The mission hung paramount, swinging by a fraying line.
The voices of those he would fail crowded his ears threatening to deafen.
At the bottom, they met no opposition at first.
Apparently the cry had not made it through the castle to reach the lowest levels and they could still move with impunity. Maybe it would be long enough for them to make their escape with the Immortal.
"That way," Velkar pointed toward the row of cells as if Mekan couldn't see them.
The guard slept, his face a mask of peace. Changing hands with his dagger, Mekan considered whether or not to cut his throat. At current, he was no enemy, simply a misguided fool. A cog in the wheel of a winch far bigger than him. Yet leaving him alive meant the chance he could join their pursuit. Gave them one more person who might able to catch them once they made their escape.
It would only take one motion. Cut his throat. Drive the point through his closed eye. Either would suffice.
Velkar continued down the hall leaving him to his thoughts. Mekan pressed the blade back to his leg before resetting the straps. Every movement burned, but he did not hesitate. One thing they did not have was more time.
"Immortal," Velkar whispered along the row of cells. No one responded.
Had their information been late and they missed her execution?
No, that couldn't be so. Her detractors wouldn't miss the spectacle. They needed blood and Kendrick would never deny them.
Mekan knew him as he knew himself.
A man came to his cell door and peered out.
"Who are you?"
It wasn't a demand, just a question.
Velkar went to the door and said,
"The Immortal, have you seen her?"
"She's in the cell across the hall," he said. "Or at least the woman who wears her face is."
Undeterred, Velkar went to the indicated cell and rapped on it.
"Immortal, please, we're here to save you."
Jalcina came to the cell door and stood there without a word, surveying those before her. To say she calculated what they were worth would be harsh, but true. What she saw were two men covered in blood.
"Come with us," Mekan urged. "We're here to release you."
"I am not the woman you seek," she said. With that, she turned away.
Velkar slammed his uninjured shoulder into the door as if his might would overcome the metal. Mekan quieted him with a hand.
"We've come too far."
"And we will not leave without her," Mekan said. "I should have stolen the key off the guard. Go get it."
Though he stopped to look at Mekan first, Velkar did what he was told.
"Whoever you are, do you fear death?" Mekan asked once he was down the hall.
For a moment, contemplative silence.
"Yes."
"Then please come with us. You bear her light. We have need of it." His urgent hiss passed through the air to her and she came back to the door. Those eyes were not the Immortal's eyes. He knew them. They were unearthly blue. This girl carried a power, but it was not the same. Her warm brown eyes brimmed with something he could not name.
Velkar returned with the key and fitted it in the lock to spring the door.
Jalcina stepped out into the hallway and appraised them both again.
"How do we escape?"
"Are you just going to abandon me here?" Warden banged on his cell door. Velkar started toward his door, but Mekan brought him up short.
"Leave him, he tried to kill her. His choices must be paid for."
The bloody smear of Mekan's hand on Velkar's light tunic did not inspire confidence.
Jalcina stepped between them and put her hand out to Warden.
"Don't leave me here," Warden said. "They plan to execute me as well. I can help you."
"How?"
"You and I are tied together." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Only I know how."
With no patience for Warden's game, Mekan lightly touched Jalcina to draw her attention. "We need to go before the guard comes."
"We don't have to worry about the one down here," Velkar said.
Backing away from the door, Jalcina shook her head. "I want to be free of all this."
"Come with us. We'll free you."
Many believed the only exit out of the dungeon was up the staircase at the end of the row. Of course, no paranoid architect would build a place without insuring his own ability to escape. At the very end of the hall, hidden by a false wall was a tunnel barely big enough for a stooping man, ill-lit and cramped. However, for someone willing to crawl to freedom, it offered exactly that.
A commotion at the staircase spurred them on.
"What happens if someone knows about this?" Velkar asked as he did his best to wedge the wall back in place.
"We'll fight in the dark," Mekan said. "Our lives for hers."
"You don't have to die for me."
"We knew we could. Therefore, if we must, we shall." Mekan led the way into the darkness of the mountain as Velkar slunk along behind listening for sounds of pursuit. Over their heads, the mountain pressed as if it would take pleasure in crushing them a bone at a time. Mekan, used to the open sea and even perhaps the bustle of landed cities, couldn't help the growing fear in him.
This could be their tomb.
Few would mourn.
He would fail.
His muscles drew tighter and threatened to disobey his commands with every step. The bleeding had mostly stopped. He would survive, if he could just make it out of this thrice damned tunnel.
Echoed footsteps told him his party stayed behind him.
How far did the tunnel go, it made no difference. They would go until they reached the exit. Wherever that was.
Abruptly, it ended with Mekan driving his hand into solid rock. With the aching throb of his entire body, he didn't feel it.
He searched for some mechanism to release them from the oppressive tunnel, every movement becoming faster even frantic. Their guide had never been to the end of the tunnel. He hadn't told them how to escape it once they were inside or even if they could.
In the many moments of fruitless searching, Mekan wondered if they had come all that way only to be trapped. Panic gripped him like an rising sea monster. Then she touched him.
Jalcina did not rush forward to take over, but nudged him to the side, a movement making the already small tunnel even smaller. Mekan could just barely make out the motions of her hands as they moved over the surface.
A symbol flared to bright blue life before his eyes forcing him to blink. The wall dissolved, leaving behind only that symbol hanging weightless in the cool mountain breeze. Behind him, he heard Velkar make a sound not unlike awe.
The power of the Immortal on display. She stepped out into the breeze and it caught her long hair combing it out in a black banner.
"Where to now?" she asked.
Mekan took a moment to find his words.
"We have to smuggle you out of the city."
Standing on the mountainside, Mekan marked the position of the sun. Sundown would not be for hours. They had time to make it down the mountain. If he could. His body continued its threat to betray as they moved down the untouched terrain.
It was Velkar who stopped and said, "We're on Ancel's high trail."
If they went up, the story was it would be the only true path to the summit, created by the God of the Burning Island himself for his most dedicated adherents to come to him in their time of need. A trail older than even the Black King.
"May he bless our escape," Mekan said without stopping. "Come, we must be gone before anyone notices."
As they moved, Mekan found himself over and over again watching Jalcina who gave the air of someone who knew what it meant to climb down a crag. The question of who she was needled him.
The Immortal, when he had last seen her years before, had the kind of blue eyes never to be seen again. Unique, piercing, magical. This young woman, though she bore all the o
ther physical features, lacked those eyes. And, in spite of her bearing herself with both strength and posture, he knew she was not a fighter the way the Immortal was. If asked, could this girl take the head of her enemy? Perhaps so, perhaps not. He didn't want to bet on it. Even the untrained could be forced to kill.
Velkar, it appeared, had no such thoughts. He moved around her like a moon, trying to help in any way he could though his arm was lacerated and swelling. Untreated it would be the death of him.
They needed to get to Arathum.
Mekan came up short and almost stumbled into a tumble.
There was a flaw in their plan.
If what Velkar said was true, they would find a temple at the base of the trail and there would be people who came to pay their respects or attempt to summit the mountain. Better, they were covered in blood. Someone would notice.
"Immortal," Mekan said. "I need your counsel."
Jalcina raised an eyebrow.
"We have to hide you, but we will soon be among people. How can we keep you safe?"
The Summit Temple
Up until he asked for her counsel, Jalcina had gone along with the wishes of those who said they would protect her. Anything to get out of that dungeon. She planned to escape as soon as she could. Though they had helped her, she didn't want to find out why. They thought she was someone she wasn't. Better to disappear before anyone could destroy her for it.
Then the one with the streaked hair, there were other differences but she noticed that first, asked her opinion of what they should do. They would come upon people soon. People who would recognize her face.
For a moment, she stood there thinking of what to do. They had nothing from the looks of it. Velkar and Mekan carried weapons, which would do them little good should they be overrun. And this wasn't a matter of fighting their way through but rather deceiving a few folks for long enough to get through.
That brought her back around to the fact they had nothing. The men looked as if they had gone through a war.
"If I keep my eyes down and don't look at anyone, they may not notice me," Jalcina said. "You two will draw all eyes with the blood."
"The mountain is merciless. Those who attempt the path do not all make it. We will simply say we failed," Velkar said. His face said he hated the lie, but it would serve. Mekan agreed.
"As you say, Immortal. We will trust you with our lives."
For now, Jalcina kept her head up and scanned the path, trying to avoid places where it was treacherous. Long years among the mountains of Sartol taught her to be wary of footing on the mountainside. Anything could lead to an unintended tumble. Many broke or lost limbs behaving without caution.
Around her, her protectors did the same. The tall one cradling his arm moved the most gingerly despite seeming less injured than the other. Could there be something wrong he didn't show? Concern welled up only for her to squash it. If she wanted to survive, she needed to defend against anything which might weaken her resolve or cause her to lose purpose.
Escape.
Under any circumstances.
The temple came into sight below as they came over a small rise. A small but obviously well-built building with a statue of Ancel bearing his greatsword on top. Even from a distance, they saw people moving around nearby. They appeared to be enjoying the few small ponds with benches around the place.
"Prospectives take their ease near the temple before attempting the mountain."
Velkar's comments helped, but not enough. Jalcina felt her blood rise at the thought of going through these people to escape. Except more people meant a chance she could separate from her saviors without them noticing.
She would have to try.
As they approached, she noticed the massive door, beaten metal, facing toward the trail.
"Why is that there?"
"The priests do not let everyone try the trail."
"Why don't people just go around?"
The stunned look on Velkar's face was all she truly needed.
"You do not attempt the trail to the summit without Ancel's blessing. He will kill you."
Mekan chuckled and Jalcina shot him a glance. He shook his head and pretended to say nothing. Velkar went on.
"Those who reach the summit are few. The blessed. And they rarely speak of what they found there. Only that it is something worthy of the climb. No one is allowed to try without the blessing of the priests. If Ancel does not favor you?…"
Jalcina slowed him with her hands. "Enough."
"Certainly you have been to the top, Immortal," Mekan said.
"Why would I have? What reason do I have to consult a god?"
Velkar stared at her with wide eyes as if he only just remembered who he was lecturing about the ways of their people, someone who had helped to shape their ways over the last 300 years.
"Forgive me, Immortal."
"Leave it."
"We're coming to where we need to hide you. Velkar, do not address her as Immortal. And try to look as crestfallen as one who has failed the greatest test of their lives."
Jalcina wondered about Mekan's thoughts on the subject. He seemed uninterested, if not detached from the idea of Ancel. Granted, Jalcina only knew the name because Vad'Alvarn and Navar had worshiped the war deity. Sartol kept no gods, unless one considered the snowfall one. It was dreaded and anticipated all in one, the first true snow of winter.
Was that what loving a god meant?
Jalcina dropped her eyes and let her hair obscure her face, then raised her hands as if she might be hiding tears. Certainly that would be appropriate for someone who has failed their life's work. She wished for a bit of blood on her, if only so she matched the men around her.
Mekan gestured for Velkar to take the lead. He was Burning Island stock, no one would question his appearance. Jalcina was too pale and he bought too much of his color from long days at sea.
At the great door, ten foot high beaten bronze where only the very edges showed discoloration, Velkar knocked. The sound vibrated back to them. From inside, there came sounds of running and then the door opened.
Inside the small temple, a throng gathered creating a sea of bright colored robes where the somber colors of the priests stood out like islands.
"You return!" The priest at the door bowed to them showing his shiny bald head. "Come, come in. Tell us of your attempt." He grabbed Velkar's arm and the man gritted his teeth over the pain.
"Please, master," Mekan said, trying to shoo him away from his companion. "We need to rest. Can we tell our story tomorrow?"
"No. You must relay it now. Even in failure, as you cannot have reached the summit, there is learning."
Other priests were gathering like crows. Behind them, pressing in, were others who wished to know what they could about the trip to the summit. Every eye was on them.
Jalcina, at the back of the group, slipped farther back as the throng pressed in until she was cut off from them. No one seemed to notice her, so she shuffled away careful to keep her eyes down, but still manage not to walk into anyone. They wouldn't have time to notice she was gone.
Slipping down a side corridor, she found herself on the small rise leading down into the areas of pools she had seen earlier. A quick glance around showed it mostly open as if anyone could just wander in from below without being stopped.
Good.
The few others in the area seemed to be about their own business, some standing or sitting while looking into the myriad pools with great concentration. Jalcina skirted the edge looking for an easy path down the mountain toward the city she saw below wondering what the others saw in the precious water. Though it hardly seemed to be what she remembered, she knew what she saw had to be Arathum, Vad'Alvarn's seat or this Immortal woman's now.
Leviana.
The name conjured up stretches of nothing for her. It spoke of snatches of lost time and kisses she tasted but didn't remember getting. So much left open by that name and none of it hers.
Pushing the thoug
ht away, she concentrated on keeping her eyes down but moving as if she had somewhere to be. A pair of sandaled feet appeared in front of her and she shifted to go around as a hand gripped her shoulder.
"Go back to them," the owner said. "Running is a poor decision."
His voice sounded almost familiar, the way a long lost relative might sound. Jalcina almost raised her eyes. Instead she stepped back.
"Why?"
"Your destiny lies with them."
"Fate cannot hold me. I won't let it."
The man reached in to lift Jalcina's eyes to his and she snatched away. If he saw her face…
"I know who you are. Do you?"
"If you know, then let me pass."
"I will not bar you. Only ask you consider where that path leads. To a city you do not know in a time you are not from. Alone and friendless. Is that how you would find your fate?"
The voice shifted to her father. Lord Mordaen of Sartol taught her to be aware of her choices. To understand why she did the things she did. Sometimes she heeded him, all too often, she hadn't. Her pigheadedness started her on the road to her place at Vad'Alvarn's hand.
She raised her eyes. The man standing before her wore no face she knew, but that did nothing to keep him from giving off the feeling of closeness. The sense they had known each other once, a lifetime ago. She was tired of that feeling.
"Go back. See what they have to offer. You'll rise above them in due time, but for now, take their help."
Jalcina seemed to consider it. Of course, taking the path of least resistance had been her hallmark. Every choice she made since meeting Vad'Alvarn had been one of preservation and where had it gotten her?
Into a time she didn't know and a city she didn't care for. Alone and friendless, as the man said. Those who had saved her were not friends. They thought she was someone she wasn't. Someone they worshiped. She didn't want to be worshiped. All Jalcina wanted was to have nothing further to do with any of this.
Even knowing how outmatched she was, she struck first and connected with a solid hit to the man's body just above the groin. If it phased him, he didn't show it. Instead he dragged her into a bear hug and lifted her from her feet.
"I'm pleased you still have so much fight after all these years, but heed me. Now is not the time." His voice hissed in her ear with displeasure, but she heard little. He would release her. She snapped a leg forward and this time connected with his crotch. He tossed her away and she landed sprawling like a broken doll.
Ruins of Fate Page 4
