“We didn’t believe him at first, but he persisted, insisting that only we could do the deed,” she defended. “With the poisonous mist in the forest, only my father and I could traverse the forest as we could heal ourselves as the mist afflicted us. We could purge it from our systems.”
“Do you know more about the mist?” Max asked as he thought of Adriana.
Elizabeth shrugged. “My vision became saturated in blues, but I healed the effects before they could affect me. It almost seemed like the mist followed me, as if it wanted to reach me.”
Max shook his head, even more puzzled by Adriana’s experience.
“Tolin spoke with my father alone, so I didn’t hear it all,” Elizabeth continued. “But I tried to listen to the conversation. He spoke of the Woodland Kingdom’s demise and the retribution this stone could bring, that the stone could even help restore the kingdom of my ancestors. I couldn’t overhear all of it, but that conversation profoundly changed something in my father. He became obsessed with the notion of this object, almost fanatical. That’s when he decided we must steal the stone. I insisted on going with him; my father was all the family I had left and my only connection to home.”
“Where’s your father now?” William asked, though he soon regretted it.
“Gone,” Elizabeth mumbled. “We entered the forest this morning and travelled into the caverns as Tolin instructed. We found the black stone where Tolin directed us and then stole it. But surrounding it were cohorts of repulsive creatures guarding it. They were the same creatures that ransacked and pillaged my old kingdom all those centuries ago; I remember the stories clearly.” She clenched her fist. “As we escaped, an arrow struck my father in the back – a fatal wound.”
William noticed Victoria gently take Elizabeth’s hand under the table.
“I knelt beside him and prepared to heal him, but he abruptly stopped me. He wouldn’t let me even try; he said that the wound was too dangerous and demanded that I run, and I did.” She paused. “He told me to keep this stone safe, and I did.”
Max didn’t respond at first. The three brothers thought about the night in the palace and the murder of their mother. “I’m sorry to hear about your father,” Max said.
William took a breath. “All of us know all too well what that kind of grief feels like,” he added.
“My father died for this stone,” she said quietly, but her expression hardened. “We can’t let it fall into the wrong hands. I won’t let it happen.”
Max paused. “Do you know the stone’s capabilities or purpose?”
“Not very well,” she answered, gathering herself. “Tolin said that the stone contained a great power, though he wasn’t specific about the power. He called it a power that could match even the forefathers themselves if wielded properly.”
Max’s brow rose in response to the last comment. “That would make it a very powerful stone indeed.”
“Which is why I must keep it safe and deliver it to Tolin,” Elizabeth replied. “He promised to rid the creatures of the forest and restore the Woodland Kingdom. That was the pact.”
“Where is he?”
“Durk’helm,” she replied as she pointed to a small point on the map in front of her, “at the centre of this realm.”
“The ancient library?” Max confirmed. “That place is plagued by conflicts; practically every kingdom vies for control over Durk’helm.”
“I must meet Tolin there.”
Max shook his head, redirecting his attention to the map. “And this,” he pointed, regaining his focus. “Where exactly is this map from? I haven’t seen a more detailed one before, not even close.”
“My father,” Victoria repeated, breaking her silence. “My father handed it down to me a long time ago.”
Everyone focused on Victoria. Max continued. “How do you know all of these places on the map?”
“The map possesses the ability to update after traveling to a location.”
“Like magic,” William blurted out.
“Yes, it’s magic.”
“So you have travelled to every point on this map?” Max shot back.
“For the most part, yes, but not all of them; this map was used before me.”
“By whom?”
Victoria shrugged. “It’s an old map.”
William’s curiosity peaked from hearing magic. “So what kind of magic does it use to…update itself?”
“Not the kind of magic you see these days,” Victoria answered. “It’s a much older kind, well before our time.”
“I don’t see any magic these days,” William nervously chuckled to himself.
Max shook his head in admiration and concern. “This map is…incredible,” he muttered and the others nodded.
“It has served me well.”
“Are there others,” Max objectively asked, “other maps like this?”
“Not that I know of, no,” Victoria responded. “I believe that only one was created, but I cannot be certain.”
William shook his head. “It’s impressive how many places you’ve travelled to.”
“I haven’t travelled to all of those places,” Victoria replied. “The map’s previous owner must’ve visited the rest. But don’t worry, Max,” Victoria assured as she looked to Max again, her gaze focusing on a small point on the map. “Brymar remains safe.”
Max stood up. “What do you people not know about us, then?”
Victoria fell silent.
“Come,” Max said to his brothers, tired of the confusion he felt. “We must leave and find our father.”
“I agree,” Rachel said, standing up too.
“No,” Richard called out. “We can’t leave this power unprotected. You heard what they said.”
Elizabeth nodded. “We need your help.”
“For what,” Max sarcastically called back, “what could we possibly do to help?”
William shrugged. “We have plenty of resources, and Brymar is safe,” he said. “That’s a start.”
Max strongly nudged his brother. “We need that for us to survive. This isn’t our fight.”
“But it is your fight,” Victoria interjected. “Their armies will come. The invaders will swarm across these lands and destroy everything, just like they did the Woodland Kingdom.”
Max shook his head.
“They want this power,” Elizabeth added as she gestured towards the stone on the table. “We can’t let them have it. We must bring it to Durk’helm.”
Victoria nodded in agreement.
“We will help you,” William spoke up, ignoring Max’s protests.
Elizabeth returned the stone to within her robes. “The stone is not safe within the walls of Orwell.” She paused, looking directly into William’s eyes. “We fear that Orwell has been compromised.”
Chapter XIII
“The gates are closed,” Adriana pointed ahead.
“And I see no guards atop the walls,” Brian said to his sister. “I don’t like this.”
“Why do we stop?” Aroden asked as he rode up next to them.
But he noticed the same anomalies. Torches burned atop the walls, plunging the inscriptions along their fronts into shadow, but without the guards beside them. No one passed through the closed front gates and little sound emanated from inside the city. The quiet contrasted with the cacophony of incessant sounds of the night’s insects echoing all around them. As the two moons hovered higher in the sky, the Artelian Forest appeared more menacing than ever, no doubt watching them from the distance as they sought refuge in Orwell. The chilly night air added to the jarring reality of Richard’s absence, one that hung heavily on Aroden’s conscience.
“We must return to my sons,” he firmly declared. “Something has changed within this city.”
“We should travel through the caverns,” Brian advised. “I don’t see another way into the city.”
“Very well,” Aroden said. “You’ll need to retrieve their horses. I suspect we’ll be leaving Orwell thro
ugh the caverns as well.”
“It will be done,” Adriana assured.
“We can return to Skee after leaving the city,” Brian suggested, “and search for Richard from there.”
Aroden nodded. “We will have to settle with that,” he muttered. “Lead us to the caverns, then.”
Brian motioned for two Arraci to retrieve the horses from the stables near the front gates and to meet them by the cavern’s entrance; he led the rest of them away from the city. Brian galloped down the road with Adriana beside him, their bows proudly displayed on their backs. After a short distance, just out of sight from Orwell’s massive walls, they slowed their strides until stopping beside a large, inconspicuous array of grey stone boulders. It appeared that a home once existed here, but had long been abandoned, leaving behind a scatter of bricks and decaying furniture on the ground. The entrance to the caverns was well hidden: a single door in the ground with a large boulder overtop. Anyone else would pass it without a second glance, but the Arraci knew its exact location
Brian dismounted first.
“I haven’t travelled through the caverns in many years,” Aroden said as he jumped off his horse.
“Not much has changed,” Brian responded as he secured the reins on top of his horse. “They’re still cold, damp, and full of echoes.”
Adriana looked to one of the Arraci still on his horse. “Take the horses to the oasis over there,” she said while pointing towards a patch of trees in the distance. “Await our return.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if you stayed out of the city?” Brian asked Aroden. “We can bring William and Max out of the city safely.”
“No, I will enter with you. I couldn’t bear waiting out here.”
Brian nodded. “Very well,” he said.
A few of the strongest Arraci helped remove the vast boulder to reveal the dark, wooden door leading into the ground. Brian grabbed the metal handle and pulled the door open to reveal a black interior with a chilling breeze and a sour odour pouring out. He glanced to Aroden, who appeared hesitant about descending into the abyss. Adriana peered into the pit and removed a torch-like object from within the fold of her garbs. After using a small contraption the Arraci made from two rocks, she struck a spark and lit the material, dropping it down the pit and illuminating the long ladder to the bottom.
“I’ll go first,” she said while stepping on the first rung down.
“I’ll take the back,” Brian said as he looked to Aroden. “We’ll bring a few more Arraci into the city this time to be safe. I’d rather bring more than we need than less.”
“Agreed,” Aroden said, still peering down the pit. “That ladder is safe?”
“It hasn’t broken so far,” Brian assured. “And we have a few heavy Arraci that descend it safely.”
Aroden nodded, reassuring himself. He was not the man he once was in his youth. “I’ll follow Adriana then.”
The rough rungs of the wooden ladder felt damper as he descended down the long, narrow tunnel in the ground. Only the rustling of movement from above and below the ladder broke the horrible silence. The smell reminded him of the forest’s revolting stench, though a dampened down version. It lingered. But what surprised Aroden the most was the freezing temperatures. Zed always complained about the bitterness of the cavern’s air; Aroden truly understood that now. It’s no wonder his home was always so cold.
Adriana jumped from the last few rungs and hit the ground, her feet sending ripples of sound through the caverns. She picked up the small torch and lit another one hanging on the wall beside the ladder. It lit up only a small room with jagged rock walls and a rock floor, a gentle mist of dust scattered along the surface. She lit another torch on the far side of the room before returning to the bottom of the ladder, offering a hand of assistance as Aroden descended the last rung.
“I don’t recall the ladder being so long,” he complained as his foot touched the ground. He noticed scorch marks at the base of the ladder and curiously looked up. “And what are those burn marks on the ladder?”
Adriana shrugged. “I always drop the torch down before descending. I once dropped it too close to the ladder and it caught fire.”
“I see,” he nodded.
Adriana didn’t respond as she surveyed the small room.
He looked around to gather his bearings. “I also don’t remember this room being so small. Where’s the exit?”
“We made this area more secure,” she said. “We formed another stone wall to protect the location of this entrance. It’s meant to appear natural to avoid curiosity.”
“Very good,” Aroden said. He pointed to the wall next to the second torch. “I only know it’s that one because I can feel the breeze coming from that way.”
Adriana nodded.
The Arraci kept coming down the ladder until, after thirty or so stood in the room, Brian descended last. With all of them standing around in the cramped room, Adriana pulled the base of one torch on the wall, which opened the movable wall. A strong current from the crease in the wall blew past everyone, violently shaking their flames and chilling Aroden to the bone.
Adriana pulled the wall completely open to reveal a pitch-black expanse of open area, a single pathway directly ahead with deep chasms along the sides; it appeared that two other paths ran parallel on either side, connected to the main ramp at the room’s entrance. Their torches lit only a few feet away. She turned around to face the rest, the outline of her face barely visible.
“Let’s go,” she said, holding the light in front of her. “Stay close to me.”
They walked slowly as Adriana navigated the turns and hollows. Aroden couldn’t see anything the whole way. Brian held a torch behind them, Adriana holding one in front, and that was all the light in these abysmal caverns. The shuffling of everyone sounded like the beating of drums in comparison to the silence.
But a sharp sound, one as palpable to the touch as sound to the ear, startled everyone. It bounced along the walls and echoed all around them. Its muffled voice, like that of a creature’s snarl, sent ripples down the Arracian lines. But the silence returned, and no one said anything at first.
Adriana stared back at the others, the light of the torch revealing her concern. Brian motioned for her to continue. Aroden turned to Brian, who maintained a calm face while staring at the floor. “Are the cavern’s safe?”
“Aside from the seemingly endless pits and treacherous ledges, we have yet to encounter any trouble.”
“But that sound…it sounded…alive.”
“We’ve never heard that before,” he admitted. “Perhaps it came from the surface somewhere. Sound travels far in these caverns,” he whispered.
Aroden wasn’t convinced. “It sounded close to me.”
The pace picked up after the noise. Adriana weaved them through the caverns quickly without incidence, stopping after hearing the quiet voices of people ahead. No doubt it was either a merchant or the helping hand retrieving something from the caverns to bring to the surface. If they were lucky, they’d run right into Zed moving his product up to the shop, since none of the Arraci had stayed behind to help him. Adriana extinguished her flame as the light from ahead poured through a small opening in the wall. She led them past it, peaking first to see if anyone stood close by, and motioned for the others to follow.
“At least the smell’s slightly better,” Aroden mumbled.
“Zed’s door should be unlocked,” Brian said from behind. “We told him we would be returning to the city through the caverns tonight before we left.”
“He won’t be expecting me, though,” Aroden said, “or this many Arraci.”
“No, but then again none of this day is expected,” Brian mumbled back.
The narrow passage then opened into a small cavity, an area directly beneath Zed’s shop. Adriana carefully rushed towards the ladder in front of them and started to climb the old wooden rungs. The rest of the Arraci followed her, with Aroden somewhere in the middle. A bright source of f
ire light poured into the darkness as Adriana pushed open the hatch to Zed’s living quarters. Aroden could hear Zed’s voice mumbling something to Adriana as the Arraci emerged from the caverns. He quickened his pace after hearing William’s name.
“Aroden,” Zed said the moment his head peaked above the floor boards.
“What is it?” Aroden responded as Adriana helped him to his feet, seeing the concern on her face. “Why do you sound so alarmed? And why aren’t you attending your shop?”
“Something is going on in the city,” he said. “I heard screams in the market place, but I haven’t heard anything since.”
“Screams?” Aroden asked.
“And the clanging of metal,” Zed added. “A fight must’ve occurred. I closed my shop’s doors the moment it happened, and I haven’t heard any guards.”
Aroden didn’t respond. Brian emerged from the caverns last and closed the door while speaking. “Do you know the scale of the fight?”
“No, but I don’t think it was large, and it didn’t last long.” He turned to his old friend. “But, Aroden,” Zed continued while placing a hand on Aroden’s shoulder to prepare him. “William and Max visited my shop earlier.”
“They left the house?” Aroden angrily exclaimed.
“They came in and asked about the crest along the marble fountain, hoping that a book in my library might shed some light on its origin or meaning.”
“Did they leave long before the fight?” Adriana asked quickly.
“No,” Zed answered. “The fight occurred moments after they left.”
Aroden’s heart dropped. “We must return to the house,” he declared to the Arraci as he hurdled towards the door, a hand clasped on his sword. “My sons are in danger.”
“I advise you stay here, Aroden,” Brian insisted. “If fighting has occurred in the city, there’s little reason to knowingly put you in harm’s way. Let us focus on William and Max.”
Aroden reluctantly conceded a nod. He decisively pointed towards the door. “Go, then, and find my sons.”
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The Secrets of Brymar (The Elitherian Fragments Book 1) Page 14
