The Kingdom of Eternal Sorrow (The Golden Mage Book 1)

by C. G. Garcia

  Shaking herself out of her reverie with some difficulty, Allison said, “It looks so out of place here. I mean, that golden light is the only color I see around here. Why is everything so dead? Are we so high in altitude that nothing can grow here? I don’t feel lightheaded at all!”

  “We are at the base of Death’s Peak. Although we aren’t as high as you may believe, it’s still far too cold for anything to survive here. This peak was named well. We should probably go inside before our shoes start to freeze onto the path. They are expecting us.”

  Allison gazed one last time at the mystical “staircase to heaven” and wondered aloud as Aidric took her arm, “If this is only an illusion, then where is the entrance?”

  “It’s only partly an illusion,” he said. “Come, and you’ll see.”

  Puzzled, she allowed him to lead her towards the ethereal staircase, and then to her surprise, carefully up the stone steps. She started to say something but then changed her mind.

  I give up trying to figure this world out, she thought in exasperation.

  About halfway up, just when Allison was about to believe that the stairs would go on forever, Aidric suddenly stepped forward and walked through what had seemed like solid steps. She felt a slight tingling on her skin when she passed through the illusion. The bitter cold and snowy landscape were instantaneously replaced by the mouth of a monstrous cave and glorious warmth.

  The cave was alive with sounds and color, a shocking contrast to the dreariness outside. The sound of water dripping echoed throughout the cave, as well as the gentle slapping of what was likely a stream against the rocks somewhere in the distance. Green and blue mage-flames illuminated the cave from suspended lanterns and torches along the walls of the cave. Shadows from the flames flickered about, giving the impression that many people were lurking behind every rock formation. Allison shuddered at the uncanny effect and instinctively moved closer to Aidric.

  “A bunch of priests live in a place like this?” she asked in disbelief, her voice sounding hollow and appallingly amplified.

  “Yes and no,” Aidric replied with amusement. “This is merely the—visitor’s chamber, if you will. No soul knows the exact location to the entrance to their abode. All I know is that it lies somewhere deep within the mazes of this cave.”

  “Then what do we do now?”

  “We wait,” he replied simply. “Our presence will be sensed by a member of the order and a guide sent. A confusion spell will be cast over us so that no matter how hard we try, we’ll never find the true way on our own again. As I said, they are a very secretive order, and this is done merely as a precaution.”

  “We have long been expecting your arrival, Mage-general Aidric Stanisnik,” a deep voice suddenly said behind them, causing Allison to start badly, yet Aidric seemed unperturbed by their visitor’s abrupt appearance.

  They quickly turned as one to face the owner of the voice, a tall, middle-aged man halfway concealed in the shadows, his dark hair just beginning to gray at the temples, dressed in an assortment of elegant silver and white robes lined with every precious jewel imaginable. At his neck hung a large, circular gold medallion that seemed to glow faintly with power. It was divided by deeply-etched lines into five equal sections, each containing its own strange symbol.

  Allison shamelessly stared at this ominous figure, both in fascination and fear. Never had she seen a person look so—well, powerful. His steely green eyes matched hers gaze for gaze, forcing her to immediately look away nervously.

  Aidric gave a slight nod of respect towards the priest and said, “Yes, I suspect you have, Seer Etain. Seer Penrith most likely has told you much, and as usual, found it pertinent to tell us nothing.”

  Allison’s eyes widened at the unmistakable sarcasm in Aidric’s voice. She glanced up at the priest. He’s brave. I could never stare into those eyes and talk to him that way. I hope he wasn’t insulted. However, not only did Seer Etain not seem to mind the comment, it appeared as if he found it rather amusing.

  Seer Etain smiled slightly and replied, “Indeed. I’m certain Brother Penrith had his reasons. Many of us have Foreseen your coming here to seek answers, and perhaps he did as well and thought it best to allow fate to run its course.”

  The Seer turned his attention once again to Allison, who struggled not to cringe under that intense gaze. Etain’s eyes seemed to carry the knowledge of many secrets about her, which she found very unsettling.

  “I see you have brought the Golden Mage to us at last,” he said. “Never had I thought that I would live to see the day when legends were born.”

  “Her name is Allison,” Aidric offered neutrally, although she knew that it bothered him for people to call her the “Golden Mage.”

  “Yes, yes, we have been hearing her name whispered among us over the years from knowledge gained by the study of ancient scrolls and by dreams,” Etain said, “but I shall not delve into such matters with you here and now. It is for Master Kiryl to decide what will be revealed to you here today. Come. We have food and drink waiting, and after you have broken your fast, I shall take you to see Master Kiryl.”

  Aidric’s neutral expression melted into surprise, making Allison even tenser. Seer Etain’s offer of breakfast was the first thing that had made sense ever since they had set out this morning, so Aidric’s unexpected reaction caused a multitude of alarm bells to start screeching in her head.

  In the next second, Allison had her answer, and it had nothing to do with breakfast.

  “Master Kiryl will speak to us, himself?” Aidric asked incredulously. “I have never heard of a single instance where he has spoken to an outsider face-to-face.”

  “The matter at hand warrants his and only his attention,” Etain explained rather impatiently. “For this, he has made an exception. Now come.”

  Before they set off, Seer Etain placed a hand on both of their foreheads and instructed them to close their eyes. A split-second after her lids were closed, Allison felt a sharp jab in her head, unpleasant but not painful. When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see that nothing around her had changed.

  “The spell causes you to forget the path you have taken after you walk it,” Aidric said, answering her unspoken question. “The spell will lift only when we have returned to this spot.”

  Allison nodded and followed Etain without a word as he led them deeper into the cave. The farther they were within the cave, the closer the trickling of water seemed to be. Before long they came to a small stream of surprisingly clear water, which they crossed using a series of large, flat stones that had been placed in the water as a rudimentary bridge.

  Allison could see small, white fish and what looked to be fish similar in appearance to trout swimming in the stream. Her mind told her that at this altitude and climate—not to mention in a freaking cave—it should be impossible to find a stream full of fish, especially trout, but she promptly told her mind to shut up as she hurried after the two men, afraid that she would fall behind and be lost forever in this maze of creepy caverns.

  Before long they came to a huge door in the face of one of the cavern walls made entirely out of silver with more of those strange symbols she had seen on the Seer’s medallion etched into it. Allison stared at the door in fascination, wondering what those strange symbols meant—then blinked in confusion when she suddenly found herself in a small chamber, seated on a wooden bench alongside Aidric.

  What the—

  “W-What just happened?” she croaked, glancing around wildly.

  How had she gotten here? She had barely taken a couple of steps after Seer Etain!

  The room, aside from the bench, was completely bare, instantly giving her the impression that it was some sort of jail cell. A thousand probabilities of why they had been put in the room flashed across her mind, none of them pleasant.

  “The Seer’s spell,” Aidric said, reaching over to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “You no longer remember anything from the moment we left the cave’s ent
rance to the moment we were seated here. Etain has gone to fetch us our meal and will return shortly.”

  “I’ll never get used to all of this magic craziness,” Allison grumbled. “I hate knowing that someone can just make me forget a huge chunk of my life whenever it pleases them.”

  Aidric patted her arm sympathetically and said, “You’ll grow accustomed to it more after I begin your lessons. I know it all seems so frightening and strange to you—it is so for all apprentices—but once you are in control of your abilities, this anxiety will pass, I promise.”

  “Why do you even put up with me?” Allison blurted out.

  Aidric tilted his head at her with a look of mild confusion. “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “I’ve been nothing but trouble to you from the moment I set foot in your kingdom. You look ready to fall over with exhaustion, and yet, you bring me all the way up here when I’m sure you have more important things to take care of. Why would you want to take on another problem?”

  “Come now,” he chided gently, “you speak of yourself as though you were merely an object to be dealt with. When I found you, you were alone, frightened, and a mystery. I chose under my own free will to protect and teach you. What kind of man would I be had I just left you to struggle through the chaos of a new world without guidance?”

  That was an opening if she ever saw one. Did she dare?

  “Is that—is that the only reason why you took responsibility for me?” she whispered, afraid to hear the answer, but knowing she had to ask.

  Aidric stared at her, his eyes questioning, though his shoulders had suddenly stiffened, betraying an underlying—suspicion? Understanding? However, before he could answer, the door suddenly swung open, and Seer Etain and another priest entered, carrying trays of food and drink. Aidric quickly turned his attention to them, looking a little relieved, and Allison silently cursed their timing.

  “You must eat with haste,” Seer Etain commanded, his tone a bit distracted. “Master Kiryl is most anxious to speak with you, Mage-general.”

  The Seer was frowning, his forehead wrinkled with worry, as he addressed them.

  Something’s happened, Allison mused as she half-heartily began to eat the food the priest had brought. She had long ago lost her appetite, but she ate anyway out of politeness. These strange priests were the last people she wanted to offend. She watched the priests self-consciously out of the corner of her eye, feeling their eyes burning into her.

  Although they tried to remain passive, she could tell they were on edge and longed to be somewhere else. Is it me that has them so worried, or does it maybe have something to do with that prophecy Aidric mentioned earlier?

  “Perhaps we should go to Master Kiryl now,” Allison suddenly heard Aidric say in her mind, almost causing her to cry out in surprise.

  Damn him! I wish he would stop doing that!

  “Etain and Anvil are rather anxious to know what truth their master is to reveal to us,” he continued, oblivious to her irritated thoughts, “and they must wait until after our meeting as is their custom. I’m afraid they will drive themselves mad here with the anticipation.”

  “I agree,” she replied, shoving her tray away with relief.

  Aidric rose, motioning for her to do the same. Etain and Anvil blinked at them in surprise, clearly expecting them to take far longer with their meal.

  “The food is excellent,” Aidric said, “but I really do not wish to keep Master Kiryl waiting. I know how unusual, how rare, it is that he would speak directly to those who come here to seek answers. Thus, we shall finish our meal after we have spoken to the Master.”

  “As you wish,” Etain replied, clearly relieved and not bothering to try to hide it. “Brother Anvil will take you to the Master’s chambers.”

  Aidric bowed towards Etain’s companion in acknowledgment, and Allison followed his example awkwardly, bowing deeply before she remembered that women should curtsy. She blushed a deep scarlet and prayed that she hadn’t embarrassed Aidric with her screw-up as much as she had embarrassed herself.

  She sighed inwardly with relief as she followed Aidric’s lead behind Seer Anvil, noting that Aidric didn’t seem to have noticed her blunder. At least outwardly he gave no sign of noticing until she heard a soft voice brush across her mind, “Don’t blush so brightly, little cat. It doesn’t suit you. A bow, a curtsy, what’s the difference?”

  His words only caused her to blush more profusely, and Allison could hear his laughter echoing in the back of her mind although he never even cracked a smile.

  “Stop reading my thoughts,” she grumbled.

  “Why bother to read your thoughts when they are clearly being expressed on your face for all to see?” he sent back innocently.

  She chose not to honor that comment with a response, instead, turning her eyes from a face that mocked her with its passiveness when she knew that he was anything but, to her surroundings. Despite the grandeur of the place’s outside appearance, the inside was surprisingly plain. The dwelling was completely devoid of anything personal—no decorations, paintings, or any trinkets.

  The walls lay bare, merely the uneven surface of the cave, carved to their desire. The floors were oddly marble, however. To Allison, it seemed the only hint of human habitation in what was otherwise a natural, desolate place that was a more fitting home to a family of bats than an order of holy men.

  Seer Anvil silently led them down a maze of narrow corridors. Shadows flickered along the walls from the lanterns that were magically suspended from the ceiling. The whole place had an uncanny feeling of foreboding that made her shiver. That feeling of dread strengthened the farther they trekked down the seemingly endless corridors. As her apprehension grew, Allison feared that she was not just letting the dire atmosphere of the place affect her imagination, but that she was on the brink of another Foresight attack.

  “Aidric—I feel—” she began anxiously.

  “I know,” he interrupted. “I feel it also. Whatever it is that Master Kiryl will reveal to us will not only greatly affect Lamia, but all of Seni’s World.”

  “How do you know?”

  “You forget, I share your Foresight ability, only I have been trained to use it effectively and not allow it to control me as it controls you.”

  “What else do you see?”

  Aidric turned his head slightly to glance down at her. The look he gave her was disconcerting, almost haunted. “Many things—horrible visions that I suspect you have also seen.” Before she could get over her surprise, he added, “Diryan has told me of your nightmares—ah, but we are here. We’ll speak of this matter another time.”

  No doubt they would.

  Before them stood a great door of the purest gold that looked out of sorts in the dullness of the natural corridor. More of those strange symbols were carved into its surface, set in a pattern that suggested that it was part of an incantation or message of some sort.

  “What do those symbols mean?” Allison asked, peering at the door curiously.

  “They are words of Ti’ar, the language of magic used in all spells. What is written on the door is a spell to ward off all that is negative. No soul with evil intent can pass beyond this door.”

  “Will I have to learn this language, or can that Linguist put it into my mind like he did yours?” she asked.

  “I’m afraid that you must learn this language on your own. Zenas doesn’t have knowledge of Ti’ar because any who are not mages are forbidden the language.”

  She was about to ask another question when a strange voice abruptly cut into her thoughts, “Master Kiryl will see you now.”

  She started, then realized that it was Seer Anvil who had spoken. His voice was raspy as if with disuse, and she realized that it was the first time she had heard him speak.

  What a desolate lot these priests are, she thought sadly.

  The door groaned and screeched as Anvil slowly swung it open, signaling that it more than likely was not opened often. They were immediately greete
d by darkness, and a faint, musty odor invaded her nostrils. Vaguely, Allison could make out the dim, green glow of a mage-flame barely visible in the far gloom. The darkness seemed to feed hungrily on that single light source as if it was alive, causing her to eye the room warily. She was thankful that she would not be going into that room alone.

  Sensing her apprehension, Aidric firmly took her arm as they entered the impending gloom, for support or to prevent her from fleeing, she wasn’t sure. Allison jumped when the door slammed shut behind them with a boom, leaving them to the darkness and the man who lay somewhere beyond. Silently, they headed towards the illumination. Allison hoped that Aidric knew where he was going. For all she knew, the room might be just another maze of corridors. She shivered to think of being lost forever in that hungering darkness—

  “Easy, little cat,” Aidric sent before that sudden thought could begin to feed her rising panic. “There is nothing to fear here. There is only the dark and us.”

  Despite his reassuring words, Allison clung nearer to him until they reached the light. She saw that they were now in yet another narrow corridor, but unlike the others, this one was relatively short. Another dimly lit room stood at the end, and in the center of the room, seated cross-legged on an assortment of cushions and surrounded by a dozen or so mage-flame lit candles, was the infamous Master Kiryl.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  These people sure love to be dramatic, Allison thought as she followed Aidric’s lead to stand before the intimidating figure, this time remembering to curtsy and not bow.

  In the blue illumination of the candles, Master Kiryl appeared otherworldly, as if he wasn’t mortal but a god, himself. He gazed up at them serenely with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. They seemed to glow with their own inner light rather than being the uncanny result of reflected candlelight.