Belvedor and the Four Corners (Belvedor Saga Book 1)

by Ashleigh Bello

  She looks so strong, stronger than I, and I know I cannot defeat her if I must. As she smiles a soft smile, I relax a bit. My smile… her smile is reassuring.

  I open my mouth to speak, and she steps forward as if to welcome my questions, but my words become lost as I feel something burning in my stomach. The dagger, my dagger is buried there. The girl from the mirror pulls it from my flesh, and I fall forward towards her outstretched arms. I think she will catch me, but I go through her. Into the mirror, I fall.

  My body is numbed again from the cold, the icy floor keeping me frozen in place. Blood pours from all around, painting the white floor a muddied red. I want to scream, but my voice is hiding, always hiding.

  The shadows roll and thicken as if a dark cloud of smoke has emerged from the ground. Then I hear a hiss echoing throughout the air. I watch as silky black cobras slither through the new fallen snow. They come in a wave out of the shadows as if beseeched by Blancoren itself. I want to laugh, knowing they probably were.

  The smoky shadow becomes denser now, bowling across the ground. It moves towards me, and wavy black lines dot the white snow behind it, the snakes racing after the shadow. The procession comes to a halt only a few feet away, and long velvet robes melt out of the smoke. Someone is here. Something…

  An ominous figure stands before me.

  It’s all I can muster to tilt my head upwards to see as black robes skim the snow in a train behind a hooded man. Monster? He is covered from head to toe, his face in the shadows. Does he have a face at all? Suddenly, he steps forward. His boot collides with my chin. It’s agonizing, but still I cannot move. The man sighs as my howl fills the silence. He likes this I think. He steps across me, and I want to look away. I see only this monster.

  The hiss is louder now. The snakes are by my ears, and they circle me like prey.

  Tilting his head low, the man, this devil, wants me to see his eyes, black eyes on pale skin. They are all I can see… soulless and dark. He is still just a shadow, a monster of the shadows straddling me.

  His voice fills my ears, and the sound is nauseating. Then the snakes attack.

  My nerves scream in pain as they burrow inside of me with their fangs. The pain starts to sear, my skin melting with the snow as the snakes cling like leeches to my skin.

  The mountains blur in and out, and the figure melts back into the smoky shadows leaving me to fade away too.

  He is gone, but I still feel him here. His laughter echoes everywhere.

  Arianna’s eyes flew open, and she pushed herself to a seated position as her chest heaved up and down. Everyone else still slept, and she felt groggy and sore. The dream lingered in her mind and grew more blurred with the passing seconds. She tried to cling on to the face of her nightmare, but as usual, the detail faded.

  She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body, cold without her cloak. “How long have we been sleeping?” she murmured to herself.

  “Too long,” said Jeom, startling her with a growling yawn.

  Lessa and Demetrius stirred as the noise broke the silence, and they all sat up from their make-shift beds.

  “How do you feel?” asked Demetrius to Lessa.

  She rubbed at her ankle with a quizzical expression etched across her face.

  “I feel… fine.” She unfurled Arianna’s robes and handed them back to her. “A little sore I suppose. What has happened?” she said cautiously.

  “Sano happened,” said Arianna, glancing at the moon-eyed monkey in Lessa’s lap.

  Lessa’s lips formed an ‘O’ and spoke nothing more on the subject. She pulled Sano close, rocking him at her chest.

  Everyone tried to put off their next adventure a little longer. Lessa started tending to the minor wounds they had all received, and Arianna opened their bags, arranging the rest of their provisions out on the ground before them. She uncorked a water jug and passed it around, not bothering with glasses. Everyone took a long drink and began to eat in silence, passing Sano scraps of leftovers. Feeling rejuvenated after being fed and watered, they stood to stretch their legs.

  “Now, how do we get out of here?” said Jeom, breaking the momentary peace. “Any thoughts?”

  Lessa pouted and Arianna’s eyes shifted away as the boys looked at the girls for answers. “How should we know?” said Lessa.

  Frustrated, Arianna picked up a large black pebble from the few that lay scattered on the ground. She skimmed it across the still waters as she used to in her secluded hot springs. The pebble hopped across the water, but, on the third jump, it landed with a thud. She moved to the edge of the lake to see what could have made such a noise.

  Arianna gaped, staring at the smooth, black pebble sitting on top of the clear water as if it sat upon a mirror.

  “How in the world?” said Lessa.

  Jeom scooped up three more rocks and tossed them far across the lake. Two landed with a splash as expected, but the other collided with something invisible like before. The four looked at each other, nodding. One by one, they began chucking stones all over the lake. Water splashed and sprayed all around, but many of the stones remained visible on some unseen surface.

  Lessa picked up one more rock and tossed it to the water, as close to the edge as possible. The sound ricocheted as it hit another solid surface. The four kneeled down to examine this one, but they could only see the reflection of the jade ceiling encircling the stone.

  “Look,” said Lessa. “The water is moving here.” She pointed away from the pebble.

  “And?” said Arianna, trying to figure out the riddle of the pebbles.

  “And it’s not here,” said Lessa, pursing her lips. “We disturbed the water with the rocks, but the ones that are still visible are sitting on top of clear, still water. I think they are invisible stepping stones or something of the sort.” She ran a hand through her hair, unsure of her conclusion.

  Arianna had the decency to look apologetic. “I see now,” she said as she stared harder. Each invisible surface where a pebble could be seen never moved, but the water rippled everywhere else. “You must be right!”

  “No, no, no!” said Jeom. “I know what you girls are getting at. Every time you get that look on your face, we end up risking our lives. I’m not going out there on the basis of the invisible stepping stones.” He waved his hands in the air.

  “What else do we do?” said Demetrius, surveying the lake.

  “We go back!” Jeom turned to the door behind them, trying to yank it open. Of course, it didn’t budge, and a low grumble rolled out of his mouth in a string of curses.

  “Onward then!” said Lessa, patting him on the back. She couldn’t help but feel happy after surviving another close-call. She stepped off the platform into the water with Sano on her shoulder, and everyone ran forward to try and catch her as a reflex.

  Two feet in the lake, she stood above the water. When she looked down, she could see her reflection in the mirrored surface, and she gave it a light tap with her foot. The sound reverberated through the jade cavern, and her face lit up in wonderment.

  The four peered over the edge to see Lessa safe and sound.

  “What has the world come to,” said Jeom as he tightened his robes around him.

  Demetrius looked quite worried too, and he gripped his scythe as if it could provide safety from the watery depths. “After you,” he said, ushering Arianna forward.

  With the girls leading the way, they all began to walk on water, onward towards their goal.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  AURORA

  After twenty minutes of meandering around the lake on the obscured path, they reached the safety of the black and blue door. The group felt more at ease after escaping the jade room without any dangers to speak of, and they chatted away in happy spirits as they crossed over the next threshold.

  Stepping into momentary darkness, their eyes adjusted to the change, and everyone felt a pang of loss for the firebug-filled lantern. As their vision attuned to the dim lighting, Arianna’
s breath escaped her.

  They traveled a small, cylindrical tunnel which encased them in smooth, glistening, black earth. It looked as if millions of stars had been sewn into the walls, ceiling, and the floor. Her fingers trembled under the soft touch of the strange stone as they traced the rock. Glued to the walls and floor, she also saw clusters of quartz. Indigo blues, purples, and greens swirled together to make the shining crystals. Arianna smiled, the colors making her feel at peace, at ease.

  She heard Lessa call from ahead. “Look, there’s a sign here.”

  Arianna ran forward to where she stood. She saw a small sign plastered in the center of the wall, framed by the vibrant quartz. It carved from the same black stone of the cave, and the words were painted in iridescent calligraphy.

  “Do you think you can read it?” asked Demetrius as he came to a halt with Jeom at his side.

  Jeom nodded with a grimace and recited his translation, “We are Aura and Ora—the precious stones of astral journey,” he said, looking up. “It says nothing more.”

  Arianna stared at the sign, bemused by the familiarity of the entire tunnel until suddenly realization dawned.

  Unsheathing the dagger Solomon had given her long ago, the resemblance was uncanny. The blade glittered like tiny black diamonds on every inch of surface just like the starry cavern, and the winged handle was forged in the same swirl of colors as the crystals linings the walls.

  “It’s my dagger,” she said as she examined it against the backdrop of the tunnel, the slither of yellow glinting in the jeweled center.

  “Huh?” asked Lessa while she continued to study the sign along with the Kane brothers.

  “My dagger… it is Aura and Ora,” she said, awestruck by yet another link to this enchanted world.

  “How is your dagger Aura and Ora?” said Demetrius who had become enthralled by the natural splendor.

  “I mean, the dagger Master Bell gifted me when I became his apprentice is carved of Aura and Ora,” she said in disbelief as the words trailed out of her mouth. As a young girl, she had once pondered as to the origin of her precious weapon, but the underbelly of some enchanted dwarf city had never even come close to her list of possibilities.

  Lessa’s head snapped up as the words registered in her mind. “Of course! Your dagger.” She clapped her hands together. “I knew I’d seen these stones before.” She traced the outline of a giant, blue-green crystal. “Ara, that really is an exceptional gift. I’m curious as to where Solomon got it. Did he ever say?”

  Arianna shook her head, amused at the thought.

  “And to think it was almost lost,” Lessa said, biting her bottom lip in mock fear.

  Arianna smiled and turned the dagger over in her hand. “Stones of astral journey? I wonder how they got that label.” She handed it over to Demetrius and Jeom to inspect.

  “Impressive,” said Jeom. “It’s been welded with both. The stones in this cave must be very rare because I’ve never seen or learned of any weapon made of a material like this. The craftwork is magnificent.” He stroked its flanks in veneration and feigned slipping it beneath his robes.

  Snatching it out of his grasp, she sheathed it back at her side.

  “Aura and Ora…” said Demetrius, repeating the names over and over in a ditty. “Its name shall be Aurora!”

  “And why does it need a name at all?” said Arianna, trying not to laugh at what seemed like a serious notion.

  In unison, Demetrius and Jeom gawked at her like she’d just made the most ridiculous of comments. When they realized they both reacted in the same manner, they chuckled at their uncanny brotherliness.

  In a jolly mood, Lessa continued to wander down the tunnel, and Arianna followed, leaving the boys to their silly discussion.

  “All weapons must carry a name! This here is Sheela,” said Demetrius as he rubbed the staff of the scythe between his fingers. He grinned at his weapon.

  “Ma’am,” said Jeom, bowing low. He came back up in a fit of laughter. “My axe went by the name of L.K.,” he said, making a salute to his lost weapon.

  Demetrius raised an eyebrow, sweeping his bangs back from his eyes. “What does L.K stand for?”

  “Lady-Killer,” he said, nodding as if it was the most obvious conclusion of the acronym.

  Lessa and Arianna spun around at his words. “Lady-Killer!?” They both had their hands reaching for their weapons as they scowled.

  “No, no, no. Don’t get me wrong!” he said, putting his hands up in surrender. “Calm yourselves, now. I’m a creator not a fighter… per se.” His grin looked sardonic as he shrugged back. “It bore the name L.K because it never failed to gain the attention of a lady. Most people in my district walked around with hammer and nails… typical.” He snorted, winking at the girls.

  “You’re an idiot,” said Lessa.

  Arianna agreed, and Demetrius and Jeom almost fell to their knees, shrieking in laughter at their haughtiness.

  “Please,” said Jeom, running after them. “What did you think I did? Stalk around my district, slaying unsuspecting women?”

  “Who knows,” said Arianna, smiling. “You did pretty well for yourself against us.” She turned her attention to Lessa. “I suppose you’ll have to choose a name as well then.”

  “Boo,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I think that’s an appropriate title to pair with a ghost.” She patted the bow and arrows at her back and winked at Arianna.

  The four continued babbling on like this for another ten minutes before they realized they had reached another impasse—door number six.

  Hour after hour passed before they reached the end goal they had originally set out for, but they thanked the gods no more deathtraps awaited them. It seemed that their bewitched maze had finally run out of tricks as they opened door after door with no danger.

  They passed through a room where amethyst crystals swallowed them on all sides and a chamber filled with natural silver that sprouted up the walls like trees. A cavern lined with crimson jasper submerged them in a pool of blood-colored stones, and they walked through a crater of ore pulsing with veins of platinum. Resting in a room of earth-toned marble, they ticked down the doors as they went. And they even climbed their way through a maze of sapphire, giving them another miraculous chance to walk on bejeweled water.

  They saw caverns of sunny amber, which Sano adored, and Lessa deemed her favorite a tunnel of turquoise which seemed to twist like a vortex through a picturesque sky. Jeom drooled in the diamond mine where he tried to scoop sparkling souvenirs from the rivers, and Demetrius favored the rosy green tourmaline shooting up from the ground like crystalized buds.

  Door after door, they paraded along for miles, basking in the brilliance of the precious yet neglected natural phenomena. “This one is my favorite,” said Arianna as she paused at another threshold to take in the view.

  A wide, arched room spilled out in a rainbow of color like the inside of a white marble splattered in paint. It looked as if someone chiseled off a piece of all the other chambers and tossed them into a melting pot in order to create a room where each could be admired together. She walked into the polished chamber as a warm, safe feeling washed over her.

  “Can we stay here forever?” she said. She threw her arms out wide and tilted her head to the vibrant ceiling. Spinning in place, her long curls and cloak spread out around her in a whirling circle. As she spun, the colors on the ceiling melted into each other until a whirlpool of hues replaced her vision.

  “I don’t think so,” said Jeom as Arianna steadied herself in place.

  “Why not? What could possibly be better than this?” she said, sighing in satisfaction as she leaned on Lessa for support. Her friend nodded in approval as Sano ran around the room in playful spirit.

  “That…” said Jeom as his mouth hung slack.

  He gazed, unblinking, towards the same gilded door that had melted the flesh of his hand. It floated atop a twisted, black-fire opal staircase. Gold railings curved around the sid
es, and each step looked like a deep ginger moon had liquefied into the blackness of the universe.

  “I’m not patching you up again,” said Lessa, narrowing her eyes as Jeom flexed his scarred palm.

  He clasped his hands together as if in prayer as he and Demetrius began to plot an affluent future.

  “I suppose we should get going,” said Arianna. “After all, this damn door is the whole reason we came.” She hooked Lessa at her elbow and pulled her forward.

  They watched as the boys made close contact to the gold.

  “Last one… ready everyone?” said Jeom. His eyes lit up with anticipation as they all reached the door together. It covered in intricate patterns from top to bottom, and it attached to nothing just as the first time they laid eyes upon it.

  “Ready,” said Lessa in her honeyed voice as she squeezed Arianna’s hand.

  The door creaked open, and they all stepped through the gilded threshold, leaving the opulent room behind. Unfortunately for them, light seemed always to be escorted by darkness, and the gleaming chamber did nothing to shadow that fact.

  “Draw your weapons,” said Arianna as the familiar stench of death filled her nose.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  GOLDEN RULE

  Death unfurled in all directions as they stumbled into the gold-plated room. Heaps of deteriorating bodies sprawled atop the floor and stairs of the vast chamber. The undersized corpses had long, stringy hair sprouting from the tops of their heads, and their shriveled skin covered in decaying dress. Some armored in mail, steel-plates, and horned-helmets while others wore only fragile fabrics and cloaks. Several types of weapons lay scattered near the bodies; axes, swords, hammers, and flails were all accounted for.

  The four stood in silence as the acrid smell filled their lungs, the stench of the rotting corpses stifling. All eyes stared in disbelief at the massacre. Thousands of steel arrows lathered the room and protruded from the bodies, making it look like a slaughter.