“Who is she, William?” she whispered.
He shrugged, snapping out of his thoughts. “I truly don’t know,” he said, almost chuckling to himself from how surreal the day had become. “None of us do.”
“I don’t trust her then.”
“Well, she’s the reason my brothers and I are alive,” he said. “I’m certainly willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, all things considered.”
She nodded. “A fair point,” she conceded before motioning for him to walk ahead of her. She made eye contact with Brian and raised her arm. “We’re all accounted for,” she said just audible enough for him to hear.
Aroden turned to Brian, who stood at the front. “Lead us out of this ghastly place,” he said.
Brian nodded, holding a torch in one hand and his bow in the other. Max walked beside Aroden while William trailed slightly behind Elizabeth. Sounds of shuffling footsteps broke the silence. Zed trailed towards the very back, exhaling sharply with each stride. He glanced to Adriana behind him and tried to ignore her concern.
“I’ve been in that shop for too long, I think,” he commented to her.
“How long has it been?” she asked.
“At least ten years,” he said between breaths, trying to summon a broken smile. “I didn’t have to walk much in that place, let alone carry a sword or all these books.”
“Perhaps we all became a bit complacent,” she said. “I don’t think any of us were ready for this.”
She signalled to a few Arraci, who offered to carry the satchel of books. Zed hesitated, but gratefully handed the weight over.
Brian walked with a quick pace at the front, constantly staring at the ground; one wrong move and he would lead them off of a cliff. William stared around them, imagining what could be out there. The blackness surrounding them was disconcerting to say the least. Perhaps something watched them; perhaps the ping of an arrow leaving its bow would break the silence at any moment. His mind played tricks on him, and he huddled closer to the others. Aroden finally broke the silence towards the front, turning momentarily towards Elizabeth behind him.
“Have you travelled these caverns extensively, then?” he asked her. “You said your friend left the city through the caverns, too.”
“No,” she answered. “I know only the path from Victoria’s house to the exit.”
“Tell me more about this Victoria,” he said as he thought of Richard.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I’ll let her introduce herself once we reach Skee. I’d rather not talk about her when she’s not here.”
“Very well,” Aroden accepted, though his tone said otherwise, “even though she’s currently looking after my youngest.” He paused. “Then who exactly are you?”
“I’m Elizabeth,” she replied. “I am one of the few remaining Altoarans of the Woodland Kingdom.”
“Altoaran?” Aroden repeated, slowing his pace to face her. He thought quietly to himself, repeating the title again. “You are a healer from the Woodland Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
“No one has seen an Altoaran in over three centuries,” Aroden said. “And yet you walk with us today.”
“I’m not sure if any others exist.” Elizabeth said.
Aroden frowned, staring at the ground again as Brian led them. “No one knows exactly what happened to your people,” he muttered. “Their disappearance left the rest of the world baffled and concerned.”
“The same enemy we face today,” she quietly muttered, “overran my homeland within the Artelian Forest a long time ago. They invaded without any warning, vanquishing us within only a couple of days.”
“I’m sorry to hear about that,” Aroden said.
“It happened long before my time, during the time of my great ancestors and the rule of Elderlas.”
“King Elderlas,” Aroden confirmed, “the last known king of the Woodland Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
“If I recall my history correctly, the Altoarans were the aristocracy of your people, were they not? They served as the face of the kingdom and harnessed the power of your people.”
“You are correct. Only the Altoarans could wield magic, and they ruled the kingdom. It’s because of that fact that the invaders targeted my ancestors and the other Altoarans first. Once the ruling class fell to them, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the kingdom would succumb.”
“I see,” Aroden quietly said, sensing her discomfort and pain. He dared not ask another question about her past.
“Few escaped, if any. My family managed to flee in time only because of the king and my great ancestors. Everyone else died.”
Aroden didn’t respond.
Elizabeth sighed. “My father died earlier today,” she said, shifting uncomfortably as they walked. “Forgive me if I forgo any formalities.”
“I’d say we are well past formalities,” Aroden countered, slightly taken aback by her bluntness. He could feel all of the others grimacing, too. “You are in good company, Elizabeth, we assure you.”
Brian cautiously led them around every turn. The caverns slowly narrowed from the large chasms to smaller passages, replacing infinite pits of doom on either side of the passage for close, compact stone walls. The rough, uneven floor worsened as they progressed until they struggled to simply keep their footing. Several times William grabbed onto his brother for support, especially considering the torches provided little relief from the blindness. And it seemed the caverns were so cold they could put out the flames of the torch at any moment. After hearing a strange sound emanating from further ahead, William practically fell over as he jumped in alarm.
“I imagine sound travels far in these caverns,” he said to Max.
“Yes, it does,” Adriana answered instead from behind them all.
Another sound, like that of a growl, echoed around them, this one seemingly closer. “We heard those sounds earlier,” Brian said, “when we entered the city again.”
“It appears we’re not alone in these caverns, then,” Aroden said.
“Going faster would risk losing our way or worse,” Brian said, recognizing Aroden’s gesture to move faster. “We will be out of here soon at this pace. The exit is in the next opening.”
“Very well,” Aroden said. “I…”
“Look there!” Elizabeth interrupted while pointing. “We are being watched by the scouts of the enemy!”
Burning red eyes stared at them from the opposite wall, interrupted only by the seldom blinking. “The same eyes I saw in the forest,” Adriana called out.
The eyes looked up and the creature released a deafening call into the cavern, amplified ten-fold by the close proximity of the walls. “Kill it!” Aroden ordered as he covered his ears. “It alerts others to our location!”
Before he could finish his sentence, an arrow whizzed from Elizabeth’s bow towards the eyes, the only target in the cavern. Its calls boomed for only a few moments after her release, silenced by the thud of her arrow striking it through the right eye. The quiet returned to the cavern momentarily before being disturbed again as the creature plummeted down one of the pits, bouncing violently off of the walls, the sound reverberating all around them until its depth reached an inaudible level.
Everyone froze.
Brian rallied everyone into moving again. Their position was compromised; anyone in the cavern for miles would’ve heard such a raucous. He started to walk faster while he hovered the torch right above the ground; the time for caution had long passed. The stone beneath them gradually began to vibrate more as if a stampede rushed through the caverns. Indeed, they weren’t alone in these caverns, not at all, and whatever resided in there with them approached from afar. Their fears peaked as the mumble of cries and groans echoed from ahead. Brian charged into the final open cavity, sure of the final path, and broke into a run. Another yellow flicker of torchlight lit up on one side of the cavern with grunting and the stomping patter of footsteps in the distance.
They had to
reach the exit before the enemy.
Chapter XVIII
“They approach too quickly!” Adriana shouted from the back.
“We must hurry!” Brian ordered as he advanced them through the final large cavern. They ran down the central pathway towards the exit ahead, the torchlight from within illuminating the small room, with the ladder barely visible, beckoning them through the small opening in the vast wall in front of them.
Pathways led parallel to them on both sides with large openings further ahead, a connecting ramp linking to the central track. All of the Arraci readied an arrow, as did Elizabeth, and prepared to release at the first sight of movement. But focusing on not falling from the path unnerved all of them as they struggled to split their focus between aiming and maintaining balance. Brian’s torch barely lit the path ahead, but soon he hardly needed it; the light from the left flank’s parallel path grew brighter and brighter until finally the cavern became saturated with yellow light, their own pathway now clearly visible beneath their feet. He threw his torch ahead, fixating on the small opening at the end of the central pathway leading to the vast wall. He withdrew his bow.
“We must reach the exit before they do!” Brian shouted.
Adriana threw her torch off to the side, down the large pit next to them, and readied her bow. She took aim at the left flank, anxiously waiting for the first victim to emerge. A Fortari warrior emerged, its ragged clothes and beady eyes now becoming an all too familiar sight. The moment she saw movement, her arrow sung through the air and struck the creature through the chest, releasing a tormented screech. A responding howl of battle cries followed as more creatures emerged. In one swift volley, the Arraci released their arrows and the creatures all fell, many of them plummeting down into the abyss from their forward momentum.
After several volleys, Adriana briefly glanced to the right side and her vision saturated in blues, this time without the pain. A scatter of movement behind the wall surprised her as she focused on the outlines of more creatures. “More to the right!” she shouted and several of the Arraci were forced to redirect their attention, though none of them could see the same movement. “I know they are there, prepare for them!”
A torchbearer appeared on the right flank in the distance, turning to call to its comrades while pointing the torch. Adriana quickly killed the creature, but the light to the right continued to brighten as more torchbearers approached.
After they delivered further deadly blows to the enemy’s ranks on the left, a line of large, wooden shields with the haunting crest appeared in the front of the line, proving the volleys ineffective.
Before William could release his next arrow, Elizabeth gently touched the top of his shoulder while they ran, and her eyes lit up with a brilliant, light green glow.
William pulled the bow string further back and released an arrow. It soared through the air and pierced right through one of the enemy shields, embedding into the unsuspecting shield-bearer’s chest. It fell forward onto the shield, which opened a small vulnerability in the line. The Arraci capitalised on it and quickly aimed for the gap, dispatching several other creatures behind. William took a deep breath after the shot, inquisitively glancing at Elizabeth, who continued to hold onto his shoulder with her illuminated light green eyes. He quickly continued to release more arrows as he ran beside her, rendering the enemy’s shields useless, until the whole front line fell.
“Almost there!” Brian called behind him as the end of the cavern approached.
The right flank filled with more creatures, forcing Elizabeth to release William’s shoulder and aide the Arraci in covering the opposite side, but William could still feel his fingers tingling from the sensation and strength given to him through Elizabeth’s touch. At least twenty creatures appeared at once, most of them wielding swords with a few archers scattered around them. The Arraci aimed for the archers first, their volley sending many of their victims into the cavern’s pits. William continued to release arrows at the left flank, feeling that his shots remained stronger than usual. He tried not to think about what had just happened, instead focusing on reaching the exit before their foes.
They neared the doorway.
A horde of Fortari swordsman advanced from both flanks onto the main path in a final attempt to block the exit. These weak creatures, thankfully not strong like the Laskil assassins, were no match for the skilled Arraci. After only a couple of volleys, no more remained, leaving the entrance to the small room cleared. Brian reached the door first, jumping over the bodies littering the entrance, and quickly turned around to ensure the others made it through safely, too. Each one of them released a final arrow before passing into the room; several of the Arraci immediately climbed up the ladder in order to scout the area ahead. The last person, Adriana, rushed into the room.
They’d made it.
“Quickly, ascend to the surface,” Brian directed Aroden.
He obliged, following another Arraci up the ladder and practically gasping for air with each rung. Zed followed closely behind him with William and Max ascending next. The twins remained at the room’s entrance, along with Elizabeth, and released arrows upon seeing any movement ahead. Closing the wall would require the Arraci to push it, an action they simply didn’t have time to perform; they would have to hold the entrance to ensure the rest escaped first before following.
A few of the creatures managed to advance down the central pathway, now, likely having followed the group through Zed’s home. Adriana watched Elizabeth’s skill with a mixture of admiration and intimidation. One of the creatures appeared in the doorway with a sword raised. Before Adriana could react, Elizabeth’s arrow impaled the creature’s head. The few others that followed met the same fate, her arrows reaching them well before Adriana’s.
“Go,” Adriana said to Elizabeth. “Follow them up.”
After one more arrow, she ran to the ladder. The last of the Arraci climbed above her, the small specks of dust and dirt falling from above. Each rung shined a combination of warm glow and silver gleam from the torches below and the hovering moon directly above them. The air lightened as the others climbed the ladder, a welcome relief from the heavy, damp air of the caverns. As Elizabeth passed out of view on the ladder, Adriana turned to her brother, but was interrupted before she could speak.
“You next,” Brian called to his sister while the two of them backed up to the ladder. “I will be right behind you.”
Adriana grabbed onto the ladder and quickly climbed it, seeing Elizabeth exiting above. Aroden and the others stood on the surface feeling helpless while the others continued to escape. Max and William had both helped people at the top, practically yanking them out in preparation for the next person. As Elizabeth prepared to exit, William extended his hand again; she firmly grabbed it, gladly allowing him to help her out of the pit. She stared at him for a moment before releasing his hand, a quizzical look that William didn’t understand, but before he could speak to her she moved to the side to make way for Adriana and Brian.
Only the twins remained in the caverns. Max looked down the opening to see Adriana below. As she frantically climbed up, she turned, looking down to her brother, who was throwing his bow over his shoulder and starting on the ladder. Then she saw it.
A large, black cloaked figure stood at the entrance to the room.
“Brian, hurry!” Adriana shouted to her brother below. He was on the second rung and turned, seeing the figure behind him.
Adriana watched the figure in horror, a new, stronger enemy than the rest, with its burning blue eyes fixated on Brian. It withdrew a black bow from its back and readied a punishing, serrated black arrow upon the string, pulling it back and taking aim at Brian. Adriana wanted to reach for her own bow, but her hands couldn’t do it without falling from the ladder. Helplessly watching, she shouted another desperate warning to Brian. The enemy’s arrow would soon come.
All of a sudden, the cloaked figure jolted forward, releasing the arrow from its bow towards Brian.
>
Adriana screamed as Brian fell to the ground.
“Brian!”
Whilst still screaming for her brother, she directed her attention to the cloaked figure once more, waiting for another cruel arrow to take aim at her, helpless on the ladder. Instead, a wicked gargled screech came from beneath the hood as it fell to its knees, revealing a long shafted arrow embedded into its back. The white feathers and smooth black shaft were foreign to her, but she focused again on her brother. After a short pause, Brian stood up quickly, revealing the black arrow harmlessly on the ground beneath him. He shouted up to his sister to keep moving while he jumped onto the ladder again and climbed.
The creature continued to watch them as they rose, snarling and gargling as another arrow struck it in the back. The moment Adriana reached the top, Max hoisted her out of the cavern. He embraced her momentarily and ensured she was unhurt before focusing on the cavern entrance, staring down the ladder once more as Brian ascended.
As Brian rushed up the ladder, he glanced over his shoulder again at the kneeling foe. Another long arrow struck the cloaked-being through the throat, the sharp black arrow-head piercing straight through. It continued to try and gargle before falling silent; with one motion of its hand, brilliant blue flame engulfed the entire body. Brian saw the boots of another person standing behind the burning corpse before he continued to climb. As he reached the top of the ladder, taking one final glance beneath him, he felt two hands grab him from above and propel him out of the caverns.
The Arraci quickly replaced the wooden door over the pit and rolled the nearby boulder over top. Brian lay on the floor, staring up at the sky above him as he tried to process what had just happened. His heart pounded, the beat pulsating in his head as he gasped for air. Adriana rushed over to him and fell beside him, grabbing his hand and searching his body for any wounds. Max quickly knelt on the other side while several others huddled around him.
The Secrets of Brymar (The Elitherian Fragments Book 1) Page 20
