by B. J. Beach
To Karryl’s surprise Tukrin threw back his head and laughed, a loud rich sound that echoed and re-echoed throughout the massive cavern.
When his laughter had subsided, he leaned close and murmured in the young magician’s ear. “It is thanks only to Dhoum and others like him that Thermera even exists. He knows more about the island’s origins and its inner workings than the rest of us put together. When you’ve known him a bit longer, he will in all likelihood tell you about it. I’ve no doubt you will find it very interesting. Now, time is passing us by. Is there anything you would like to know before I take my leave?”
Karryl’s agile brain sifted quickly through the dozens of questions he had already stored. “Is there just this one huge cavern down here?”
Tukrin chuckled and shook his head. “Indeed no. This is just one of a whole series of caverns, many even larger than this. This particular cavern is devoted to the academy. The island of Thermera covers a vast area. Students from all over our world come here to receive the knowledge and training which will prove vital if they are to pursue successful and beneficial careers.”
Tukrin gestured to a point across the square. “Now, I think the time has come for you to get some refreshment.”
Karryl turned to see a familiar figure scurrying towards him, wearing the same well-worn grey robe he had been wearing when he left.
The little magician puffed to a halt and scowled up into Karryl’s face. “And about time too! I’ve been here long enough waiting for you!”
Karryl laughed out loud, drawing one or two amused glances from passersby. “I’m pleased to see you too, Master Symon. It warms my heart to know you couldn’t stand being away from me a moment longer.”
Symon gave a dismissive flick of his hand as he winked broadly at Tukrin. “More like I was wondering what you were getting up to in my absence. Now, if Tukrin doesn’t need you for anything else, I’ll take you to the dining hall for a meal.”
Tukrin reached out and shook Karryl’s hand. “There are things I have to do now, and I have a class shortly, so I will leave you with Symon. We shall meet again before too long. Enjoy your meal.”
With a wave of his hand he turned away and strode across the square, briefly stopping to speak to a young man and woman before disappearing into one of the buildings.
As they strolled across the square, Karryl told Symon of his arrival with Dhoum and the journey from Torgaard.
Symon’s experience was very similar. “It seems to me that the only real difference is, I flew over the water in this country’s short daylight period. It’s a really vast ocean you know, full of amazing creatures. In places there are great sheets and mountains of ice, but when we reached land all that could be seen above ground was a simple three-storey building. The rest seemed to be acres of rocks and scree. There were even more acres covered in dense forest, sitting at the feet of a range of incredibly high mountains.”
Karryl rather regretted not having seen that, but was soon distracted by the appetising aroma of food. Symon led him into a clean bright dining hall.
He ran his hand over the plate Symon handed him from a pile on the end of a central table. “This seems like some kind of glass. I can almost see through it!”
Briefly, Symon considered his own plate then nodded. “Yes, I’m inclined to agree with you. Now, take some cutlery from the box, then help yourself to whatever you want to eat. You can go back for more if you’re really hungry. There are pitchers of water on the tables. Sit wherever you like.”
Much of the food was unrecognisable to Karryl. He piled his plate with what was most familiar to him then chose a table by one of the wide, arched windows.
Settling himself in the strangely shaped chair he looked about him. “Is the dining hall open all the time then?”
Symon gave a knowing smile as he seated himself opposite. “Oh yes. The courses of study here are continuous. The students have a flexible curriculum, and study on a shift system which I haven’t quite figured out yet, but it seems to work very well.”
Karryl chewed thoughtfully as he gazed out at the people who passed by the window, and fell to wondering what it would be like to live and study here.
The sound of Symon’s voice cut into his thoughts. “Tell me what’s been happening while I’ve been away.”
Karryl finished what remained of his meal before answering, then grimaced and pushed away his plate, just as a group of four young people brought their meals to the table behind them.
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Things certainly got very interesting after your sudden disappearance. D’ta certainly picked a fine moment to whisk you off. Seeing as she’s a goddess, why didn’t she hold off a bit longer? She must have known the situation we’d be left facing.”
It was Symon’s turn to be intrigued. “What situation was that? You must have handled it all right, otherwise Dhoum wouldn’t have brought you.”
Karryl proceeded to recount everything that had happened after D’ta had spirited Symon away from the hall. Beginning with the arrival of Evalin, he went into great detail about the enchantment of the children. Symon’s blue eyes turned steely as he listened, then twinkled when he heard of the presence of Redmond in the city. Karryl’s description of Dhoum’s arrival, and the gathering in the snug of the inn drew quite a few chuckles and nods of approval. The thing which surprised Karryl most was Symon’s obvious delight over the heavy warding Dhoum had placed on the apartment before they left.
A wide grin appeared on his little round face as he rested his folded hands on the table. “Very well done! It’s all beginning to fall into place.” Tapping his index finger on the table he looked up into Karryl’s face. “Perhaps it’s just as well I wasn’t there, or Dhoum would have had nowhere to sleep.” He gave a little chuckle as a thought occurred to him. “Or perhaps you wouldn’t! Anyway, it all seems to have worked out for the best and as I said before, Dhoum wouldn’t have brought you if there was any possibility things were going to get out of hand, especially at this late stage. Strange about Redmond though. He must have taken over from D’ta for some reason.”
Karryl nodded, his eyes widening as he remembered something Evalin had said. “Of course! Redmond was supposed to be tutoring me in your absence, but it seems Dhoum had other ideas and I ended up here. I hope Redmond won’t be too put out.” The young magician frowned as he remembered something else. “How old is he by the way? Evalin said he was older than any of us but only looks quite young.”
Symon chuckled and tapped his temple with his forefinger. “There is certainly a mine of information within this old skull of mine, but that is a question I cannot truthfully answer. Perhaps if I see Dhoum I can get him to find out a bit more for us in the next few days. I’m not sure yet if this is his true home, but the word is that he seems to pop up fairly regularly.”
Karryl nodded, grinning as a couple of pretty blonde haired girls walked past the window and smiled at him.
Noticing the exchange, Symon leaned forward. “How’s Aenys these days? You haven’t mentioned her for a while.”
Karryl smiled, not only as he thought of Aenys, but also at the little magician’s transparency. “I haven’t seen her for a week or two, what with everything that’s been going on, although Braen did give me a wave from across the market when I was down there. I’d have probably heard if there was anything amiss. She answered the letter I sent her just after the grelfon incidents and everything was fine then.”
His brow suddenly furrowed, acute concern evident in his dark brown eyes. “Suppose there’s another attack while we’re here. How will we know? Would we be able to go back straight away?”
Symon raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth lifting in a knowing curve. “Don’t worry. I think we can rest assured everything will be taken care of should the necessity arise... which makes me wonder whether there’s more to the arrival of Redmond than we first thought.”
He sat for a moment or two, rubbing his chin, obviously pondering
something. Pushing back his chair he stood up. “Excuse me for a few moments Karryl. I’ll... ahh.” Turning to see who or what had stopped Symon in his tracks, Karryl caught sight of Tukrin standing in the doorway.
He began to stand up from the table but Symon placed a hand on his shoulder. “Before you dash off, I’ll just say that I probably won’t see you again until we’re back in Vellethen, unless Dhoum decides to take us back together. At this stage, the things you have to do, and the things that I have to do are completely different. Anyway, you go with Tukrin now. There is something I have to find out, and then I have a tutorial.”
Before Karryl could say anything further, Symon had scuttled off down the length of the dining hall, only pausing to give Tukrin a brief greeting as he stepped outside. Leaving the table, Karryl put aside his used plate and cutlery, and turned his long-legged stride in his master’s wake. He was soon standing beside the purple-robed tutor.
“Master Karryl. Did you enjoy your meal?”
“Yes. Thank you, although some of the dishes looked rather strange, but there were plenty that I recognised, so I don’t think I’ll starve for a while.”
With a satisfied nod, Tukrin started walking towards the far side of the square. Indicating that Karryl should accompany him he led the way through a wide arch into a dimly lit cavern, smaller by far than the one they had just left. As Tukrin led him towards the back of what seemed no more than a large cave, Karryl could see that this was actually the entrance to a wide, dimly lit tunnel.
CHAPTER TWENTYTHREE
Just inside, Tukrin stopped, blue eyes twinkling as he indicated the tunnel’s curving length. “I hope you’ve been keeping yourself fit, Master Karryl. We have a long walk ahead of us. Not particularly difficult, but long.”
Karryl gave a wry smile. “Symon would say that the exercise will do me good and he’d probably be right. Thank you, Tukrin. I don’t think you should be calling me Master though. I still have to pass my final test before I’m worthy of that title. Despite what Master Symon and the others might say to the contrary, it’s not a foregone conclusion by any means. The final test is the longest and hardest of all. At present I am still an apprentice.” He made a wry face. “In any other field I would be ranked a journeyman, but I’ve yet to hear of a journeyman magician.”
With a smile, Tukrin nodded his understanding. “Then plain Karryl it will be. Now, there is something I would very much like you to see. Knowledge of it may help you to understand further the workings of the world on which you live, as this is not unique to us. What is unique is the way that we have harnessed it.”
Karryl frowned slightly as he realised that this was the second time Tukrin had used the term. “Harnessed it? What kind of monster is it that needs to be harnessed?”
Karryl lengthened his stride as Tukrin chuckled and increased his pace. “Not a monster. Not in the way you were inferring anyway. But it is certainly large and very powerful. Now, it would be better if we saved our breath for walking.”
The smooth-floored tunnel was wide enough for three to walk comfortably side by side, although Karryl was conscious of the ceiling’s arc only a few hand-spans above the top of his head. For a while they followed the tunnel’s long curving route, until it began to straighten out. Like an arrow, its length disappeared into the dark grey, quartz-speckled rock. Karryl also had the distinct impression that it had a gradual downward gradient, the far end seeming to plunge into a darkness barely relieved by the soft, widely spaced lights which shone un-flickering from high on the tunnel walls.
The pair strode along, the rock-bound silence barely relieved by their soft-booted foot-falls, and occasional murmured question or comment. After about five minutes steady walking, Karryl began to detect a slight increase in the shallow downward gradient. At the same time he became aware of a barely audible humming reaching him through the soles of his feet. The tunnel took a long curve to the right, opening out a few paces later onto a wide, roughly circular area. On the far side of this, the dark yawning mouth of the next section of tunnel could be seen.
The flameless lights, set into regularly spaced niches high along the walls, were beginning to intrigue Karryl. He noticed that they were somewhat larger and brighter here. The steady light revealed a heavy wrought metal gate crafted to fit the height and width of the tunnel. As they crossed the broad area towards it, Karryl felt a strange but recognisable sensation on his skin. He spun round, scanning the space he and Tukrin had just crossed. For the briefest instant he thought he saw a shimmering on a small section of the wall to his right. He began to step quietly towards it.
The mellow sound of Tukrin’s voice inside his head brought him up short. “Is there a problem, Karryl?”
It took him a moment to assess what he had just experienced. He replied without turning, concentrating on projecting the thought he wanted to convey, free of extraneous clutter. “I’m sure I sensed something. I’m also fairly certain that a part of the wall shimmered, but it all seems normal now.”
Hearing Tukrin chuckle, Karryl turned round. From a pocket in his purple robe the tutor had drawn a large key which he inserted into a lock set in the gate. It turned easily and the gate swung smoothly back on well oiled hinges until it fitted snugly into the recess carved for it in the rock wall.
Stepping through the gate, Tukrin beckoned Karryl to follow. “You are not the first to say they have seen or heard things in these tunnels. Each report has been investigated but nothing has ever been found. We have long ago come to the conclusion that these phenomena are caused by the powerful and continuous processes taking place far below us and are nothing to be concerned about.”
Not entirely convinced, Karryl gave Tukrin a long look. “Under normal circumstances I have the ability to detect the use of magic, and what I felt was very similar. Even though you say the Talmion discipline cannot be used here, there could possibly be others which may be of some effect.”
He turned and looked back at the spot on the wall. Giving a dismissive shrug, he turned back to Tukrin. “Anyway, there seems to be nothing there now, so we may as well carry on. As you said, it’s probably nothing to be concerned about.”
The purple-robed tutor nodded in tacit agreement. Pushing the heavy gate closed, he locked it behind them and dropped the key back into his deep pocket. “Even if you have strong nerves, I suggest that you still hold on to the handrail. The flight of stairs at the end of this section of tunnel is long and rather steep. There is a landing halfway down where we can sit and rest our legs before we cover the final part of the journey.”
Karryl looked relieved. “I’ll be glad of that. I don’t think I’ve walked that far for a long time, although I have had a fair bit of enforced exercise lately.”
Tukrin’s expression was thoughtful. “You must tell me about that while we rest at the landing. I have been given a broad outline but I would appreciate it if you would fill in some of the details.”
A wry smile crossed Karryl’s face. “It’s not pretty, and I must admit I was terrified at the time. Still, I think it would be good to talk about it again. How far down are we going?”
It was Tukrin’s turn to smile. “Quite a long way. You’ll also find that it’s getting rather warm. By the time we reach our destination, the noise generated by the powers of nature deep below will make normal conversation almost impossible. That’s one of the reasons why the landing was built. Shall we start down?”
As they strode along the tunnel towards the stairway he turned to Karryl. “Do you want to go first? You might find it preferable to staring at my back for the next few hundred feet.”
Despite his normally imperturbable and level headed character, Karryl’s mouth fell open as he realised what Tukrin had just said. “Few hundred feet! Is that to where we’re going, or just to the landing?”
Tukrin gave him a wide grin, seeming highly amused by his young companion’s apparent dismay. “Oh. That’s just to the landing. It’s been placed exactly halfway. Don’t worry. Althou
gh the stairs are steeply inclined, it is in fact quite an easy progress. There is no danger of any kind for us to be troubled by.”
Karryl’s expression was abject. “That’s all very well, but there is the small matter of coming back to consider.”
Tukrin patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. “That isn’t a problem. We won’t be returning this way. Look. We’re nearly there.”
He hurried forward, then stopped and gestured to the flight of stone stairs which appeared to thrust endlessly downwards. “After you.”
Grasping the iron handrail, Karryl started downwards. He had soon developing a steady loping rhythm on the evenly spaced steps, taking them two at a time as his confidence increased. Detecting a slight curve in the direction of the stairs he decided to stop and take a look behind him, simply to ask Tukrin how much further it was to the landing. There was no sign of him.
Karryl waited for a few moments, using the opportunity to rub at his over-flexed leg muscles, then started back up the stairway. “Tukrin! Are you up there?”
The tutor’s voice drifted faintly down to him. “It’s all right. You carry on down. I’ve noticed something up here that requires attention. I’ll deal with it and then follow you down.”
Karryl frowned. He couldn’t immediately think of anything they had passed which might require attention. Assuming it was probably something that, being a stranger, he wouldn’t have noticed anyway, he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders and turned round again. The flameless lights set into the walls briefly flickered and dimmed before flaring then settling again to their normal steady glow. Assuming it must have been the lights that Tukrin was going to look at, Karryl started down the stairs again and rounded the curve he had arrived at previously. Far below him he saw the landing which Tukrin had mentioned, where they were to rest and have their talk. Unlike the tunnel and the stairs, the landing was wide and brightly lit, inviting him to relieve his senses of the claustrophobic feeling which threatened to engulf him.
