by James Day
“What do you want?” Prince Grandur asked.
“You are to lead me to Iclandia,” he insisted in a toneless voice. “You are to tell me who conspired against our removal.”
“But we are not.” Arieal went on to say as Prince Grandur cut him off.
“We are willing to bargain. I will lead you,” Prince Grandur stated as Arieal's eyes widened.
“Good,” Shadown managed a smile.
“On one condition,” the Southlander said firmly.
“The girl lives, and she comes with me.”
“Impossible,” Shadown stated. “Prince Alec you are not in a bargaining position.”
“No, my friend, I am. You want your position back. You will return me to Iclandia and the girl.”
“A hearing will be held on your behalf. There are those that would wish to see your head cut off. Your Kingdom has many of our men that we want released.”
“I cannot promise you anything,” Prince Grandur managed to play the game and convince Shadown. “I can lead you to those who conspired to destroy you and me.”
“What?” Shadown said harshly. “Do not twist this to your own advantage my friend. I promise that it can be and will be extremely unpleasant.
“Go bargain.”
“I cannot promise you that the girl lives.”
“If she dies then the others will as well.”
Shadown turned and left the chambers as Arieal stared blankly at him in disbelief.
“Great! Simply great!” she rasped. “Not only are we in jail, but you have convinced him that you are this Prince Alec of Iclandia. You don't even know where you are or how to get to this place. You have no idea of this so-called conspiracy to overthrow this Kingdom. I can't believe you!”
“I had no choice; they're going to execute you tonight!”
“You think that he's going to convince you to let me go with you? His plan is to use you like a puppet to get his own people back. He cares nothing for us. As far as I am concerned you have sealed our fates.”
“I must figure out a plan of escape. We must gain his confidence and trust in the meantime. Shadown is not an unreasonable man. He suspects something to be wrong.”
“How do you know this?” she argued hotly.
“He has stuck up for us,” Prince Grandur stated quietly. “He will learn the truth and when he finds out, he will help us. We must leave this cursed place and get back to the Southlands. We must figure out what happened to Noleann. I cannot believe that my quest ends here. I refuse to believe that we will die here.”
Arieal sat down and had no other words to say. Prince Grandur stood and thought about Noleann. He wondered what had become of her. His mind thought about the Staff of Power, the powerful weapon used to wage war upon the Six Providences. He remembered the feeling of shock at its destruction. He had not gotten one answer from her. His mind ran around in circles as he tried to push the memories out. He had forgotten about her during the past couple of days. He had been preoccupied with his own survival in a strange new world. Prince Grandur had never been past Upper Maze Mountains nor the Sloping Spikes, but he realized there was a whole other world. This world was one of rock and ice, not like the warm sunlit fields of Shannon or the twisting streams of River Run. For the rest of the evening he sat quietly thinking about his homeland and his friends.
Arieal looked up to see the green emerald sparkling in her eyes. It was Shadown. He placed his fingers to his lips, and she understood. A guard opened the gate and Arieal walked out, leaving the dark chambers behind. As she made her way up the stairs, she scrutinized every detail, every hall and every staircase. Arieal was going to plan her escape. Shadown brought her to a room and closed the door behind. Shadown sat down in a large wooden oak chair the faced a warm cozy fireplace. Arieal felt uncomfortable as she looked at the warrior. He removed his wristbands and placed them on the table. Arieal noticed the strange tint of blue illumination that reflected in the bright torchlight.
“They're magical,” he simply explained. “I received them from a Mystic a long time ago. They're supposed to repel fireballs and dangerous spells. I've never had the chance to use them.”
“What do you want from me?” Arieal questioned him directly.
“Information, I want to know who ousted Prince Alec and who has control. I want to know who sent you on the mission?”
She was silent at his questions and was reluctant to answer them. The Mistress wondered how she would ever get out of current situation that they became deeply involved in. She was silent as Shadown watched her every move and motioned for her to sit down at the table.
“I don't know,” she decided to say.
“Don't be foolish,” he yelled. “Don't you realize that you are bargaining for your life at this time. Give me something to go on and we will compromise.”
“I don't know anything about the mission.”
Shadown's steel blue eyes peered into her light reflection. Arieal's hair shoulder length hair shimmered with its blonde highlights. Her expression was stern, and her brows lifted. She awaited his next move. Shadown sat back and clasped one of his wristbands, he squeezed it tightly.
“There is nothing I can do for you. They have commanded me to go through with the execution.”
The Mistress rose briskly from the table, “Then get on with it.”
Shadown rose and clapped his hands. A guard opened the door and brought a pair of iron links in. Shadown placed them on her wrists and she moved out the door. Arieal did not show it, but within she fought a feeling of terror, knowing that she was going to die.
Darkness loomed around as the shadows pressed up a flight of stairs which led to a platform. Outside the cold wind blew violently and dark blue glaciers towered into the starry sky. Ariq brought Arieal forward as the wind roared along the ramparts of the Nomads. The tiny castle was built into the edge of the mountains which surrounded. Arieal was pushed forward and she fell to her knees.
Get up!” Ariq screamed as he kicked her in the side.
“Where is Valendor and Shadown? Where are they?” she sobbed taking deep breaths as a few men grabbed her by the arms and yanked her.
“They have abandoned you. You see that sled. You're going for a small ride down into the catacombs. It is a simple death if you are crushed to death by the impact.” Arieal shoved herself forward and slammed one of the guards in the face with her iron cuffs. The unsuspecting sentry fell over with a bloody mouth as the others secured her. Arieal was locked into a wooden cage that had two flat runners in the front and back. Arieal could not move as the tipped the sled over. She felt a feeling of severe horror as the guards brought the cage closer to a hole. They quickly fastened a rope to the hole.
Ariq spoke to her. “You have committed treason and must die. There is a possibility that you may survive, but that is unknown.
“When and if we meet again, I'll kill you!” Arieal spat. She slammed her tired hands onto the cold steel bars as the cage was lifted up by a pulley system. Arieal watched the flickering firelight in the distance as she examined a huge gaping pit in the ground. It appeared to be an ice tunnel. The cage was moved over the pit as she positioned herself to be released. Arieal felt her body shaking and wondered if the others would succeed in their quest. The cage stopped swinging in the cold air as she watched a man climb up the structure and secure it down. The man moved to see a lever and placed his covered hands on it. It cranked. Suddenly a door peered open as Shadown blasted his way past the guards.
“Stop it!” he screamed.
“Shadown!” Arieal. yelled as the guard pulled the lever back.
Shadown pushed forward with his face full of rage. “I order you to stop it!” The lever went back as Arieal felt herself plunge. The world spun as she lost her stomach and sled raced down into the gaping pit.
Shadown stood still as he listened to her scream. After a moment it stopped.
Shadown had been too late to help her.
Lady Saunder felt a shiver for one moment as if a fra
il life had been destroyed. She rubbed her face and brushed the snow off her cowl and placed her hands before the burning fire. They warmed up as Prince Alec continued to take a slice of meat and turn it in the open fire. Quakerun stood above them with its harsh rock slopes the ascended up into the darkness. The peaks seemed to glisten in the starry sky as she watched a shooting star burn out in seconds.
“Another star has passed,” she turned to him.
“Stars do not concern me,” he lashed back.
“Something's wrong, what is it?”
“We're being tracked.”
“What?” she stood up as he put out the fire.
“I didn't think that they would follow us this far. We must lose them in Quakerun.”
“I cannot make it. I need rest,” she felt a wall of anxiety wash over her.
“They cannot follow us through this accursed mountain in the darkness.”
“It would be suicide if we attempted to climb it in the dark. We cannot see ice patches or snowdrifts. We could be blown off by the wind.”
Lady Saunder looked in the distance and saw three spectral bodies running in their direction. Prince Alec saw a man on horseback galloping their way. Suddenly a horn blasted the flatlands and echoed off the lonely peaks and plains. Prince Alec knelt down underneath a boulder as Lady Saunder followed. They could not believe that they had been discovered. They hoped that their hiding place was secure enough. Prince Alec held his breath as he heard the sound of men screaming at one another in the howling wind.
‘This way.”
A voice sounded as they discovered an old fire with its ambers still burning bright red. The three men converged and spread out as they unsheathed their short broadswords and scanned the area.
“Nothing here,” someone responded.
“Aye, they must have spotted us and made a run for it,” the taller one added.
“We must get back to Gnomeholden before a storm blows up. It's getting cloudy and a northern air flow appears to be coming straight south,” he kept his finger up for the wind direction.
“Here, over here,” the third scout called out as he discovered a set of footprints. The others moved in unison at their now discovery. The short man continued to follow as snow lightly fell.
“Hurry,” he boomed. “The snow will cover them in moments!”
The scouts raced along the rock and checked behind the boulders and small crevasses. Prince Alec and Lady Saunder saw a dark shadow loom over them, green eyes peered down as they both froze.
“Well what do we have here?”
Prince Alec drew his dagger as the dark shadow stepped back and beckoned them to come out.
“Now, now,” the husky voice continued, “there is no need for violence. We are sorry if we frightened.”
“State your homeland!” Prince Alec snapped.
“I am Forerunner, of Gnomeholden.”
“Gnomes?” Lady Saunder stated with relief. “We thought you were Nomads.”
“It appears that they would be very far from their land, especially in this day and time,” Forerunner explained while he courteously extended his hand and helped Lady Saunder, Prince Alec quickly followed. “What are you doing all the way out here?” Forerunner added with curiosity.
“We have business with your King, but I cannot reveal the intent of my mission because I cannot trust you.”
“Very well, young sir,” he patted him on the shoulder as the other two Gnomes glared out at the clouds.
“Storm is coming,” Willfull predicted.
“We can find shelter in the Quakerun base. We will be safe there,” Slasher announced. “But we must go now.
“Will you come with us?” Forerunner asked.
“Gladly,” Lady Saunder replied.
The new company headed for the base of Quakerun. In the distance, eyes watched and waited for the right moment to strike.
EIGHT
Noleann found herself walking toward a huge cavern as orange glowing firelight reflected off her face. Bursts of swirling steam exploded upward in horrifying booms which shook the cavern. Behind her the darkness loomed as she felt a sense of loneliness and despair. It was a place where she finally reached, a journey of dreaded uncertainty. A cold chill shook her as the hairs on her neck rose and the dark apparition stalked behind her. She ran onto a wide span of a bridge which extended across a gaping pool of lava. Above against the molten ridgelines the skeletal forms of the Seekers stood. A sentiment of hope suddenly emerged as a spectral form appeared at the end of the bridge. Fire rushed up all around them with a great wall of separation as the bridge rocked beneath her feet. Somehow, Noleann knew that it would not falter, that rock and stone would hold against the evil forces she fought against. The form rushed with a broken stride, half-exhausted, face seared and burned. Noleann went to aid the man who walked toward her. In his arms a still body of a girl was startled, her clothes full of ash and cinders, face red, eyes still. Noleann rushed toward the man and saw the broken face with tears washing down his cheeks. It was Dayven carrying a girl as he lay her down. It was evident that the Seekers were awaiting the final destruction as her cousin screamed out for the dead girl. Noleann bent down and removed the cowl. She stared at her own mirror image.
The dawn broke as Noleann awoke in a cold dark cell. She rose in a damp sweat and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. The vision had come again with a stronger clarity. Once again, she stared at the ever-changing vision of the strange molten cave which she and the others would be destroyed. The image wore off and she realized she was a prisoner in the Kingdom of Iclandia. Late last night, Gabreal had been taken away by the men to be questioned. Noleann got up from the warm comfort of her cot and stride over to the frosted windows of the room. She had been captive for two days and one night. The still forgotten memory of Quaid's fall had not slipped her mind but left her in a state of ambivalence. He brought her to a strange new land, which she had become entangled into. Noleann felt that her purpose to save her cousin and the lands had been thwarted by a new turn in the journey's events. Iclandia, she thought about the name and what it meant to her. It was a cold world, far away from the green lush mountains of Shannon and crystal rivers that fed the lands with its sparkling waters.
The sound of echoing boots reminded her of the captivity that enshrouded her life. The Darkmage Javern had taken her to question her about the rebels whereabouts. Noleann wondered when they would come for her. Again, she peered out the window at the wondrous land that lay sprawled before her. Directly in front of her lay the Sloping Spikes, a row of glistening snowcapped mountains which cut into the gray rolling sky. As she peered to the west, clusters of mountains were settled across a frozen stretch of barren land. The east held a more spectacular view, a row of three mountains and a huge crater-like hole that dropped through the crust of the earth. It was then the bolt was slipped from the door and Gabreal was thrown to the floor. Noleann rushed to her side as the door was slammed shut. Noleann dragged Gabreal's body across the stone floor and lifted her up onto the bed.
“Gabreal please wake up.” Noleann's voice spoke gently.
“I am tired,” Gabreal opened her eyes and stared into space.
“What happened?” she said with immediacy.
“The Darkmages will come for you. They will use their power to destroy you. They will break your will.”
Gabreal fell asleep with those last words and then the door opened.
Noleann was faced with the cruel eyes of Javern.
The Bounty Huntress moved down numerous numbers of staircases that spiraled into the bowels of the mountain. She keenly kept track of every route and secretly marked them with an imprint of her boot. Javern and two guards brought her to a colder part of the Kingdom. She entered a room, which looked like a giant cavern. Before her was a throne with furs and rugs wrapped about it. An old man sat on the chair with his hand slumped over his lap. It was then he moved and stood up like a black demon against bleak stone walls. The flickering torch
light hid his face in the shadows, a cowl hid what he had become through his magic and the expended lives of others. Javern knelt on one knee and bowed his head to his master as a hand rose.
I have brought the girl my master.” Javern whispered as the Darkmages head beckoned the answer. “She is not of this land but knows of Quaid.” In a silent answer, the once man, now creature, returned his reply and then beckoned Noleann to stop forward.
Noleann stride forward to meet this Darkmage as she saw him cringe in the shadow, concealing his deformed body and face. He seemed oddly familiar to her, the moves and motions reminded her of a memory so far away. She stopped in mid-stride and stared coldly at him. He did not stop as Javern's eyes faltered from the stone floor to study his masters hesitation and motive.
“What is it you want with me?” she asked of him.
“Where are the rebel encampments?” his cold voice hissed like a snake’s strange rasp.
“I know nothing of this land.”
“We have ways of making you speak the truth,” his cruel tone trailed off and Javern's eyes averted to the floor.
“I seek passage to the Southlands, to Shannon.”
The man's body jolted forward as he appeared to grow larger. He extended his arm out and his old broken fingers glowed a rush of purple that dissolved.
“A crimson flame, girl. It floods your dreams.” He rose as his crooked body stepped down off the throne. “How shall you save them against the power of the Dark Ones? How shall you find your way from Iclandia?”
“How do you know of my quest?” The Bounty Huntress felt a creeping horror grasp her body as she shuttered at the hidden Darkmage.
“You may save your friends, but we need Quaid?”
“Quaid...” she whispered remembering his body drop off the side and fall through the darkness.
“He lives.” The Darkmage brought his hand toward her. “Give me your hand and you shall see.” Noleann rushed back as the men moved to stop her.
“Leave her alone,” the master screamed as the men froze. “When he comes to you girl, you shall lead him to us. You shall hand him over to me. “
