Adriana inquisitively glanced to her brother.
The outside fell silent after a volley of whizzing arrows from the flank killed the remaining swordsmen and archers, the rest of the archers thudding on the ground or on the rooftop as an arrow struck them. Those trapped in the house could see the enemy fall, but they took cover against the same wall; they’d heard enough volleys of arrows to know not to stand blindly. They sat there quietly, listening to the rustling sounds outside.
An Arracian peeked through the hole in the wall once more, observing one of the fallen archers from the rooftop. “That wasn’t an attack just now; they were fleeing from something that killed the archers on the rooftop.”
“Adriana! Brian!” a voice called from outside.
They all recognised the voice right away. “Max!” Adriana called out as she stood, her face elated.
Brian’s, on the other hand, darkened. “Max?”
After peering through the window, they left the house to meet the others, all twenty of them, led by Max and Rachel. “Where have you been?” Brian demanded, though Adriana appeared more relieved than him. “And why did you come here?”
“We met with father in the markets. We came to lead you out of the city.” He paused and remembered. “I must grab my bow from the house and William’s, too.”
Brian motioned for them to start walking down the street, ordering another one of the Arraci to pick up the bows instead of Max. “You left the safety of Zed’s home with your father and threw yourself into danger to save us,” Brian angrily shot back. “That’s what we do for you!”
They started to move down the street towards the marketplace. “Thank you,” Adriana called out, ignoring her brother’s tone.
Max nodded to her and redirected his attention to Brian. “Of course I came for you,” he firmly stated. “And I would do it again.”
“That’s not how…”
“Yes it is,” Max interrupted. “That’s exactly how it works. Stop trying to change that,” Max demanded and Brian’s expression softened.
They reached the tiered, marble fountain, its water almost entirely black, with a few corpses lined around it.
“Thank you,” Brian finally mumbled.
Max glanced around at a few of the bodies. “There are more here than when we passed through,” he said. “And look at them.”
They stopped momentarily to inspect one of them. While the others lay in a pool of black blood, either impaled by a blade or with an arrow protruding from their bodies, the one they focused on lay with a gaping hole through its chest. Its open eyes of horror made even Max cringe as he stared right through its chest at the stone floor beneath it, a few of the body’s organs leaning into the void from the partially cauterised skin. Max raised a hand to his nose to combat the stench of death.
“What happened to them?” Adriana asked. “What could cause such a wound?”
“Not one of our weapons,” Brian said as they passed it.
“The same thing happened to a few of the archers on the rooftop,” one of the Arraci said. “I saw through the hole in the wall when it happened to them, a strange light made that wound.”
“Magic,” Rachel proposed while walking behind them.
“Magic?” Brian repeated.
“We saw destructive magic like this earlier,” Max added.
“What happened to you?” Brian asked in amazement as they ran down the staircase into the market district, Zed’s door in clear view ahead of them. “Where did you go?”
“I can explain later,” he answered. “Aroden awaits us in Zed’s home with William.” Max paused. “And Adriana,” he called back to her. “Richard is safe.”
Her face lit up.
“I will explain it in the caverns, too,” Max assured. “But for now let’s leave this horrible place.”
*************************************************************
“They are gone,” Victoria told Richard.
“There were so many of them,” Richard whispered back.
“I fear that more dwell further into the caverns,” she said while standing up from leaning on the wall. She patted Richard’s horse. “And we don’t want to be here when they show up.”
The light faded entirely from the passing troves of armed Fortari, the bitter cold and damp darkness returning to mask the treacherous path. Richard held onto Victoria’s shoulder as his eyes adjusted to the darkness once more, his horse timidly following behind. A wretched smell still lingered around them, and Richard felt as though he might throw up; he missed the smells of fresh bread in Orwell’s markets or the crisp morning air carrying the dew from Orwell’s clean fountains. He’d never smelled death like this before today. Holding onto Victoria and the reins of his horse forced him to sheath his sword, an odd discomfort in the current circumstance. After his eyes slowly adjusted, he removed his hand from Victoria, barely detecting her outline ahead of him, and tightly grasped his sword again along with his horse. At least he had one friend down here that he knew.
“How much further?” he quietly asked.
“Just to the other end of this cavern,” she said. “Not far.”
Richard nodded, though he knew she probably wouldn’t see this gesture. He thought about his current predicament. The silence made him uneasy. “So is Victoria your real name?” he asked, wanting to talk to pass the time.
“No, it isn’t my real name,” she said, “but you wouldn’t be able to pronounce my real name. It’s in a different language, one that you’d struggle to articulate.”
“Could I not learn it?” he prodded.
“No,” she dismissed, almost stumbling in front of them. “I need to focus, Richard. My vision might be amplified compared to yours, but I still can’t fully see in the dark. Most of this is from memory rather than what I can actually see.”
Richard raised an eyebrow. “That’s comforting to know…sorry for distracting you then,” he muttered before falling silent.
“I didn’t mean for that to sound angry,” Victoria said, sensing Richard’s tone.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I tend to talk when I’m nervous, and I’ll admit I’m pretty nervous right now.”
“Understandably,” she said. “We’ll be okay though, we’re almost out.”
Another sound echoed around the cavern, forcing them to stop and conjuring a disapproving squeal from either the horse or Richard.
“That sound came from far away,” she said, “only augmented by the echoes.”
“Do you think they’ll reach my family before they escape the city?”
“Yes,” Victoria nodded. “I fear they will. But they won’t be alone.”
“How are you so sure?”
“An ally of mine helps us,” she said, “one that will ensure we all escape.”
“You never mentioned another,” Richard complained.
“There wasn’t need.”
His brow lowered. “You make it difficult to trust you if you decide not to tell us everything from the start.”
Victoria ignored his remark. “We will be out of here soon, Richard. In that, you must trust me.”
Richard hesitantly nodded, his gaze searching the black surroundings as he pondered the countless pits of death, likely right next to him but out of view. “I suppose I don’t really have a choice right now,” he answered.
*************************************************************
Zed’s door swung open.
“You return,” Aroden called out as soon as Max walked through the door. He saw the twins next to him, “and with Brian and Adriana.”
“Time to leave,” Brian called out as he rushed them into Zed’s back room, the others still standing by the door. “Collect the stores of arrows here,” he ordered his fellow Arraci.
The Arracian, who’d directed their shots at the house, spoke up before the others could follow Brian into the back room. “Something else attacked them before Max arrived,” he said. “It killed several of the archers on
the rooftops.”
“We believe it was magic,” Rachel added, “but don’t know who did it.”
Aroden stopped, digesting the information. “There hasn’t been a report of magic in these regions for centuries,” he answered. Elizabeth remained quiet beside him as he looked to her.
“Who is she?” Adriana asked while inspecting Elizabeth.
“She saved Richard,” William answered and shrugged, “and Max and me, too.”
Max interjected. “I brought back your bow from the house. I think we’ll need them now.” He paused with a solemn expression. “This isn’t an archery competition anymore, is it brother?”
“No, it isn’t,” William said and shook his head. One of the Arraci handed him his bow and a quiver of Arracian arrows. “Not at all,” he muttered under his breath.
“So my time in Orwell comes to an end, too?” Zed said, which broke his silence from the side of the room. “I must finally leave this place for good?”
“Yes, old friend,” Aroden answered with a pat on the shoulder as the rest of them passed into the back room. “I’m afraid it’s time.”
Zed nodded, the reality sinking in. He took a few moments in his shop alone, leaving the rest of them in the back room. Each hanging piece on the wall, the display cases and the main counter at the back, they’d all become a part of him. The thought of leaving troubled him. While everyone rummaged in the other room, Zed took a moment of peace in his shop to reflect on the last ten years or so; he thought of all the familiar faces he’d leave behind, the talk of their families, their children, and the fate they might face after all of this. He could feel his chest tightening.
In the back room, Zed could hear as the group planned the long journey ahead.
“We will be in Skee by sunrise,” Brian said to Aroden as the first few Arraci started to quickly descend the ladder into the caverns below, “and in Brymar within two days of hard riding as long as we take few breaks.”
“Windrunner,” William grimly muttered to himself, thinking of his best friend’s fate. He securely fastened his bow and quiver to his back and looked to Brian.
“We brought them close to the exit of the caverns when we returned to Orwell. We saw the gates were closed and knew we’d need to use the caverns.” Brian patted William on the shoulder. “He’s safe.”
“Good,” William sighed in relief as he thought of his friend. “Thank you.”
“And then you will explain all of this chaos to us,” Aroden said while staring at Elizabeth.
She nodded.
Zed walked into the back room again and closed the door behind him for the last time, securely locking it. “I’ll need to pack a few of my things while everyone descends the ladder,” he said with a melancholy smile to the rest. “I’ll be quick.”
“Of course,” Aroden said, seeing the pain in his friend’s eyes. They watched Zed walk up the thin wooden stairs and into his bedroom chamber above. “He will miss this place terribly,” Aroden mumbled to himself. “It has been good to him.”
“But now something else festers in this city,” Adriana said. “Orwell is no longer the place we knew.”
Aroden nodded. “He will make a new life in Brymar, I am sure of it.”
After about half of the Arraci descended, Brian went down the ladder. Only a brief amount of time passed before Zed emerged from his quarters again wearing a simple suit of armoured clothing. Over his button down white shirt and long trousers rested several thin, silver metal plates, the largest across his chest with similar smaller ones over his thighs and knees. Upon his back hung a large, round shield with the crest of Sumnersen, a soaring bird of some kind with massive open claws, with a matching long metal sword hanging attached to his belt. He even wore a helmet, a simple strong, golden metal plate on the top with feathered designs extended towards his face. He carried an old, large brown sack made of thinly worn leather over his shoulder and a long, rough wooden walking stick in his other hand.
“I am ready,” he said while the others stared. Much time had passed since he’d worn his armour. It felt alien even to him and fit slightly more snuggly than he remembered. “I must bring some of my books, though.”
Max noticed his bag was almost empty. “What books will you bring?”
“The ones with the crests,” Zed answered as he picked them up off the table by the fire, “and a few others I can’t leave behind.” One by one he picked books off of the shelf, stuffing the large bag full of them. “You have copies of most of these in Brymar, but I must bring the rare ones with us.”
“Very well,” Aroden nodded.
“You should come down next,” Brian called up to the brothers, “followed by Aroden and Zed.”
“And I will come down last,” Adriana said.
*************************************************************
“I see the staircase,” Victoria whispered.
“Well, I can’t see it, but I believe you,” Richard shrugged. “I’ve given up trying to see anything.”
“It’s there.”
She pointed towards the opposite side of the cavern, where a grand stone staircase led upwards. It represented a beacon for them, a sliver of hope and their only way out of this miserable place. She slowly led them across the treacherous pits and opted to simply hold onto his arm. Too many times he’d almost fallen, and she couldn’t risk it again. His horse, on the other hand, navigated quite well considering. It even helped guide Richard at times.
“Can you hear anything else?” Richard asked. “Do you still hear movement?”
“Yes, it’s still in the distance.”
Richard didn’t respond.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Victoria reassured. “They have the Arraci and Elizabeth with them.”
“This whole fighting and violence is new to me. I’ve never been in a fight before today.”
“You never become accustomed to it,” Victoria said. “But it’s numbing, you learn to live with it.”
“My heart is racing all the time,” he said. “And I feel like I’m always out of breath no matter how much I breathe.”
“It’ll pass,” Victoria assured. “When you see the others, you’ll feel better.”
They finally reached the staircase across the way and Victoria released his arm, running her hand over the smooth stone wall and taking one last glance at the inscriptions on it. She noticed Richard stood frozen as soon as she let go of him, like a blind man without a stick, and pulled him towards her, placing his hand on the wall.
“Follow this up,” she said.
“Is this the staircase?”
“Yes.”
He sharply exhaled. “It’s right in front of me and I still can’t see it. When will we be out of here?”
“Soon,” she replied. “This will lead into a small cave system above, which will lead us to the surface.”
Richard grunted as he almost tripped over the first step. The two of them and the horse slowly ascended the steps. “So, have you seen much battle in your life time?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes, more than you can imagine. I’ve seen a lot in my lifetime,” Victoria interrupted. “You see the trends of conflict, how history repeats itself. I fought alongside your ancestors when the Northern Tribes attacked from the mountains in the Natavarn Wars. I fought in the Raldari Province when the Lorken rebelled. I fought to the East when the Navarine Kingdom attacked the Brutean one. I’ve seen much battle in my life, Richard, and it’s always the same.”
He didn’t respond, recognizing the frustration in her voice. “So how old…”
Another snarl from the darkness startled him.
“That sounded different from the rest,” Victoria said. Another groan echoed around them and Richard quickened his pace up the large stair case, his horse carefully ascending beside him. “I hear more activity than before. Their pace quickens.”
“What does that mean?”
Victoria stopped to listen. “I fear they’ve found s
omething.”
*************************************************************
“Just a few more rungs, William,” Max said as he waited at the base of the ladder. “Watch your step at the bottom. The ground isn’t even.”
He stepped off the last rung and stumbled a bit, caught by Max.
Max patted his brother’s back before walking towards Brian, who stood at the front with a torch. William turned his attention back to the ladder, where Elizabeth descended quickly. Her light blue dress swayed in the gentle breeze through the caverns, and William’s attention snapped back to the ground. As she neared the bottom, he extended his hand out to help, but she shook her head without a smile.
“I’m fine,” she said, talking to the hand.
William retracted his hand quickly, his glance returning to the ground again. “Of course,” he muttered, “I know you don’t need help.”
Her foot gently touched the ground and she looked at him, her light green eyes staring into him in the gentle torchlight. “Thank you for the offer,” she said, her expression softening. “I’m just not used to kind gestures. That’s all.”
She walked away, leaving William standing at the base of the ladder, watching. He briefly pondered her words, but was quickly diverted back to the next person stepping off the ladder. He shivered in his light attire, but tried to stay focused on the task at hand. The events of the day hadn’t quite processed yet; he’d fought battles today, killed another living being in order to save his own life, and heard of the possibility of an imminent destruction of everything from a single smooth ovular stone in a complete stranger’s hand, the same person that saved him and his two brothers from certain death. All of this would certainly take some time to process, leaving him feeling slightly numb and his thoughts scrambled.
After the rest of the Arraci descended, Adriana stepped on the ladder at the top and closed the door to Zed’s home, shutting the light out and plunging the place into an even deeper darkness. She stepped off the ladder last and turned to face William, who stared into the abyss around them.
The Secrets of Brymar (The Elitherian Fragments Book 1) Page 19
