Nerti snorted, draining the smirk from Kerstand’s face. Despite his best effort, Farrell couldn’t stifle a laugh.
“It appears not everyone shares your opinion that you possess the superior wit.” When his friend sputtered for a response, Farrell reached over and clapped him on the shoulder. “But I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I value our friendship, even if you don’t laugh at my jokes.”
STEPPING THROUGH the Door into his bedroom, Farrell scanned the suite to be certain Lisle had finished and left.
“Hey, Ral. If you’re not doing anything too pressing, can you break away for the rest of the day and meet me at our rooms?”
“Is anything wrong?” The concern in Miceral’s voice made Farrell feel guilty. His sullen mood had Miceral on edge.
“No, just feeling a bit needy today. Something time with my favorite person will easily fix.”
Farrell felt Miceral’s mental laugh. “The calendar is light. I’ll tell Father I’m spending the day with you and be home soon.”
“DID YOU know there are permanent open Doors throughout Haven?” Farrell asked his partner as they walked down an empty corridor. Miceral carried the food they’d picked up from the kitchen.
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll take that as a no.” Farrell chuckled. “Have you never wondered how it’s possible to walk from either side of the mountain to our room in less than an hour?”
Coming to an abrupt halt, Miceral stared blankly at him for a moment. “Amazing. It’s so obvious, but until now, I never made the connection.”
“Few people do. There’s no point of reference underground, so it’s hard to gauge distance.”
Squeezing Farrell’s hand, Miceral began walking again. “What prompted that question?”
“Kerstand asked about it on the way to meet Nerti and Nordric.” Farrell pulled them to a stop and pointed to a spot on the wall. “See here? This is the Door for this section. The energy lines are embedded in the walls. But if you look closely, you’ll notice the rock on this side is not a perfect match to the rock on the other side.”
Miceral looked where Farrell indicated. “By Lenore, there is a difference. It’s plain as day when you know where to look. Why did you build Haven like that? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just build as you go?”
“There were several reasons. First was ease of travel. The eastern and western gates are more than a full day’s walk apart. And that means walking fast, night and day. By employing a Door, there was no need to open a tunnel the entire way.”
Miceral nodded. “Sounds logical.”
“So glad you approve.” Farrell rolled his eyes dramatically, drawing a mock glare. “The other major reason was space. After the survivors from Endor arrived, Erstad and I discussed the possibility that refugees from the other kingdoms would likely need sanctuary at some point. It was impossible to estimate how much space we would need, so we left unused space in between each new enclave in case we needed to expand one or more.”
Farrell watched for a reaction as they passed another portal. Nothing.
“There are also areas that can’t be used without expending a great deal of magic to alter the rock. Other places contained mineral deposits that we wanted to be able to mine. We had to work around all those things when creating new living space.”
“All that makes sense, but why keep the Doors’ existence a secret?”
“We didn’t hide them to keep them secret. They were hidden to prevent injuries.” Farrell noticed Miceral look at their linked hands. “Exactly. The damage to my hands was through strong shielding. Imagine if someone with no shielding touched an energy line.”
“I’d rather not after seeing the raw meat they turned your hands into.”
Somehow they returned to that day Farrell wanted to forget. Despite the urge to withdraw into his thoughts, he pushed ahead. “The hardest part was opening a Door in what is essentially a nondescript stone corridor. It took many frustrating months before Erstad came up with the current system. It’s a bit technical, so I won’t bore you with the details.”
“You can tell me. I like listening to you talk about magic.”
“Why?” He scanned Miceral’s face looking for some hint of sarcasm.
“Because you get so excited when you try to explain something clever.” Miceral’s smile made Farrell blush. “And you’re good, very good, at magic, and you enjoy talking about it.”
“Hopefully there are other things I’m good at you’d rather discuss.”
Raising an eyebrow, Miceral leered at him. “Those things I’d rather do together in private.”
“Lecherous old man.” Farrell moved closer for a kiss. “But I like your thinking.”
Laughing, Miceral brought Farrell’s hand to his lips. “Figured you would.”
“However”—before things moved too far down that path, Farrell decided to change topics—“here’s something not widely known. Heminaltose didn’t create Haven.”
“Really?”
Farrell noted the dust kick up as they walked down the rarely used corridor. “The Great Hall was already here, albeit smaller than its present size, but Heminaltose built most of what we consider the main complex.”
“Who built the Great Hall, then?”
“Dwarves.”
“Dwarves?” Miceral’s expression surprised Farrell.
“You couldn’t tell? I mean, who else builds doors like the eastern gate?”
“Right, but….” Miceral craned his neck, checking out the tunnel again. “There hasn’t been a dwarf spotted in the Seven Kingdoms in centuries.”
“Millennia, actually.” Farrell tried not to smile. “These tunnels we’re in right now are at least five thousand years old.”
“Does any of this have to do with where we’re going?”
Now he couldn’t hold back a grin. “Maybe.”
Miceral laughed. “Maybe? That’s all I get?”
“Well, it is privileged information, but as concubine to the Lord of Haven, I suppose you’re trustworthy enough.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Miceral, earning a deep, loud laugh that echoed off the tunnels. “For years after Heminaltose discovered this place, he and his students cataloged and charted everything they found.”
They turned a corner and came upon a dead end. Farrell touched a stone in front of him, and the wall vanished in a flutter of light. “This marks the southern boundary of Haven. Heminaltose closed it to almost everyone to preserve what’s south of here.”
He summoned dozens of globes of wizard’s light and sent them into the pitch-black corridor. “These tunnels are miles long. Master Heminaltose created permanent Doors at various intervals to help with travel and exploration.”
After they walked a few paces, Farrell pointed back to where Haven ended. A statue of Honorus stood to the left and one of Lenore on the right. “With this spot firmly in his mind, he would open a Door to this location, then bind it to make it permanent. If you would like to see what permanent Doors look like dormant, give me your hand and you can look through my eyes.”
Miceral hesitated “You know how much I dislike mind magic.”
“I know, but the amulet already gives you the power to enter my mind. All you need do is concentrate on me as you would when we speak mind to mind. Once you have a link to me, focus on looking through the link.”
“I can do this anytime I wish?”
“Anytime I don’t resist.” He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis. “Even the smallest resistance can thwart all but the strongest minds. But since I won’t be resisting, you’ll have no problem.”
“It’s that easy for you?”
Farrell cocked his head to the right. “What’s that easy?”
“Trusting me. You’re not worried about what I might do when inside your mind?”
He shook his head and looked down. “No, I’m not. I couldn’t be with you like I am if I doubted you. I thought you knew that.”
Miceral reached out and tilted Farrell’
s chin up. “I’m sorry. I do know how much you trust me. Sometimes I get so caught up in my dislike of someone else in my head that I forget the someone is you.”
“I know.” Farrell inched closer and pressed their lips together. “Forget I asked and let’s keep going. I think you’ll really like what’s ahead.”
“Wait.” Miceral grabbed Farrell’s arm. “I want to see what it looks like.”
“Ral, you don’t have to do this. I’m sorry I even suggested it.”
“I know I don’t, but I want to.” He rubbed the back of Farrell’s hand. “I want to experience the things you want to share with me.”
He almost asked Miceral for confirmation but decided not to risk a different answer. Closing his fingers around Miceral’s hand, he opened the link to his mind. “You don’t need to close your eyes, but it might help this first time.”
“Then what do I do?” The hint of anxiety nearly made Farrell call it off.
“Reach out like you’re going to speak to me.” He waited until he felt Miceral’s mind touch his. “Now relax. Can you feel my tug in your head?”
“Yes!”
“Good, now follow it with your mind until you can see what I’m seeing.”
Miceral’s clumsy attempt tickled Farrell, but he kept control as Miceral traced the line Farrell created to his sight. Once certain his partner saw what he did, Farrell engaged his wizard’s sight, and the lines of power flared to life.
“Amazing!” Miceral nearly jerked his mind away, forcing Farrell to clamp down to keep it locked in. “Is this how the world looks to you?”
“Only when I use my wizard’s sight. This is what the hidden energy lines of the permanent Doors look like dormant.” He caught himself before he looked over. “Watch as I open the Door.”
Farrell extended his hand, moving with the slow, deliberate pace of a novice. He watched the energy engulf his hand and remembered the day Heminaltose taught him how to open a Door. A burst of light jumped from his hand to the space between the lines. The energy flattened and spread out until it filled the entire space. An instant later, a brilliant flash of light filled his wizard’s sight.
Miceral leaped back, pulling their hands apart and breaking the link. “Great Lenore!”
“Worth using a little mind magic to see?”
“Only a little.”
“Good thing what I really want to show you is more interesting. Wouldn’t want to bore you too much.” Reaching for his partner’s hand, he led them forward.
When they cleared the Door, Farrell waved his hand, and it winked shut. “As part of my chores as a novice, I helped explore and map this tunnel. It extends at least ten miles south. Master Heminaltose believed there were other exits along the route, so I set out to find one. One day during my search, I found this place.”
Miceral scanned the corridor before he shrugged. “What’s so special about here?”
Farrell placed a hand on the wall and grasped an iron ring he knew only he could see. As he leaned back, the wall moved with him. Slowly the outline of a door emerged, twelve feet high and six feet wide, growing more pronounced by the second.
“This is a side entrance.” He conjured a ball of blue energy and sent it into the opening. “The main gates are farther south.”
“Side entrance to what?” Miceral craned his neck up and around.
“Patience. You’ll find out soon enough.” Pointing to his left, Farrell sent the ball of light whizzing down a long, narrow corridor. Wall sconces flared to life as the globe flew past. Miceral kept quiet as they walked, examining the various scenes etched into the rock. After several minutes, the walls and ceiling disappeared, leaving them in a cavernous, column-filled room. Balls of light zoomed from behind them, finding homes in sconces about the new room. Even these proved insufficient for light to reach the vaulted ceiling.
They walked around columns so thick, three men could join hands and not fully circle the stone supports. Light from the globe of wizard’s fire that hovered near Farrell glimmered off the precious metals and gems decorating the columns.
Farrell pointed toward a set of massive doors, held shut by several slabs of stone, each wider than a man was tall. Hallways similar to the one they used radiated around each side of the entrance. “Come on, what we really came to see is this way.”
Farrell led them to a wide avenue directly opposite the doors. Flanked by ten-foot statues of heavily armed dwarves, the portal felt anything but welcoming.
“This place is amazing.” Miceral touched the cool stone almost reverently. “My people lived in Northhelm almost three millennia, and we never achieved anything close to this.”
“This?” Farrell’s amusement leeched into his voice. “You haven’t begun to scratch the surface of amazing.”
Their steps echoed around them as they passed dozens of stone sentries carved with such detail, Farrell expected them to leap off their perches and challenge his admittance. The air felt cooler moments before the tunnel opened on all sides. Their path ended a couple of steps beyond the tunnel, leaving them looking down on an open space. Stairs leading up and down stood empty on both sides. The small globe created tiny twinkles as it flickered over Farrell’s shoulder, but otherwise failed to illuminate more than a few feet beyond the pair.
“Give me your hand. It’s easier to fly than walk from here.”
Miceral’s warm hand touched his, and he laced their fingers together. Slowly, Farrell pulled them off the platform and into the emptiness below. They passed a column as wide as their bedroom, drawing a whistle from Miceral.
“Let me light our way a bit better.” Feeding his globe more energy, he sent the rapidly expanding ball higher. Beyond his sphere, a dim point of light appeared, getting brighter as the globe approached. A heartbeat later, an enormous flash blinded the pair.
Farrell felt Miceral’s hand nearly crush his before the pressure eased back. “Honorus’s balls, Farrell, you could have warned me.”
“Sorry. It’s been a while and I forgot how bright the flash is.”
“What just happened?”
Farrell smiled and swept his arm around the now lit cavern. Visible below, a city larger than Belsport sat in eerie silence. Wide boulevards ran straight and true north/south and east/west, creating perfect grids filled with low stone buildings. A hundred feet above the floor, an empty balcony ringed the entire cavern. Rows of windows stretched skyward, reaching at least a third of the way to the ceiling.
Across from them, at the far end of the city, a wide swath of ground sat empty and unused. Above this open space, temples to the gods stood lonely watch over the abandoned city.
“How’s this for amazing?” Farrell asked.
The smile Miceral flashed him said more than words. “Beyond anything I’ve ever imagined. I can’t believe you kept this from me this long.”
“Hey”—he moved the pair westward toward the temples—“I need to keep a few surprises or else you’ll tire of me before long.”
Leaning over, he kissed Farrell’s cheek. “Never happen.”
Fumbling for a comeback, Farrell pointed up. “To answer your earlier question about the light, there’s an incredible crystal in the roof of this chamber. It is massive, easily bigger than our entire suite. The crystal collects and stores light, then amplifies it before releasing it slowly. My little ball of light will fuel the crystal for weeks if I don’t turn it off.”
Given the deceptive size of the city, Farrell increased their speed. The temples drew closer, revealing their true size. Honorus’s empty home sat in the center, bordered by three more on each side. All seven showed signs of destruction and decay.
“This city is so old, worship to Neldin was still common.”
“Neldin?” Miceral stared hard at the looming buildings. “When did anyone ever worship the God of Evil?”
“When the world was new, Neldin was the God of the Dead, not of evil. While death wasn’t worshipped, offerings were still made in the name of the dead. Heminalto
se’s research suggested it was never large, but it was active.”
Miceral nodded. “That makes sense, I suppose. But which temple is his?”
“His temple would have been immediately to the right of Honorus’s, where we find Khron’s temple now. Seritia’s temple is also destroyed, and there is damage to each of the other five.”
“An odd pairing.” Miceral turned toward Farrell. “I mean, it’s odd that the temples of the Goddess of Love and of Death were destroyed.”
“Indeed. It’s a mystery we never solved.” He flew them closer to a temple to the right of Neldin’s. “Khron’s temple also saw fierce fighting, if the scars on the walls are any indication. But if I remember my lessons correctly, dwarves generally worship the God of War, so it makes sense.”
“Are there any hints as to what happened?”
“None.” Farrell shook his head. “Well, none other than the worst fighting seemed focused around the temples.”
“A religious war?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He lowered them onto the stone balcony. “For much of recorded history, the temples controlled most aspects of life. Did you know that in Kel’s time, the temples trained wizards? So it’s possible the temples in this city controlled the army as well.”
Farrell’s foot kicked a spearhead that clanked as it moved. Kneeling, Miceral turned the hammered steel in his hand. “Since we can’t go back in time, I suspect we will never know for sure.”
“Maybe,” Farrell said absently.
Miceral stopped walking. “Are you joking? You can travel back in time?”
“No, of course not.” Shaking his head quickly, he started walking. “No one can go back in time, but I have a theory on how I can look back through time. I’ve not tried it, but I’m sure it will work.”
Miceral shook his head, laughing. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Sure, there are many things I can’t do—yet.” He gave Miceral a wink. “But give me time. I’m still young for a wizard.”
Miceral pulled him close for a quick kiss. “In that case, how about you find us a place to eat lunch.”
Champion of the Gods, Books 1-2 Page 39
