The Secret of Azuron (The Sword Empire Book 1)

by J. R. Kearney

  "What of the Nelroar passage? It is on the footstep of the mountain, is there no way through?" Hal asked.

  "Such treachery you bring if you think that the safer road," muttered Stryka.

  "We are impaired to fight this enemy already, let alone one that remains unseen," Lyeanna pointed out. "What could bide in this fog to cause such danger?"

  "We cannot outrun this enemy Jema," Brom stated.

  "Everyone!" he stopped to quiet them. "This is no time for council. Place your concerns on our safety, we cannot dawdle."

  Further the tunnel weaved through the underground, the crashing sounds of the city faded as they moved further forward, this Stryka led them onward with Vhalen's light behind him.

  "This way," he guided, several forks gave them choice in routes yet Stryka's path was certain, the terrain eventually ascended quickly, and the path ended with another ladder that rose to the surface, a similar trapdoor concealed what lay beyond.

  "Stay here," said Stryka, risking himself to climb the ladder, quietly he heaved the door among a thicket of sagebrush and stone. He peeked through and the surrounding darkness provided him comfort, free from the enemy.

  He shuffled out, laying low among the thicket before he waved the others upward. Vhalen extinguished his light to climb first, followed by Lyeanna then Sam.

  "Give me my freedom!" Raminus demanded of Jema. "I have no desire to share in this condemned fate you bring."

  "You have not aided us yet – climb!"

  Raminus scaled the ladder hesitantly before Landau moved up behind him, closely followed by Jema. Landau found difficulty in finding his footing despite his smaller feet, hastened as Jema was he did not rush him, though the fellowship grew unsettled in the wake of the danger. Stryka pulled him up, behind him the devastation of Bruna echoed in the distance and he could not determine fog from smoke, for it entrenched the city. Brom clambered up, and threw up his mighty axe which Stryka struggled to hold, eventually Hal was the last to appear.

  "Mercy be damned" said Hal, his eyes shared the devastation of the others, the carnage of Bruna was total. "All those people."

  Landau above all others could not move, for the darkness of the enemy was ferocious indeed, the fog now consumed the city, and his presence was to blame.

  "Quickly, we must hurry," ordered Jema.

  Westward beyond the thicket was an expanse of open plains, running with hunched backs they found no safety, even in the concealing darkness. Stryka joined them while they hurried forward, as Lyeanna scouted the fog from the rear. None dare talk with the city still in sight and though the night was thick, no sleep did any crave, the fear empowered them onward until the amazon whispered them to halt.

  "We cannot stay idle," Jema whispered.

  Lyeanna peered intently through the darkness, watching the fog betide the city. Suddenly a chorus of howls rose from within the battered walls of Bruna, harsher than the angriest of wolves. All were alerted to the sound, and Lyeanna's searching eyes noticed the fog now pressing towards them.

  "We've been discovered!" she yelled.

  "To the passage of Nelroar!" Jema screamed.

  With the enemy alert they bolted perilously north toward the mountain. Landau was dragged more than he ran, for the fog now exhausted the city from both gates in their pursuit. In the darkness the mountain wall showed no such opening, until finally a narrow split revealed itself cloven through the mountain, to a forgotten path that the heroes charged for, weapons unsheathed to defend against the converging army.

  The path was congested, and its walls reached high towards the twilight sky. Vhalen had no choice, and revealed his light, for their secret was lost, and with it their path was clear and their pace increased. It soon opened to a decaying cleft where grass had once grown, against the mountain wall a sunken courtyard lay broken before a stone doorway, blocked with fallen debris.

  "Quickly, clear the wreckage!" Jema shouted.

  Brom came to the forefront to shift the bigger boulders, even Sam and Landau helped where they could while Lyeanna put arrow to bow poised at the passage they came from. Hal, Stryka and Raminus moved a fallen column that obstructed the entrance, while Jema tugged at the bigger boulders beneath it with the barbarian. With every ounce of strength the knight pulled at the stone, struggling to grip it, but with great effort they released it from the snare of debris, forcing Jema to tumble backwards, and drop Azuron's sword. Landau was quick to pick it up with his jacket as the men rolled the pillar away from the entrance, before Brom took the bottom of his axe to force the stone doors to open.

  The company climbed over the remaining debris, and into the stale darkness of the mountain they ran, in the moonlight the shadow of the fog was seen approaching the path, and silently it slithered towards them. Lyeanna withdrew her square-shorn arrow and leapt inside before the men pushed hard on the doors to close them. From his bandolier Stryka removed a vial no larger than his finger, smashing it to the floor to spill its liquid, from another pocket he withdrew a flint knife and steel rod to strike the oil and ignite it, bringing flame to his torch. Hal and Brom dragged a heavy stone bench in front of the door, but it was all they could find to bar it.

  The enemy was on their heels and there was no point in running, all stood now poised before the door with their weapons drawn to anticipate the attack.

  "Give me my weapons!" Raminus asked of Jema, the knight frowned but offered no resistance, tossing him his bag containing his equipment.

  "Let's be done with it!" Brom sneered at the door. "I won't spill my blood before Valheim's grace guides my axe to unleash their own!"

  Lyeanna steadied her arrow while Hal wielded his sword and shield.

  "Prepare yourself people! The enemy cannot win this day while we have strength to defend it!" Vhalen shouted when the stone doors shuddered.

  Stryka went to unsheathe his blade only to realize its absence, it remained back in the 'Oak and Dagger'.

  "I need a sword!" he yelled, though nobody offered him reprieve, for their attention focused on the enemy's entrance. Again the doors were tested.

  Stryka turned to Landau, precariously carrying his blade.

  "Give me your sword lad," he motioned towards him, bringing Jema's blade to his chest as Landau cowered.

  "You will come nowhere near that sword while your intentions here remain unclear!"

  "You drag me to the death of this mountain and leave me without the means to defend myself?"

  "I am here to prevent Landau from any danger, and I will not discount you."

  "You prevent nothing! You provide only our tomb!" Stryka fronted him and the others grew distracted in their squabble.

  "I will not abandon hope where other men would choose to do so," Jema replied, and the personal comment clearly irked the mercenary, pulling himself to the tip of Jema's blade.

  "Go on then! Make your peace. Be it from your blade or theirs, rid me of the torment to come."

  Landau shuddered behind Samson while their argument resounded through the mountain.

  "Quiet! All of you!" Vhalen cried, and all remained silent to realize the door remained unchallenged. Though Stryka and Jema's stares endured the rest waited for the enemy to barge through, with anticipation they gleamed toward the door in the faded torchlight, and their weapons grew hungry in their hands to deal with the oncoming threat.

  Nothing.

  Hal lowered his sword. "What stalls them? This door is far less challenging in comparison to Bruna's gates."

  "What brings such an enemy upon you?" Stryka couldn't fathom. "I have never witnessed such a power in these lands."

  "It is nothing you need involve yourself in," Jema remarked.

  "I can hardly part ways."

  Lyeanna was the last to withdraw her weapon. "I couldn't see what dwelled within the fog. The fog is powered by the atmosphere, perhaps it cannot enter the mountain," she realized.

  "There be more to it than fog," said Brom. "I heard howlin’, and not from any wolf I wager, a whol
e damn army of them, whatever they be."

  "These are dangers I feared would fall upon us," Vhalen admitted. "The enemy has grown impatient and has sent more than just spies to complete his task. This is but a taste of the devastation he is capable of unleashing."

  "This was a good plan Imperial," said Raminus in his condescending tone. "Unless your optimism thinks to open that door and win our escape we are trapped beneath this mountain."

  "I would only open that door to throw you out and rid myself of your nuisance."

  "Face it, this is a prison Jema. The only difference is I’m now forced to share it with you. Maybe here you can reflect on your arrogance, I know I will." Jema refrained from the chagrin of his statement, amidst their already unsettled company he chose to distance himself, away from his mockery.

  All took breath for a moment before they turned to determine where they were. They peered into the abyss of twilight ahead of them and a very stale smell drifted through the air. Vhalen whispered to his staff once more to unleash a light greater than torch fire. All found themselves in a courtyard of paved stone with six giant pillars, all but two still intact. Landau found it strangely familiar, the craftsmanship reminiscent of the cave he discovered in Evenn woods, it was evident dwarves shaped this site. This place however didn't appear weathered through the passing of time, rather tainted and desecrated.

  "I should not have stopped in Bruna," said Jema. "What misfortune for the enemy to find us there despite our efforts to avoid such places. They are cunning indeed. And now I grieve for my horse, for he has been my companion for many seasons, yet I cannot ignore the many that perished with him. Rest well Kilian."

  The knight appeared mentally defeated while he paced by the entrance.

  "I cannot say I weep for the city. Our sisters would find great reprieve to see its walls burn. Yet I can find no satisfaction right now, for I now see the horror that would rid the good of this land as well as the evil. I noticed a fog following from the south some days ago, if it's indeed the same fog then it leaves me to wonder where it came from."

  Lyeanna's words prompted Jema to ask Vhalen, "do you think our city is safe?"

  "I cannot say, though I also witnessed it coming from the south. We can’t be certain what lies within the fog, only that their howls grappled my very spine. Dark days indeed if our city has been invaded."

  Sam gave Landau a spirited shove. "How are you doing kid, are you hurt?"

  "I'm scared Sam," he could not help but admit with a quiver in his voice. "But no I'm not hurt, I just can't stop shaking."

  Sam could see the constant shudder that attacked him. He gave him a comforting embrace, one that Sam required as much as Landau.

  "I think we're all a little scared, I know I am. It's nothing to be ashamed of, be thankful we're still here," he assured him. "Must admit when I first met you in Tripple I didn't think I'd find myself here."

  Landau couldn’t smile amidst the chaos, despite Sam’s efforts. Jema wandered over to check on him also.

  "You're a brave boy," he said, taking back Azuron's sword before helping him off the ground. "Come, we cannot take rest yet."

  Brom moved to Vhalen's side while the wizard pointed his light ahead to reveal a flat path weaving further into the mountain.

  "What is this place?" Brom asked.

  "This is the passage of Nelroar," he said disheartened. "An old Imperial stronghold beneath the mountain, one that has been abandoned for almost a century." Only the men of Astiroth knew of its history. "It was once a dwarven kingdom until they deserted it. There is a gloom here greater than the darkness itself. It is a forgotten path…a cursed path."

  The fellowship stood on the start of the road and in the dim of light it appeared daunting and uninviting.

  "You call it the passage of Nelroar, that means there's a way through yeah?" said Samson.

  "This path once led to Asmaria, and there's a small chance it still might. We are presented with no other option but to follow it."

  All looked in dismay, yet Jema joined Vhalen who proceeded first, walking at a careful pace up the winding road.

  "Come along Landau," Jema ushered him to his side, with Samson close behind. The path was wide but treacherous, for one wrong step would have them fall into the abyss below. They chose to walk single file, Stryka positioned himself at the rear to shine his torch light upon the company, while Vhalen's light protruded forward.

  "Lyeanna I may need your eyes. This road prevents me from paying much attention to the danger's around me," Vhalen said.

  "My eyes are useless in the dark of the mountain. I have never known such blackness. Without the aiding starlight my eyes are as useful as any."

  "Do what you can."

  Chapter 19

  THE SHADOW PATH OF NELROAR

  The upward hike through the mountain was gradual, in the dread of darkness their minds wandered and the silence did nothing to drown their dismay. Beyond their path was rock and shadow, and remained untouched if not for this one road that snaked through the mountain. Landau felt dizzy to sustain it, he could not detect the ceiling nor identify the ground below him, his path felt suspended in shadow, and only now did he realize the absence of his Vallara stone, lost with the bandits in the wreckage of Bruna. Indeed its power would have been of great benefit for the journey ahead, instead they would have to rely on the light of Vhalen's staff, though it offered little reprieve.

  His company spoke little, only seldom to himself, and only ever offerings of comfort from Sam and Jema. The absence of sound persisted from the others, for all remained alert, even the squabbling of Brom and Lyeanna did Landau begin to miss.

  The winding road appeared endless and eventually they took rest, for it was well beyond midnight, and only the fading flame of Stryka's torch could they take warmth, for they had no other timber to burn. Vhalen took watch, and allowed his light to endure the night while all lay sprawled across the path, for their bedrolls also remained in Bruna. Landau found no pleasure in resting, he could not distinguish sleep from wake, opening his eyes to reveal a similar twilight than with them closed. They could hardly discern if morning had arrived, and they went without rations in the insecurity of their path. They continued forward, in the hope of finding the end of this twisting passage.

  The road climbed ever higher and every upward step bore no relief, eventually the walls of the mountain closed in around them and presented them with a narrow corridor. Vhalen's light grew sharp in the confined passage, here the path carved through the rock for miles, the mountain face chiseled and worked at, almost square in its creation, and smooth in its touch. They followed it for some length before the trickle of water became louder, and the exited the tunnel to a large cavern beneath them, divided by a soaring river with a great bridge that crossed over it. The path downward was laborious, and after a few hours they arrived upon its tiled floors.

  Vhalen scouted the area with his light, the purpose of this place was lost to him, an assemblage area by design, cluttered with wreckage and mountain debris. Landau took no ease in his surroundings. The space was as wide as the harbor back in Arwendel, though void of anything bar tattered banners, broken wagons and a river that charged through its center. Despite the open expanse of which Jema favored he found no comfort. In the darkness past Vhalen’s light he swore shadows were moving, and when Vhalen moved the light the shadows flickered again. Landau also saw it, but he knew not if his worry was warranted. He thought his mind was playing tricks, for if something was moving it made no sound, only the gentle trickle of the river resounded in his ears. He watched Brom and Raminus move to the river's edge to refill their canteen while the opportunity was present, but the Wizard protested.

  "I would refrain from drinking these waters if I were you," he warned.

  "Can't we have but a single luxury this day?" Raminus complained.

  "These waters are tainted. The river over time has surely washed away the filth, still it is best to be cautious."

  A concurren
t sigh came from the pair, and they withdrew their canteens, they would have to suffice on what remained. Stryka collected a tattered wheel from the wagon before they pressed forward, and after crossing the bridge all of them grew disheartened to find another winding path, yet they proceeded along its gradual incline, and the sound of the running river slowly diminished.

  "Ye speak of this mountain as though it is evil wizard, what haunts it so?" Brom asked.

  "Within these mountain walls lies the curse of Khasta Stuhl. The Lich king overlord. One of the five. Their campaign to contest the Empire was felt here the hardest."

  "A Lich? What man yearns to be undead?" Halwende wondered aloud.

  "It is magic most foul, and driven by power. Khasta bound his soul within a phylactery, much like Landau's sword, thereby achieving a form of immortality. His cadaverous body retained all the memories, character and ability he possessed in life, but with a virtual eternity to hone his skills he became incredibly powerful. His very gaze could put mortals into a paralyzed state."

  Landau shuddered at the thought of such evil.

  "Why contest a mountain wizard?" asked Stryka. "I doubt the riches of the dwarves still dwell beneath it, and such wealth appears useless to this abomination as you describe him."

  "Before the ravaging of the overlord this was once a monumental place, a bastion of good hope, and a bridge that connected the Empire to the southern lands. The Empire had just gained a foothold in Ruun when Khasta's men poisoned the Nelroar river that flows through the mountain. Many who drank from it perished, those that remained alive were either sick or too weak, and as Khasta Stuhl's army charged through the stronghold they met little resistance. Thus the network of the Empire was severed, and its strength divided. For years the overlord remained within the mountain, a place for his torment and tyranny to endure, until the Empire chose to retaliate. But the overlord's magic was dark, and his malice darker, and the defense of the mountain which the Empire devised was eventually their downfall."

  "Imperials be damned," spat Brommac. "Send in a company of our brutes to accurse his intelligence with an axe."