For this? Devyn wondered. All of this fighting and killing for a book. It doesn’t make any sense.
Devyn stumbled around the chamber running his hands along the ground and along the walls in an attempt to locate anything else in the room. His face reddened as he slammed the book to the ground when he found nothing else. Dorm lay dead in this forsaken place and it was all for the sake of a book. Tears fell unbidden from his eyes as he stared down at the book in the dim light. The cover of the book was of a thick, very aged leather, at its very center a metal insignia was embedded into the ancient skins. Devyn leaned down and ran his fingers along the curves and angles of the knot-like medallion. The book cover itself had black lines drawn in the rudimentary shapes of animals. Many of the animals on the cover were a mystery to Devyn, perhaps they were exotic from a far away land or perhaps they were nothing but bones and ashes in the dirt. Devyn could not remove his eyes from the features of the book, perhaps there was more to this than he originally had thought. He wasn’t sure what drew him to it, but something within those pages lured him to continue to stare at it. Devyn scrubbed his face with his hands and shook his head snapping out of the trance that had overtaken him. He lifted the book from the ground and tucked it under his arm turning towards the exit of the room.
The battle outside continued to rage on as Devyn lowered himself once again, inching his way out of the small opening to the cave. The blue light of the cavern outside came into view, with every push of his bruised elbows the light welcomed him more.
Eldgrim had been forced into a corner, his stance was defensive and Graen pushed on with the fury of a warrior about to hand his opponent a death blow. His assault was thwarted when a mighty roar erupted through the cave. Devyn curled into a ball and shuddered in fear at the deafening sound. Tears flowed from his eyes freely, and all of his senses wanted him to run. The roar continued for a long time, all Devyn could do was lay useless upon the ground while it continued.
As abruptly as it began, the roaring ceased. Devyn furiously rubbed his temples in an attempt to stop the eye crushing headache that surged through his skull. He lifted his head as the sounds of something jumping could be heard and he saw Azarah, the black beast of the glacier, leaping with terrifying speed towards the two Aelaar who had stopped their fight at the sound of the roar and wandered their way into the flat area between Azarah and Devyn.
Azarah leapt on a spire of the cavern which stood fifty feet in the air, he stared for a brief moment before jumping to the side of the cavern and then finally in front of Graen and Eldgrim with a loud thud. Graen visibly shook as he landed before him, Eldgrim wore a wide smug smile. Azarah paced back and forth like a wild cat prowling its prey.
Drums pounded in Devyn’s head when he began to speak. He winced with every word he spoke. “Dare to battle in my domain. Fools.”
Eldgrim stepped forward but stopped abruptly when Azarah bore his massive teeth in his direction. Eldgrim spread his arms wide. “I wished to summon you, Azarah, slayer of the Colossi.”
“You, wished to summon… me?” Azarah smiled if one could call that gaping maw a smile. A beast such as that should not smile!
Eldgrim stuttered back a step and his voice quivered ever so slightly. “Yes. Yes my lord. My master knew you had awakened and had asked me to come to treat with you.”
Graen’s face flushed red as he snapped at Eldgrim. “What are you doing you fool? Stop this!”
Azarah’s wicked gaze flashed towards Graen who backed away a few steps with his hands clearly quivering. “This powerful Aelaar was speaking. Do not dare to interrupt again. Go on boy, treat with me.” As he finished he slowly stepped in circles around Eldgrim. For such a large beast his footfalls remained incredibly quiet on the cold ice. Azarah’s eyes never left Eldgrim as he walked around him in a slow calculating manner.
Eldgrim’s eyes tried their best to follow the black creature as his voice continued to quiver when he spoke. “My master had asked me to treat with you to serve…”
“Serve?” Azarah broke in.
“Yes… Yes… to serve with us in today’s struggles. One with your power…”
A low deep chuckle escaped Azarah as he looked at his paw in front of him. “Yes, indeed. I have grown powerful haven’t I.”
Eldgrim twisted as he continually tried to maintain eye contact with the beast which paced around him. “You have my lord. Very powerful and that is why our master requested your presence!”
“Our master, indeed.” Azarah’s chuckle had ended and his brows furrowed downward in what, to Devyn’s best guess, was a glare. “This great master of yours, who might he be?”
Graen shook his head quickly as Eldgrim’s eyes fell on him. Eldgrim only smiled at Graen, an arrogant smile that did not understand the danger he was walking into.
“The great Elder Aelaar Bregidonnon himself commanded me here to bring you back.” Eldgrim stammered.
The low chuckle escaped through the wicked teeth jutting from his black lips. “Bregidonnon.” Azarah’s black features contorted and a thick yellow drool fell from his mouth onto the ice. “Bregidonnon sent you to fetch me?”
“Yes, Lord Azarah. With your return to our world you could reign high among the ranks of our armies.”
Azarah shifted his gaze to Graen who ceased to quake once his eyes were on him. “And you, are you also here to bring me among your ranks so I may smite your enemies?”
Graen shook his head and spoke with a shaky voice that held no confidence in his words. “No… No… I am not here for you.”
Azarah tilted his head. “Then why are you before me? Do you not wish my service?”
Eldgrim flushed red. “You do not wish to join the weak armies of Qui.”
Azarah shifted his gaze only slightly in the direction of Eldgrim. “You dare presume you know my intentions. You dare presume to speak when I speak.”
“I… I only wish for you to be among those worthy of your power.” Eldgrim spoke firmly.
“And you are worthy of my power are you?” Azarah muttered.
Eldgrim spoke firmly and raised his head high. “Yes. The armies of Bregidonnon are strong and show no weakness or mercy. Together we could crush the armies of Qui and purify this world of their weakness.”
Graen appeared to breathe for the first time in long moments as Azarah turned from him and focused again on pacing around Eldgrim. Thick muscles pulsed through his legs and back as he turned towards Eldgrim. The thick fur glistened in the blue light and the spikes protruding from his back seemed to rise straighter into the air.
His deep voice took a new tone, no longer did the beast speak softly and purposefully. For the first time its words came louder and pointedly.
“Is that how you think this is going to end?”
Eldgrim swallowed hard as beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. Devyn had no idea an Aelaar could sweat. “I do Lord Azarah. My master only wishes for you to serve those worthy of your power.”
Azarah’s ghastly smile showed once again. “Worthy of my power. Let me tell you of your master Bregidonnon. He and I both battled the Colossi along side of Qui and the others. I was his steed in battle, their battalion’s greatest weapon. I can still feel his backside upon my shoulders and hear his cries of battle from above me as we charged those of rock and fur. I can still feel myself crushing through their bodies and hear your master’s glorious cries as he watched them fall. In the end, I was shoved in a cage to await your master’s bidding. I was a slave.” He paused and looked at his paws rising up on his hind legs towering over both Eldgrim and Graen. They both backed away slowly and the color washed from Eldgrim’s face as he stared up at the gigantic beast. “I was a slave. I will no longer be a slave to your master.”
“You will not be a slave you will be an equal.” Said the quivering voice of a white faced Eldgrim.
“Indeed young Aelaar. I am equal.” Azarah lowered himself onto the ground. His face was only inches away from Eldgrim’s, Devyn could see him f
linch with every breath Azarah let out. Graen was slowly slinking away in the background of this confrontation.
“Lord Azarah. I must ask openly then. Return with me. I reign high among the court of Bregidonnon, I will assure he will not try to enslave you and we will conquer this world.”
Azarah’s face contorted again and he spoke with a deep, low, strained voice. “Is THAT how you think this is going to end?”
His mighty paw slammed Eldgrim to the ground and blood immediately spurted from his mouth and fell onto his face. Eldgrim looked as if he wanted to scream but was unable to find the breath. “You come here to return me to your master. Your master sent you to your doom. I will return to the land and I will return to your master. When I return we shall not share a greeting. I shall devour him and absorb his power much like I will absorb you.”
Azarah wrapped his claw around Eldgrim’s chest squeezing tightly. Devyn had to look away as blood and organs squeezed out of him. A white, glowing mist began to flow from the corpse of Eldgrim into the massive maw of Azarah. Azarah lifted the bloody mess that was once one of the mighty Aelaar and pulled its head into his gaping maw. Sounds of snapping bone and tearing flesh echoed through the cavern as Azarah devoured half of Eldgrim in the icy hall.
Blood dripped from his mouth onto the ice as his gaze fell on Graen who was pressed against the ice wall in his retreat. “You understand your doom, don’t you, Aelaar of Qui?”
Graen did not reply as he turned and raced away from Azarah. The black beast let out a sigh and Devyn watched Azarah’s rippling black muscles tense when he leapt into the air in chase of Graen.
Chapter XVIII
Silence fell over the cavern. Devyn’s wide eyes stared out into the distance for a long time after Azarah and Graen had fled. The gory mess of Eldgrim darkened the white ice as his life’s blood oozed out from where he had once stood. Despite all of the pain Eldgrim had caused, a tightness formed in Devyn’s throat as he gazed down upon the lump of flesh that had once been a mighty Aelaar. He had slain Dorm and caused unknown pain to all around him and yet Devyn fought back tears and not just for Eldgrim. Unshed tears built up within Devyn as he felt the pain of all of the men who fallen in the past days. Once again he was overcome with the feeling of being completely alone. The glacier felt a bit colder, even the blue light seemed a bit darker. His hand reached for his sword to assure it was still secure and his arm curled underneath him to more firmly grip the large tome at his side. So many have died for this, I refuse to lose it now.
A whistling sound came from the far end of the cavern, Devyn started at the caress of a breeze that danced between the spires. Following the breeze Devyn soon noticed thousands of tracks heading in the same direction as the mysterious wind. Despite the terrible endless winds that had tormented the band for many days on his trek on the glacier, he welcomed this breeze and inhaled deeply as the fresh air entered his lungs. It was cool, fresh, and could only have come from the outside world. He followed the tracks and the whistling of the wind for a long time, the true size of the cavern became apparent to him as he walked past hundreds of icy domes. The entire cavern was silent except for the occasional dripping that echoed loudly off the walls. Despite the silence, it was difficult for Devyn to feel alone. What had become of Graen and Azarah? Where were all the denizens of this wretched ice city, which was larger than Devyn had ever imagined?
Those questions were soon answered as he stared at a large cavern recklessly carved into the wall upwards out into the light. The sunlight poured in from far above and Devyn’s heart fluttered at the sight. The brightness hurt his eyes as he looked up the cavern heading out of this glacier. It all seemed too perfect to him, almost like there would be some trap until the true purpose of the passage became clear. Devyn inspected the ice around the passage and the thick claw marks could be easily seen throughout the rough ice. This immense cavern had been filled with these terrible creatures and they burrowed their way out into the wide world. Their tracks were obvious in the icy path, Maeliz and minions, all charging forth into the open sky with Northspire within their path.
Devyn tightened his fist as he stared at the tracks trudging upwards into the light of day. Up until this moment, Rana and his girls had always been separate from this hell that he had been exposed to. Now, with Northspire being the only landing of this wicked glacier, his family was once again pulled into the tumultuous event which had absorbed Devyn’s life. The passage was slick with melting ice as it ran freely from the bright hole far above. Ice slushed off in his hand as he grabbed for balance. This glacier is melting. Devyn thought as he quickened his pace towards the light.
Hrodny had almost made it back to Northspire. It had been two days of constant running and fighting and watching his comrades fall to these wretched creatures. Koll had just caught sight of Hrodny and discovered his treachery as their forces on the canyon wall were overwhelmed. Hrodny’s gut churned as he remembered them falling in the distance, and again felt a small twinge of guilt at utilizing the death of one of the five men he pulled aside to get away from the gray wrinkled beast. While the monster feasted upon the flesh of the man, the remainder of them escaped and ran as fast as they could. These strange creatures ended up being everywhere and despite outrunning them for two days, there always appeared to be more of them. Hrodny’s ax had broken many battles ago and the short sword he still possessed had dulled after repeatedly striking one of the gray creatures with no results. Hrodny had accepted that they were impervious to harm, at least by his hand. The only weapon that remained to him was the head of the shovel that he had used to threaten Devyn with when he had first captured him.
One by one, each of the men he had with him fell to these creatures. There was no explanation to where they had all come from, they seemed to grow out of the very ice. The glacier had also become increasingly treacherous, one man was swallowed by an area of ice that opened up into a cavern where hundreds of hungry mouths waited to feast on him. Hrodny knew these memories would haunt him for the remainder of his life if he were given the chance to survive all of this. Every hour that passed he had long accepted that his survival was ever more unlikely.
Hrodny was exhausted. His limbs did not react when he told them to and his vision had become blurred between the glare of the ice and his lack of sleep or food in two days’ time. He staggered through the large expanse of the glacier seeking any shelter he could use to hide within. After peering through the glare of the sun for hours, he found a jagged piece of ice jutting towards the sky. He collapsed against its protective walls as soon as he arrived. With his eyes closed the world spun around him, not even the icy breeze was able to stir him as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Even in his slumber he could feel himself twisting and turning as wicked dreams wracked his mind.
Hrodny fell back as the gray creature burst from the ice. The men dropped the chests they carried as they drew their swords defensively. None of the men stepped forward, the small group stood stunned as they watched the wrinkled beast cast its milky white eyes on each of them. Still on the ground, Hrodny did not even attempt to draw his weapon, he scurried backwards behind the men in his band. The men fell to their knees as the beast roared before them, Hrodny squeezed his hands over his ears as the sound was unbearable. With a disfigured claw the creature snatched one of the men off the ground. The screams echoed in Hrodny’s ears long after they all ran past as the creature devoured the man.
Hrodny woke in a hazy state, the bitter cold biting through his blood soaked furs which had long since frozen. He curled into a fetal position as he fell over to his side on the ice and fell fast asleep once again.
Only three of the men remained with him. Each man breathed heavily, there seemed to be no end in sight to the supply of blue skinned creatures. They had fought their way constantly through a torrent of monsters without a rest for the better part of a day. Finally, the small group had found an outcropping of rocks to shelter themselves from the marauding beasts. They collapse
d within their cover and all closed their eyes for a brief few moments to try to gain any amount of rest they could steal. The howl of the wind and the huffing breath of the men was all that could be heard until one of the men broke the silence.
“We need to keep going!”
Hrodny glared at the man. “We need our rest if we are to keep going. None of us have eaten or drank anything in a long time.”
“All the more reason for us to move on quickly! You are far past being in charge here given that you are a traitor as I see it!” The man spoke sharply eyes locked onto Hrodny.
Hrodny reluctantly rose from his seat with a grunt. The man didn’t even bother to rise as a beet red faced Hrodny approached him with a deadly stare. He grabbed the man forcefully from the ground by the scruff of his furs, the man growled at him as their faces became inches apart.
“I am always in command.” Spittle formed on the corners of his mouth as he yelled at the man.
Within the Ice Page 21
