Zekfran frowned and paused before speaking, sending a chill down all of their spines. “I do not know who it is. I was only told that you would find him at the Black Spire. They say you will recognize him though how, I do not know, but that devils place is where you must go next.”
Ashrak stared incredulously at the spirit of his father, anger sliding over him. He could see the same look on his Sisters face as both of them stepped forward, but the next moment everything changed. They were back on the small, stone pathway before the gate which was still swirling peacefully. The lake was around them, reflecting not only the faint glow from the mist but also their startled faces. Suddenly, they heard a cry of alarm from the shore and spun, watching as Nilesh and Chari raced toward them.
Chapter 22
“Where were you!” Chari screamed, sobbing as she crashed into Ashrak’s arms. Ashrak wrapped her in a hug as emotions clashed and battled within him. He was relieved that they were back and safe, but also angry and confused at the encounter in that other place with his father. Instead of saying anything, he just gritted his teeth and embraced the warmth that was Chari.
Nilesh skidded to a stop behind Chari. “By the circle, we thought you were dead. We were just about to leave the caves and look for a way out.”
“You were just about to leave?” Daka said angrily. “Rather low on loyalty, aren’t you? We were absent for an hour at most. I would have at least hoped for half-a-day even from an assassin.”
Nilesh shook his head in confusion. “An hour? It has been three days.”
Daka sputtered and was just about to start arguing with the diminutive man when Fallon held her hand up. “Wait, there’s no telling what strange magic that other place held. Besides, why would he lie?”
“I’m not lying.” Nilesh offered. “It’s been three days or a little over that. I’ve been sneaking back up to the entrance and checking on the sun regularly. It's the morning of the fourth day. You say you’ve only been gone for an hour?”
Ashrak lifted his face up from Chari’s hair and nodded. “Yes, only an hour, if that. I can’t tell you where we were, but it was an alien place. I’ve never seen the like.”
Nilesh sighed and nodded, accepting what they’d said without further question and Chari was still too upset to speak. “Well, sounds like you have a story to relate, then. Come back to the fire and tell us. It will give us all time to figure out what to do and maybe I can discern something from the book about what you experienced.”
The rest of them nodded, and they all moved back to the shore of the underground lake. The four companions began to relate the curious, if short, tale of their travel through that place on the other side of the gate. Nilesh and Chari were amazed at the description of the strange alien beings and were even more astounded at the appearance of Ashrak and Ellian’s father. None of them were pleased with their next destination, however.
“The Black Spire,” Nilesh said slowly as he poked absently at the fire. “That is not good news. The likelihood of a contract being out on us is high, and even if that were not the case, they do not suffer trespassers in their lands.”
Ellian nodded angrily. “No one goes there, and those that do are never heard from again. How are we supposed to find some strange guide there when we’ll most likely meet with poison arrows or worse? This quest is suicide and madness even to contemplate going there.”
“What else are we supposed to do?” Chari asked from Ashrak’s arms. “How do they communicate with the outside world? They have to get their contracts somehow? Maybe we can reach them that way rather than go there directly.”
Everyone lapsed into silence and either stared into the fire or out over the lake, deep in thought. Finally, Fallon spoke, her quiet voice drifting into the quiet. “They have contacts in small villages outside of their borders. We could try heading for one of those and send a message. It’s a risk, but I have an uncle that may be willing to help.” She looked nervously at Ellian, uncertain how this information would be received. Her lover just nodded at her in encouragement.
“So we can go to this town and contact Fallon’s uncle,” Ashrak said thoughtfully. “At least that gives us a chance to see them coming.”
“Are you crazy?” Daka said angrily. “They don’t just stroll into town. They identify their targets and then kill them. A small town, the Capital or even out in the wastes won’t make a difference. If they want us dead, they will kill us.” Nilesh shifted uncomfortably before raising his hand, trying to cut off the big man’s tirade. Finally, Daka noticed him and snapped. “What!?”
“Well, I’d like to think I would make a difference in that?” Nilesh offered. “I do have some experience in sneaking about and killing people. I should be able to make it a little difficult for them. Nevertheless, it is our best chance.”
“We could just give up,” Ellian said softly. She had been staring at the fire while Daka spoke, but now she looked up, a strange hint of sadness in her eyes. Normally, the woman was almost always angry, but now it was not there, and it softened her features. “You could just leave, Ashrak. Take Chari with you and go back to Terek. No matter how much Count Stavix wants you dead, he would pause at making Duke Valeran angry.”
“What about you, Ellian?” Ashrak challenged her. “What would you do? Disappear into the desert and live as a bandit all the time? We’ve barely made it through their troops so far. You could not keep doing so forever. Eventually, someone would sell you out, and I can’t see you enjoying the easy life in Terek.”
“That being said,” Chari said, swatting Ashrak on the arm. “You all would be welcome if we had to do that, but then we’d be abandoning all of your people. Do we want to do that?”
“No,” Ashrak said, almost immediately. “I know we keep asking ourselves if we want to give up and I don’t want to do that. I know it’s dangerous. I say we at least talk to Fallon’s uncle. If we can use him to contact the Assassins at Black Spire, great, but he also may know if there is a contract. It’s worth the risk to find out.”
They all nodded, though some were more reluctant than others. Daka got up and went to gather some of their stores to begin cooking breakfast while Nilesh went to find his book. The rest of them continued to sit around the fire, thinking about the future.
Finally, Ellian turned to Chari with a questioning look on her face. “You said that Nilesh had gone up regularly to check on the sun and time of day. Does he think the Ridgeclaw is still out there?”
Chari nodded. “Yes, he does. Sometimes he wouldn’t hear anything, but the last time he went up he thought he heard it when he ventured out into the canyon to get some more firewood from the brush. However, while you were gone, we spent the time searching around and discovered a small path along the edge of the lake. It’s several hundred meters from the camp and there’s another exit that looks like it was man-made. We think it may go up into the temple complex though we didn’t want to explore too far.”
“We’ll go that way, then, after breakfast,” Ellian said. There’s no use waiting around here any longer, and those damnable Ridgeclaw’s are known for their tenacity. Personally, I don’t want to try to wait it out.”
The wait seemed interminable, but after breakfast, the camp was not difficult to break, and they began to pick their way along the shore of the strange lake and the narrow pathway. In some places, it was difficult for the dancers to make their way through due to their wide gait, but they eventually made their way to the other tunnel, and it was indeed man-made.
The entrance was composed of cut stone and just past the lip of the steps was clearly laid stone, wall, and arch-supported ceilings. There were places for oil lamps that were long dried or simply crumbled into dusty rock, and despite the hallways being wide, in some places the walls had crumbled enough to block part of their path.
It was clear nothing had traveled these corridors except for small vermin and the occasional lizard for many decades or even centuries. Despite the ill use, the core doors remained pass
able for quite a ways into wherever it was they were heading. Fortunately, there were not any side passages to distract them, and Ashrak began to suspect that this pathway had been specifically designed to lead to the gate room.
It was hard to determine for how long they traveled before they sighted something ahead of them that turned out to be thick stairs leading upward in a massive spiral. At one time there had been a wooden and metal bound doorway, but that had crumbled into dust and rust-pitted parts. They were happy to see that the stairwell was twice as wide as the corridor had been, allowing their dancers to pass freely without trouble.
The passageway upwards also took a long time before they came to their first doorway, or where a doorway should have been. Not twenty meters in, that hallway was filled with rock and dirt, so they continued their way upwards. Shortly afterward, they encountered another doorway which was clear of any obstructing debris. There was plenty of crumbled stone, dirt, and dust though nothing that would block the passage. What was more encouraging was they could see sunlight from somewhere farther down the corridor. It was a heartening sight, and they quickly moved toward the source of the sunlight wondering if it would be a window or a skylight, or perhaps even a doorway out.
In answer to their prayers, they merged into a large hallway that held massive carved columns and faded murals from ages long past. There were several other passageways leading out from it, but what they were most interested in was the large, partially opened stone doorway at the other end that allowed light into the dark, cavernous room.
They hurried along the dusty floor, leaving footprints in their wake and as they reached the massive stone doorway, they realized it was only slightly open to the outside world and would not allow even the smallest of them to pass much less the rest of their party. They stood staring at the small opening in various states of anger until Daka cursed and stepped forward.
The massive man reached forward and put his hands in the crack and gave a massive heave which sent him tumbling to the floor and surprise. They all watched as the doors swung easily open letting more sunlight stream in. It was a surprise for all of them and caught them off guard, making them turn their heads away so their eyes could adjust to the new brightness. The door finished moving, swinging soundlessly on some strange mechanisms. The counterweights reduced its mass to almost nothing and Ellian, Ashrak, and even Fallon could not help but snicker a little bit at the sight of the big man kicking his feet in the air as he righted himself from the unexpected tumble.
Ashrak helped Daka up to his feet and patted him on the back. “I didn’t know you were that strong, but there wasn’t anything to worry about. If nothing else, I could have cut our way out with my sword.”
“Ha freakin ha,” the big man said as he dusted himself off. “That thing looks like it weighs a ton. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to move it a centimeter especially since it’s been sitting around here for ages. I’m glad I was wrong.”
He and Ashrak moved to the door where the rest of the party had gathered looking outwards. There was a lot of brush hiding the entrance. When the door was closed, they could tell it would have blended in perfectly with the rock and even without all of the brush it would have blended in perfectly. Whoever had engineered this doorway had wanted to make sure it stayed a secret. The most ingenious part was the ancient stairs carved on a thin trail that zigzagged its way up and down the side of the sandstone. It was a well-used staircase and it gave no indication there was a doorway here and would only have been found by those that already knew its location.
“Well,” Nilesh commented as they filed out onto the small pathway. “It’s a few hours past noon from what I can tell so we still have some time left in the day, or we could stay the night in the room behind us. It would keep us safe from any predators that might be around, and then we could make a fresh start of it in the morning. I don’t know about you, but climbing all of those stairs tired me out.”
“That sounds good to me,” Ashrak said. “I don’t want to deal with another pack of Helgren or anything else that might want to eat me in the dark. I’m hoping we also made it far enough away from that Ridgeclaw that we don’t have to worry about it again though I totally lost my sense of direction down there. That thing could be fifty meters away as far as I can tell.”
The rest of them agreed, and they decided to not shut the door entirely just in case there was some strange locking mechanism. Still, they closed so only a sliver was left and then wedged something to make sure it couldn’t close all the way. Then they settled down for the night exhausted from the day’s events both mental and physical.
Before they closed the door, Nilesh and Chari had consulted with each other over where they might be on the ancient map found within the Book of the Hidden World. They had decided they must be close to the ruins of the temple marked on the map. This placed them a good three to five days travel to the town where Fallon’s uncle resided as long as they were not harassed by soldiers. Still, they would be closer to the roads and less likely to encounter dangerous creatures.
Neither of them could have said why a doorway that may have been hidden for centuries suddenly ajar, nor would they explain why they did not see the masked and robed figure with the odd blue staff standing not more than twenty meters up the trail. Still, nothing dangerous approached them that night for which they were thankful.
Chapter 23
Count Stavix cursed and kicked one of his servants in the knee. The wet popping sound as the man fell sobbing to the floor soothed his angry spirit, but only for a moment. He crossed to the other side of the room away from the loud wailing and didn’t look back until other servants had taken the injured man away.
“How could you have let this happen?!” Count Stavix roared at Colonel Xern who was standing at stiff attention on the other side of the table. “Lord Frell won’t be able to pay tribute now with his coastal barony in flames. Didn’t you assign some troops to his lands?”
Colonel Xern coughed for a moment before answering. “Yes, Your Excellency. I assigned a hundred men to his lands and they were overwhelmed by the Chreen raid. They are getting more aggressive. Honestly, I would not recommend trying to seek help from any of the northern baronies along the coast. They’re too afraid, and we cannot protect them.”
Count Stavix picked up a large bottle and hurled it across the tent. It did not shatter but instead slid down the canvas wall and lay innocently on the floor, unbroken. He cursed and picked up a large brassiere of candied dates and hurled it after the bottle, taking some satisfaction in the food spraying all over the wall. He turned his fury back on the Colonel and walked toward him though was careful to keep the table between them. The large man was armored, and despite being an underling, Stavix did not want to hurt his hand by punching him in the wrong place. “Where is this vaunted Terek Navy? Didn’t that blowhard Valeran say he was attempting to keep them off of our coast?”
“Yes, my Lord,” Colonel Xern said without looking at the Count. “They are having an impact, but there simply is too many uncovered areas and watchpoints that our Army used to occupy. With them no longer there it’s impossible for just some Navy patrols to keep all of their troops back. They usually land at night and hide their ships, then move inland. Unless we move a significant part of our forces to the north, we won’t have an effect.”
Count Stavix gritted his teeth and seethed at the Colonel for a moment before answering. “And you know we can’t do that. As it is we would have little hope to get into the city without dying like mangy Garcat’s on General Rhendu’s spears. Even if I convince that bastard Valeran to fly me to the Citadel, we would still have to hold it long enough for the other lords to come to their senses and join me.”
“What if they don’t?”
“What do you mean, what if they don’t?” Count Stavix snarled.
“I mean, what if the other lords do not join you? What if they stay on the general side?” The Colonel shifted for a moment and then looked at the Count with
a frown. “Forgive me for saying this, but you’ve already shown the Golden bands to several lords. Yes, some swayed to our side though others have not and stayed firm with the general. I believe you put too much stock into these magical bands. They are pretty, but don’t do anything.”
Count Stavix narrowed his eyes and stared at the Colonel for a long moment before turning slightly away and beginning to pace behind the table of food. “I understand your concern, Colonel. The stories all say that the Golden Bands have power that will sway men once they’re within the Citadel. I do not understand why, but it is clear in the stories.” He stopped in his pacing and breathed out a sigh. “They must be true; it’s our only hope at this point.”
Colonel Xern nodded and did not answer. He was both heartened and disappointed that his Lord was relying on the superstitions though he agreed it was their only hope. Their current army was not powerful enough to break the siege much less impose their will upon the rest of Brun. A few moments later Count Stavix seem to realize that he was still standing there and waved at him to go. “Do not send any more men to the north. You are right; they are lost until we can regain control of the Army. There’s no way we can protect them. In the meantime continue harassing any outlying forces and supply trains heading toward the general’s armies.”
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 104
