The Chronicles of Lumineia: Book 03 - Seven Days

by Ben Hale

  In an instant, Siarra stopped raising them up and formed an ice ball around them. Feverishly, she spun her hands as the ice thickened . . .

  The fireball struck the stonesap and the entire cavern shook from the blast. Trin was thrown to his knees as their column tilted, but Siarra’s magic held. Liquid flame landed on every surface, burning and melting the ice ball that was protecting them.

  Trin began to sweat as the heat consumed the ice, and water dripped onto his back. Stepping away from the edge, he cast a worried look in Siarra’s direction. Catching Mae’s eye, he flashed her a grin, even though he felt a mounting fear.

  Behind them, Siarra growled and stomped her foot, lifting the platform higher. Drawing her katsana, she raised it high, and then she plunged it into the stone at her feet. Howling wind spun around them into a writhing tornado, whipping around their column and tearing apart their ice bubble in the process.

  Trin sneezed as the scent of ash and smoke filled his nose. Shielding his eyes, he saw they now stood in the center of a raging cyclone of sucking air. Even in the great space, the twister was too strong, and the flaming stonesap was sucked into the whirlwind. Overpowered by Siarra’s magic, the flames were extinguished. Gradually the tornado died, until bits of ash and smoldering chunks of stone rained down around them.

  “I thought air fueled fire,” Trin asked once the magic was gone.

  Siarra blew out her breath as she yanked her weapon free. “Only one part of air fuels the flames. Other portions don't. The wind magic I used separated the two, leaving the part for us to breathe. If I hadn’t, the fire would have gone out, but it would have left nothing for us.”

  "If there was ever a doubt you could steal a man's breath, it's gone now," Jack said.

  Siarra's blistering look caused his smirk to widen.

  “So how do we get out of here?” Taryn asked.

  Before anyone could respond, the sound of sliding stone echoed in the chamber, and a large door slid open at its top. Voices, deep and rough, drifted down to them, the language sharp and accented.

  To the surprise of everyone, Jack began to translate.

  “How many fiends . . . we caught this time?”

  “. . . last time we killed at least two hundred . . . one trap.”

  At the five stares he received he shrugged. "It's giant, not an overly difficult language."

  "Could they be friendly?" Taryn asked.

  "Depends on what kind," Jack said, his eyes on the oversized door. "Some are more hostile then others."

  Trin turned his gaze towards the portal, holding his breath as he waited for the makers of the trap to appear. It didn’t take long for the large figure of a giant to step into the opening. With gray skin laced with glowing red lines, the giant wore breeches and a dark colored vest.

  “Aiden, we didn’t catch any fiends. Them be humans and elves!”

  Siarra stepped forward. “I am Siarra Elseerian, Oracle of the races. Who are you?”

  The giant stabbed his thumb into his chest. “Name’s Dulnak, head smith of the tribe of Royl.” Although the ground still steamed from the heat of the fire, the giant stepped into the bowl and strolled down it like it was summer grass. “How did you get way up there?” he rumbled, gesturing with a hand the size of a horse's head.

  The ground shifted and began to lower as Siarra brought them down, stopping when they were still ten feet off the ground. “Stone magic,” she replied once they were eye level with the giant.

  The giant rumbled a belly laugh and called up to another one that had appeared in the portal. “Reset the trap Aiden, I will take them to the others.”

  “Others?” Trin blurted. “What others?”

  Dulnak shifted to peer at him, and Trin resisted the urge to step back. Up close he realized the giant’s skin was dark gray, rather than black, and the lines of red curved and snagged all the way from his fingertips to his neck, disappearing under his tunic. With a head the size of a small boulder, the giant made Trin feel uncomfortably tiny.

  Catching sight of Trin in the group, Dulnak said, “We have another group of humans camping with us. We have been fighting the dark things together for the last several weeks.” Leaning his head back, he yelled upward again, “Oi, Aiden, send down that leader human to guide this group in, and tell Kadel we can trust ̓em.” He turned back to Siarra and winked. “She is the Oracle af’er all.”

  Trin saw his friends glance back and forth, and he was grateful he wasn’t the only one that felt uneasy. The giant was odd, and unlike any hill or stone giant he’d ever heard of. He obviously wasn’t an ice giant. Did that mean he was a fire giant? If the stories of his youth were true, fire giants were born with the ability to perform fire magic. Intelligent and powerful, they were unlike the rest of their kind, and rarely came out of their hidden villages. Realizing it was probably what he faced now, he felt a rush of very youthful excitement for having seen one with his own eyes.

  Siarra had finished lowering the stone platform that had kept them safe, and with a small hand gesture, she cooled a path towards the portal at the top. Steam rose from the safe track as the heat was pulled from it and into the air. Ignoring their group, Dulnak had already moved aside and lifted a hidden panel halfway up the side of the bowl. Kneeling down, he began working on the mechanics of the trap. Small blasts of flame accompanied his mutterings as he worked.

  Trin almost laughed, realizing that the tales that described them as baby killers were most likely false. Turning to follow his friends out of the bowl, he had to pick up the pace because he’d fallen behind. Reaching the portal opening, he passed the one called Aiden working on another section of the machine.

  The tunnel ahead of them was spacious and large, and had obviously been carved with magic. Trin knew that the higher level fire spells could melt stone, and suspected that such was the case here. Ahead, he saw that the rest of the group had stopped and were speaking to a couple of humans that he couldn’t see.

  Drawing close enough to hear a reply, he froze as a voice from his childhood sent chills down his spine. With a pounding heart, he dodged forward, catching the tail end of the man’s introduction as he slid through his friends.

  “ . . . name is Aroet, or Captain Arrow as my men call me.”

  Trin burst through his friends and caught sight of the weary looking figure. “Arrow!” he yelled, leaping forward and embracing his older brother.

  “Trin!” Aroet cried, wrapping his arms around him. “I thought I would never see you again!”

  Trin felt tears leak down his face as he pounded his brothers back, clinging to the family that he’d thought lost.

  After a long moment they separated, and Arrow burst out laughing as he caught sight of Trin’s expression. Wiping the tears from his own eyes, he said, “You are a sight for weary eyes little brother. How in the name of Ero did you end up here?”

  “I might ask the same of you!”

  Arrow’s expression, although still humorous, faded. “We have a lot to tell you.”

  “As do we,” Siarra said, stepping forward with a faint smile on her lips.

  “Then follow me. You can join us in our quarters and we can share our tales.” He nudged Trin with a sly grin that didn’t quite hide the layer of concern in his eyes. “How does a hot meal sound?”

  Trin smirked and fell into step beside him. “As long as someone else cooks. We both know you don’t have the talent.” Their joint laughter echoed down the corridor, and Trin allowed the feeling of joy to wash through him. However brief the moment might be, he knew his brother had survived. Even if they perished tomorrow, he had gotten to see him one last time.

  It was one day more than he thought he’d ever get.

  Chapter 18: Allies

  Taryn listened to Trin as he finished relating the tale of their journey, taking advantage of the time to eat. It felt like weeks since he'd had a well prepared meal, and he wolfed the food down with abandon, only partially paying attention to the tale. He was more interested
in what the captain had to say, so he examined their surroundings as he ate.

  Surprisingly, the village looked far newer than he would have expected. It seemed as if the village had been built in just the last few months. Constructed as a series of three large caverns, the village boasted a hundred or so large structures, most of them familial dwellings.

  With every makeshift building only one story, it gave the impression of a ramshackle camp, rather than a permanent village. The walls were rough hewn and of varying thicknesses. Doorways weren’t entirely straight, and few buildings carried a roof of any kind. As they’d moved through the giant village, the only thing in abundance had been weapons. Large spears and shields were placed everywhere, piles of boulders were stacked near strategic ledges, and barrels of stonesap could be seen in abundance.

  The numerous fire giants they passed appeared cordial and curious about the new visitors, but they left quickly and their expressions lacked warmth. Smiles didn’t reach their dark intelligent eyes, and everyone was in a hurry. Even the two young giants they passed were sharpening huge spearheads, their gaze staring after them until they turned the corner.

  When they’d reached the human camp, the captain led them into a large, square building adorned with makeshift beds, chairs, and small campsites. Only half of the fifty odd beds were occupied. The captain had led them to one of the small smokeless fires, and after Trin had embraced other familiar faces and introductions had been completed, they shared their tales.

  Trin had started from the beginning, telling of their departure from Sri Rosen, the battle with the pirates, and everything else they had endured. Siarra occasionally jumped in to provide details, and briefly took over when they told of the council meeting where the elves had launched the gathering. It didn’t take long for every member of Captain Arrow’s command to join them, standing or sitting as they listened intently to the recent news.

  Taryn also caught several things that bespoke the captain's leadership. Tall and broad shouldered, Captain Arrow looked remarkably like his brother. Older and more mature, he carried an air of strength and charisma despite the fatigue lining his face. His men also waited patiently, rather than mobbing the newcomers for news. Subtle glances and tilts of the head were all the captain needed to direct his men.

  Taryn noticed that Trin was nearing the end so he focused on his friend as he described Siarra’s magic in the fire trap. Wrapping up, Trin leaned back in the makeshift chair and swept a hand out to his brother. Engrossed as Captain Arrow had been, he blinked and shook his head.

  “I can hardly believe you survived, Trin,” the captain said. “But I am grateful to your friends that you did.”

  Trin grinned and indicated that it was his brother’s turn to share. Taking a bite of fried roots, he settled in to listen.

  Captain Arrow looked upward and sighed. “I should probably start with the invasion.” He shook his head, his expression darkening. “The tales of the assassin marked the beginning, but the slayings were rare at first. The king and his advisors thought it was someone gone mad, and we were one of the commands dispatched to investigate. Our search was futile, and the killings only became more frequent. Every few days a new report came in. Soldiers, villagers, and especially warriors of renown were slain.”

  He stopped and glanced at Trin. “Do you remember Valir?”

  Trin swallowed and nodded. “Big fellow with an enormous sword, right?”

  “When he was killed, there were some that began to suspect the killings weren’t random. To make matters worse, runners were coming in saying that disease and famine were spreading in the eastern villages—spreading west towards Terros.”

  He stopped and sighed. “It was a bad time Trin, and I was grateful you weren’t there. Fear and suspicion were rampant, with thieves and small squabbles sparking minor riots. People were scared, hungry, and angry. It was around then we caught a break. A woodsman from the east arrived in Terros. He’d survived an attack by the assassin, and gave us the first real description we’d managed to get our hands on. Over the next few days, soldiers were outfitted and preparing for a major search. Before they could leave, Terros was hit.”

  Captain Arrow blinked and turned away, the evidence of what he’d seen apparent on his face. Several of his men cursed under their breath and looked away with haunted expressions. Taryn felt a chill, recalling Trin’s description of the destruction at Terros. He could only imagine what it would have been like to witness.

  The captain returned his attention to his listeners, his gaze hollow. “They overwhelmed the outer defenses in a matter of minutes. The next thing we knew, they were flooding the city and killing everything in sight.” His gaze met Trin’s, his expression sobering. “Father gathered everyone he could at the docks. Their line held just long enough to get the survivors onto the ships in the harbor. I saw the creatures tear him from his horse with my own eyes.”

  Taryn caught sight of Trin’s face and his heart went out to him. The young man’s gaze was fixed and his face frozen.

  “How did you escape?” Liri asked.

  “My command was holding the far northern tail of the defenses. When the line buckled, we were driven north. Skirting the lake, we managed to get out of the northern gates before they closed the gap. Lieutenant Fisk here,” he clapped his hand onto the shoulder of the man next to him, a grizzled older man with a full beard, “had gathered some of our fastest horses. We owe our lives to him.”

  Fisk grunted. “Not all the horses were fast enough.”

  “Too true,” the captain said, giving a sober nod.

  For a moment there was silence, as each man contemplated the friends lost to the war. Then Trin asked, “What happened next?”

  Draining his ale, the captain said with a shrug, “There was nothing else we could do, we fled north, trying to outrun the fiends to get there first. We arrived a day ahead of the dark army, giving us time to discover a little about what happened prior to the attack at Terros. A scattering of survivors had fled to the northern forts, and from them we learned that Draeken’s army had slaughtered the eastern villages first, driving west so fast that no one managed to warn us. Nearly all the ones who made it out in time were the ones on the ships. I doubt very many managed to escaped north or south.”

  “Wait,” Siarra said, raising her hand. “How did you know they were fiends, and about Draeken?”

  “We didn’t,” the captain replied, “not until we met up with the fire giants, but I will get there.”

  Nodding her understanding, Siarra indicated for him to continue.

  “The next day we were attacked. Our commanding officer had us stationed on one of the eastern forts. We were driven from our fortifications like we were children defending a fort made of blankets, and before we knew it, we were surrounded in the keep. Lucky for us, that particular fortress had an escape tunnel. Razing the city behind us we fled, but the exit let out onto a mountainside east of the fort. From our vantage point, we could see the vastness of the army that had destroyed us, and now blocked our way north. With nowhere else to go, we worked our way east along the ridgeline, hoping to find a canyon we could slip through. Each day we could see the army below growing in size, and by the time we reached this valley, we thought we were just delaying the inevitable.

  “That is when one of the fire giant scouts spotted us and brought us in here. Upon meeting with the clan leader, we learned that several centuries ago their clan had moved into the ancient dwarven forge of Xshaltheria. At the time, they had no idea that Draeken was imprisoned there, but several months ago something happened. One of their young ones discovered a secret door that led to an odd pit. That is where they discovered the Lord of Chaos.

  “But they were too late. Some sort of portal had been opened, and four creatures stood before Draeken. Those four—alone—drove out the entire clan of giants, slaying over half of them. One in particular, an armored behemoth almost as big as the giants themselves, slew many of them, including the clan leader. The l
eader’s son, Royl, led his people to escape into the ancient mines, settling them here. They have been fighting the fiends ever since.”

  “When you say “fighting” what do you mean?” Taryn asked.

  Fisk leaned forward, answering before Arrow could. “We lure their patrols into traps the giants set. Most of the time we have managed it without casualties.”

  Arrow nodded and swept his hands out wide. “We have been fortunate, and the fire giants are quite adept at building their traps. I have yet to see a single fiend escape one.” He inclined his head towards Siarra. “I applaud your success in getting out, and apologize it caused you any danger.”

  Fisk grunted and added, tilting his head towards Jack. “And I thank you, for slaying that infernal assassin.”

  Murmurs of approval and nods of gratitude from the other men followed that statement, but Jack only shrugged. “It was long overdue for that thing to die.”

  A chorus of heartfelt praise followed his statement, and after they had quieted, Arrow asked. “So you said you have come to slay Draeken and end the war. How exactly to you expect to accomplish that? We can’t even get close to the forge.”

  All eyes turned to Siarra as she said. “Captain Arrow, today is day four of seven. If we do not defeat him by the seventh day, the battle at Azertorn will be lost. Then it will just be a matter of time until every surviving person is killed. By prophecy, Taryn”—he looked away as she said his name—“is the only one that can slay him. Together, we must find a way to get him into that pit so he can fulfill his destiny.”

  The accompanying silence was deafening, and Taryn watched the men wait for direction from their officer. For his part, Arrow gazed at Taryn without blinking, and Taryn returned the look with difficulty, allowing the officer to get a measure of him. After a long moment, Arrow inclined his head. “If Trin believes you, then I believe you, but that doesn’t change what we have to face. Short of a miracle, there is no way we can get into Xshaltheria.”