Delver Magic Book I: Sanctum's Breach

by Jeff Ianniello

  She examined the own bag at her waist and ordered the others to do the same. "Check your supplies for water and food, we have no idea how long we will be inside." Upon completion of this check, she gave Ryson the sign to begin the climb. "Choose a wise path, Ryson. Remember those that follow do not have your skills and the stone grows slick with the rain. Lief and I carry long strands of rope as well do you. Let us use them."

  "Understood."

  "Do you believe we can make the top before nightfall? Keep in mind the thickening clouds will limit the light after sunset. There will be little dusk."

  Ryson shot a glance up the slope. He spoke as he analyzed the mountainside. "I think so. With the extra rope, I should be able to leave a fairly easy path." He checked the sky, but the clouds blocked the true location of the sun. "I'm just not certain how much useful light we have left."

  "Then let us not waste any of it," Holli stated firmly and she began moving towards the first incline ahead of them.

  Ryson acknowledged the need for urgency and bounded past her. In mere moments, he was scampering far up the mountainside. He anchored his first rope roughly a quarter of the distance up. After securing one end, he unfurled it and brought the opposite end down to Holli. He relieved her of the second rope and darted back up the mountain as if running on a level plane.

  At an additional third of the way towards the summit, Ryson prepared the second rope. It covered the most difficult portion of the mountain. The inclines were steepest at the center, and there were fewer footholds. The rope would allow even the humans to climb without hesitation. After obtaining the third rope from Lief, Ryson moved ahead to set the last stage of the climb. Darkness began to spread as the invisible sun drifted lower behind the clouds. The rain increased to a steady drizzle. The dark and wet ground would slow travel for all but the delver, whose eyes were even now adjusting to the dim light.

  As he hastened past Holli for the final leg of the journey, she called out a warning.

  "Remember Lauren's sight. Something awaits us at the top. Do not foolishly move into a trap. Wait for us before you proceed to the point where you met Shayed."

  Ryson accepted the order without disagreement. He moved swiftly but alertly toward the top of the mountain. He chose a platform just below the summit. He stood quietly with a watchful eye. He unfurled the final rope and swung it down to the waiting party. Near total darkness enveloped them as the final member reached the platform where the delver waited.

  "Just up that pass and right above us is the leveling where we met Shayed," Ryson whispered.

  "I want you to move up first, but move swiftly," Holli requested. She then turned to the giant cliff behemoth. "If you will Dzeb, I would like you to follow the delver. You are the least vulnerable of us. The delver's speed and your size might catch any would-be attacker off guard, if indeed such an ambush awaits. I would guess it is simply Shayed's presence that Lauren senses, but I wish to take no chances."

  "Understood," Dzeb said warmly. The giant's lips curled upwards, the rock hard skin softening around his mouth to form a light smile. It was a wonder to see. "I will move forward with care, but with the grace of Godson, I am sure that nothing will keep us from His will."

  Holli acknowledged Dzeb's cooperation with a respectful bow of the head. "I will follow behind, but I will remain under the cover of this ledge until I can assess any threat."

  Without further word, the three moved. Ryson's figure cut through the darkness of night. He scrambled up the rambling path and was soon far beyond the cliff behemoth. His eyes captured even the slightest glimmer of light as he rushed onward. He broke over the pass at full speed and darted across the leveling, taking in everything at once.

  Dzeb climbed more deliberately. He handled the rocky slope with agility which seemed impossible for his size and physical structure. His powerful, thick legs moved as effortlessly over the incline as the delver's, although at a much slower pace. In truth, he was at home in these surroundings, as all cliff behemoths sought the lonely sanctuary of desolate ridges and sharp rocky terrain. It allowed them the solitude to reflect upon the teachings of their faith. It allowed them a peaceful and tranquil setting away from those that have forgotten the word and the way.

  He continued moving without pause. If he worried over what might wait overhead, he showed no sign. Dzeb's height almost allowed him to see over the ledge that beckoned them. With but a few paces upon the incline, his head was over the precipice and all the flat clearing was now available to him.

  Holli moved up close behind the giant. She lifted her ear to catch sounds of a skirmish. Nothing which indicated an ambush broke through the angry rushes of the blowing wind. Her elfin eyes also allowed her greater sight at night, though not to the extent of the delver's. As soon as possible, she lifted her head beyond the limit of the ledge and peered upon the summit.

  Ryson caught the sight of Shayed first. Her white transparent form appeared dimmer to him. He would have expected her to glow with greater brilliance in this darkness, but he was not of the knowledge of spirits to know how they might appear in any circumstance. He said nothing to her at first. Even as the spirit's eyes fixed upon him, he continued moving about the leveled peak. He examined everything at once, looking for signs of any new danger. Aware now of such things as mountain shags and vampires, he scoured the ground and behind every boulder large enough to hide the smallest of goblins. He found nothing unusual or out of place. As he turned toward the translucent form of Shayed, he noted the upcoming presence of Dzeb as well as the top of Holli's head peaking over the ledge.

  "It's safe," he called to the elf guard. "Bring everyone up."

  Nothing was said further until the last of the party reached the summit. They all stood about Shayed with wondering eyes, save Ryson and Lief who had spoken with the spirit before. Like a smoldering, glowing white ember, the ghostly figure stood out from the darkness.

  Lief announced their arrival in hushed respectful tones. "We have returned, Shayed, and we have brought those who must enter Sanctum." He introduced them one by one as the spiritual figure of Shayed remained silent.

  The spirit finally spoke after the last member of the party came forward.

  "I have little energy to help you," the ghostly apparition began. "The magic is draining my own ability to remain with you. I have little power to speak so I will tell you but one thing. You must not destroy the sphere within the mountain. To do so would guarantee your own deaths. The mountain would surely crumble upon you and the release of so much energy within the mountain may damage the land irreparably. You must bring it back to me, here at the top of Sanctum. Only in this free space will we see to the destruction of the sphere. I wish you luck in your journey. I only wish I could have been of greater service. Time is short, you must enter in all haste."

  Ryson noted her voice was harsher than their first meeting. Even her eyes lacked the warmth of when they last spoke. They seemed to burn with the hint of red fire, a glow he did not recall upon their first meeting. He could not surmise that the true eyes of Shayed watched in anguish behind an invisible prison.

  The elfin sorceress stood right beside them, but though she tried mightily, all attempts to gain their attention failed. Only the human female seemed to catch a faint whisper in the wind, but the sight of the disguised spirit pulled at Lauren's attention. Shayed fought against the chains, fought against the prison, fought against the spell that hid and silenced her. No one would see her struggle, no one would hear her pleas.

  It was the prince dwarf Jon Folarok that immediately took heed of the imposter's request and began to work. "The dwarf tier awaits us first, but first we must gain entry. I will handle that, if that is alright with you my brother."

  "No one is better suited," Tun responded, showing a far greater degree of respect for his brother than normal. Tun was well aware of Jon's abilities in the art of tunneling and even the elder prince's own defiant will couldn't blind him to this truth.

  Jon looked about th
e ground for a moment. "I am normally accustomed to low light, but a torch would be helpful for what I must do," he looked expectantly toward Holli.

  "A torch would be of little use to us with so much rain. There is also a better solution close at hand. I would ask that you become accustomed to another source first. Ryson?" She looked to the delver as if it was truly his choice over what would be done next.

  Ryson immediately understood her questioning glance. Her eyes remained upon his face and not upon the sheathed weapon at his side, but he was well aware it was the sword which she now wished to bring into use.

  "Of course," he said simply as if the issue was not even in question.

  His hand grasped the hilt of the sword and for a moment his head swam with confusion. His head jerked of its own doing, ad he found himself staring upon the spirit form of Shayed, except at that moment the ghostly image had no form. He saw a red cloud. It swirled about, a crimson storm surge, and finally it began to take shape.

  A hand on his shoulder shook him. The swirling red cloud disappeared and the form of Shayed again stood before him. It was Holli's hand upon his shoulder.

  "Are you alright?" the elder elf asked.

  Ryson was about to proclaim what he had seen but fog swept into his mind. He was no longer sure of what he had witnessed or even who he was looking at. He blinked his eyes fiercely and finally even the fog cleared, but he had no recollection of what had happened.

  "Yes, I'm fine," he stated simply. "I'm not against letting Jon use the sword at all." With a quick pull, he fully unsheathed the blade. A blanket of soft white light covered the entire mountain top. It was now as light as dawn, yet even the most sensitive eyes of the dwarves could look directly into the blade without causing the slightest pain. It magnified and intensified the barest light. Even with dark clouds overhead and the sun well past set, there remained light enough in the sky for the blade to supply ample illumination. Ryson carefully placed the sword upon a rock near Jon. "Move it as you need it."

  "Would I have to move the sun at noon day?" the dwarf said with a tooth filled grin. "It is fine where it is. The honor of holding such a blade should be yours and yours alone."

  With that said, the dwarf went quickly about his work. In the new light of the blade, he quickly measured the level precipice they stood upon. He walked back and forth mumbling to himself before honing upon one particular section of the summit. He kicked at the loose debris and quickly came upon solid granite. He dropped to his knees and glided his hands over the smooth surface. Occasionally, he knocked upon the rock. The small thuds sounded much the same to those that watched, but they revealed much to the dwarf prince. Still upon his knees, Jon fumbled through his own pack before pulling out a metal rod no longer than the span of his hand. At the end, a blue and white gem sparkled in the amplified light - a dwarf rock-cutter. He tested the gem with the tip of his forefinger before applying it to the stone.

  He jabbed and scratched deftly at the smooth rock in front of him. He held the rod at slight angles as he pressed the gem downward. The gem would slide across a small section before Jon would pull it away. The longest cut was no greater than the length of Jon's pinky, and the dwarf appeared to leave long spaces of rock untouched before moving on to the next area. Intermittently, he patted the surface with his palm.

  After making several marks upon the granite with the stone cutter, he retrieved another tool from his pack. It appeared as nothing more than a miniature version of the mace he carried at his belt. A thick wooden handle, shorter than the metal bar of the stone cutter, led to a compact round stone at the top. The stone appeared gritty and rough at the surface. Its black exterior was covered with gray specks.

  With the stone cutter in his right hand and the rounded hammer in his left, he began working again. He pounded the mace-like tool upon the granite. Amazingly, with each impact, a tiny crack appeared in the stone. It broke through the granite as if guided by a straight edge. Jon worked with such precision, that he soon had two right angles of a square formed in the solid rock. He extended the breaks with equal precision, and the full outline of a square soon formed. Before long, the crack grew deep enough that a large section began to shift.

  Jon smiled with satisfaction as he placed the two tools within his pack only to retrieve one last, a flat bar. It was longer than the other two, but it was not made of wood or metal. It glistened with greater brilliance than the gem tip of the stone cutter, for the entire bar was impossibly one long gem.

  Stephen Clarion could not withhold his amazement or his curiosity at the sight of such a jewel "How is that possible?" he blurted out.

  Jon's smile grew bigger, his own teeth now flashing with almost as much brilliance as the gem. He allowed a moment of pride as he held aloft his tool. "Large gems can be cut into many useful devices. It takes careful cutting, but it can be done. The gem that produced this bar was cut into four others, though this was the longest."

  "It is the longest known," Tun added, allowing his brother to garner even greater awe. "Given enough time, Jon could have broken through the base of this mountain."

  Jon bowed thankfully to his brother's kind remarks, but he spoke humbly to those that watched him. "I doubt I would live long enough for that, but it can lift rocks hundreds of times its weight without breaking, and I have used it to chisel through diamond clustered walls."

  As if to display the power of his tool, he flashed the flattened edge down into the crack he had made in the stone. It plunged into the rock as if the granite were nothing more than warm butter.

  "Normally, I would construct a pulley system to lift the rock, but since we have Dzeb with us, I doubt that is necessary. Would you honor me, cliff behemoth, by jarring the stone free?"

  "The honor would be mine," Dzeb spoke freely as he moved toward the area upon where Jon worked. His powerful fingers grabbed hold of the gem tool, and he steadily pulled back. A thick square slab of rock crumbled free from the surrounding stone. Dzeb took his other hand and placed it in the opening created by the action of the lever. Jon also guided his hands under the free stone, seemingly unconcerned over crushing his own fingers. With a surprising display of strength, the dwarf assisted Dzeb in pulling the stone free. They placed it aside from the newly created opening, and Dzeb returned the crystal bar.

  Holli moved toward the opening first. "Ryson, bring your sword here."

  The delver followed the request. When his hand touched the handle, he felt no such reaction as previously encountered. He brought the shimmering blade to the square hole which was large enough for even Dzeb to enter. The glowing light revealed a set of stone steps that descended out of sight.

  "Our entry is set," Holli stated firmly, punctuated with as much dread as determination.

  "Let me and my brother go first," Tun commanded in his royal voice. "The rest of you should follow but do not step off the stone steps until I command. To do so will mean your death. It is that simple."

  Not a single member of the party said another word, though they all took in one last great breath before stepping upon the stone staircase, as if it was their last gasp of fresh air. Ryson kept the blade near the opening as the two dwarves descended through the newly formed opening. He entered at the middle of the pack so as to keep the light amongst them all.

  As Lief was the last to enter and disappear from the mountain top, the true Shayed watched in angry desperation. The red chains bound her tightly. She screamed in futility, for both sound and light could not escape her prison, and neither could she. She could only watch in horror as a devious smile curled upon her imposter's face.

  Chapter 25

  Sanctum offered little to greet the apprehensive adventurers, mostly rock and darkness, but at least the stone steps provided an easy descent. They were built by the dwarves, part of the internal construction of the tiers in this once hollow edifice. Their purpose had not been to bring invaders down to the core, but to allow a path of exit. Once a particular race had completed setting its restrictions w
ithin its own tier, they would need a means of leaving Sanctum. It would not due to bury and seal the designers of the barriers with their inventions. The steps were nothing more than part of the foundation to serve that end. It was hoped they would never be used again, though now they functioned as a path of entry, a purpose beyond the aspirations of Sanctum's creators.

  The stone staircase cut through Sanctum Mountain at its very center. Four consecutive sections of steps, ten steps to each, led downward and broke at opposing angles. The final leg of the stairs ended directly underneath the opening which bore them entry. Thus, those that descended the stone stairway would reach a point exactly where they began, albeit forty steps lower.

  Each step was carved from pure granite. Layers and layers of rock dust masked the flat footfall portions of the stone. The vertical edges, however, escaped the brown and grey powder and shined with ancient polish, a tribute to dwarf construction. Most steps passed the test of the ages without crumbling or succumbing to fissure. Only a random few suffered the scars of cracks, and these appeared recent, probably the result of the blast which freed the magic from this monumental tomb.

  The steps themselves were fashioned wide enough to hold two side by side. The descending group used the great width to do just that, and they clumped together as close as possible, finding security in moving together.

  Only two stood alone. Dzeb's physical stature prevented him from moving with a companion at his side. His great size filled the width of a single step and not even the slender Holli would stand comfortably in the available room.

  Ryson also stepped down alone. As the bearer of the only source of light, he maintained his position at the center. Five moved behind him as four lurched on ahead. Directly in front of Dzeb, Ryson held his sword high. It glistened through the gloom, giving off the light of five or maybe ten torches combined.

  Ryson, as much as others within the party, continued to marvel at the sword as it continued to defy logic. It was now known to them all that the sword was not a creator of light but an enhancer of existing light. In this place, however, illumination was meager indeed. Darkness covered the sky outside the mountain, even the brightest stars were blanketed from sight. Now, they walked within the walls of Sanctum. Only the opening created by Jon kept them from being completely consumed within the rock. To be sure, the light of the sword dimmed when Ryson passed through the opening, yet the illumination burned strong enough to light a distance of near thirty paces.