused Jasmine’s stomach to churn. It was like her gaze simply slid off the corners, refusing to acknowledge how the building was built, or how big it actually was. The only reason she knew it was a building was because there were windows in its sides.

  Far more concerning were the creatures they saw scattered in front of them. Standing four and rarely five feet tall, the undead turned to face them, revealing broad-shouldered figures in old armor that still looked strong beneath the patina of tarnish across their surfaces, while the empty sockets of their eyes glowed with crimson light. Crests and symbols of valor were visible, and Jasmine didn’t have time to count how many of them were illuminated by the faint blue and purple light coming from the mushroom and Xandra’s orb. Her heart almost stopped when one turned toward Nef, who was within its reach, and hefted its great axe over its head before bringing it down.

  As the axe came down, Nef simply… drifted to the left, air from the axe’s passage causing her clothing to ripple slightly, and there was a clash of steel on stone. Jasmine belatedly noticed the elf had her hand on her sword hilt… and there was a flash of light.

  The scrape of the sword leaving its sheath came late, and was almost unnoticeable in the cavern. But between one breath and the next, Nef’s sword was out at full extension, gleaming in the dim light while the skeleton was unmoving. The next breath, the skeleton’s skull slowly fell backward off the neck, clattering to the ground. Where it had been, Jasmine saw a vertebra had been cleanly sliced in two, then the rest of the corpse collapsed, leaving her in shock.

  Behind her, Jasmine heard Xandra mutter softly, “I knew it.”

  “Xandra, you specialize in blowing things up. Please do as your instincts tell you,” Nef replied, her voice startlingly cheerful under the circumstances. The skeletons weren’t idle, spinning to face them, their assorted weaponry raised in gauntleted, bony hands.

  “My instincts say I should blow you up with them,” Xandra retorted, but an instant later her voice rose while she chanted briefly, her fingers flicking through the air.

  In response the orb of flame roiled, then whip-like streamers lashed out unerringly at a trio of skeletons. The brilliant flames cut through bone seemingly effortlessly, while metal glowed where it struck.

  Part of Jasmine wanted to stop and watch. The two women showed skill that she could scarcely imagine, even as she thought that such skill might, just might be within her reach. Like Nef had said, what she needed was time and practice, Jasmine realized… then shook off her surprise as Naomi raised her staff and began casting a spell.

  Considering for a moment as Nef moved forward to intercept a couple of the skeletons, Jasmine decided to try to catch as many of them as possible in a blast of holy energy, and took a few steps toward the mushroom-like building, where she could catch five of the skeletons without hitting anyone else.

  Jasmine began her prayer, channeling mana out of her hands and into her voice as she focused, trying to keep the mana under control. The skeletons were moving, which would make targeting difficult, but she should be able to manage it. “Goddess, I call upon thee, grant me thy flame to destroy the unholy abominations before me and bless—”

  “You idiot!” Xandra snarled, interrupting suddenly, and Jasmine stumbled over her prayer in shock as the elf lunged toward her.

  “Wha—?” Jasmine began, and yelped as Xandra grabbed her and yanked hard, sending Jasmine sprawling to the ground.

  It put Jasmine in the perfect position to see one of the glowing blue tendrils hanging from the building flick downward through the space she’d just vacated… and hit Xandra instead, even as the elf tried to pull away.

 
Blue light pulsed, blinding Jasmine briefly, then a crack of imploding air filled the chamber. She blinked painfully, then froze as she realized she couldn’t see much of anything anymore, aside from the dim blue light of the building. Dread and horror washed over her as she realized that Xandra and her light were gone.

  “Well, that’s not good,” Nef commented, her tone not as upbeat as it had been. “The traps weren’t active last time.”

  Chapter 39

  Xandra was frustrated with herself. Really, really frustrated, since she knew that if she hadn’t yanked Jasmine so hard, she wouldn’t have propelled herself into reach of the horrible jellyfish building, and she would’ve saved Jasmine. She hadn’t had time to work that out, though, as the sight of one of its tendrils reaching for Jasmine had made her act on instinct.

  Bright blue light surrounded Xandra, searing her eyes as she twisted and turned in a strange space between worlds, trying to control her mana. The space was trying to rip the energy out of her core and veins, and Xandra gritted her teeth, muttering, “Oh no you don’t! I’m an imbecile, but you’re not taking that.”

  It wasn’t easy, but when compared to her usual exercises, it wasn’t that hard either, Xandra realized. It was less that the space was trying to take her mana than it was a mana void, and if someone didn’t have a strong mastery of their own mana, it would quickly drain them dry. She leaked some anyway, of course, mostly because she wasn’t used to putting so much effort into keeping mana in. Even so, she didn’t lose more than a tenth of her mana at most before the void warped again, almost like she was wrapped in a strange, soapy bubble that just… burst.

  The light vanished, and Xandra landed painfully on a hard surface covered in irregularly shaped objects. She landed hard enough she was sure she’d bruised something, and she gasped, wincing as she tried to stand, looking around. The air smelled of rot, and Xandra hissed as her right hand found something sharp that cut into it, hastily pulling away before she managed to get up. At least the floor seemed relatively level, aside from the objects she’d landed on.