by Cadman, Dean
“STOP!” he shouted, as another three missiles impacted on his shield and he staggered forward. “Lie down on your bellies for a minute, I think I have a plan.” They all followed his instruction, but not before another couple of missiles found their mark. He was the last one to lie down, after he turned to face the oncoming enemy. He could clearly see them at the other end of the gorge. They had stopped at the entrance to concentrate their fire at them, rather than attempting to do it on the run. Several more missiles came down the gorge towards them, but flew past above them harmlessly.
“What do you have in mind lad?” Renn asked from behind him.
“We need some cover, or I'm not going to make it to the other side of this gorge. I plan to try and bring down that large rock back there, and block the gorge. If they can't see us, they can't shoot as us,” Lusam replied. He sent out his mage-sight to the rock-face, searching for weak points and fissures within the rocks, but he just didn't have enough power left to reach out so far, and maintain his shield at the same time. “I can't do it, my shield is taking too much power for me to reach the rock-face, and I can't drop my shield in case we are struck again,” Lusam said. He heard movement coming from behind him and saw Renn appear at his side. Renn removed his shield and placed it directly in front of himself and Lusam.
“Now you can lad,” Renn said.
“Thanks,” Lusam replied. He dropped his shield and concentrated once again on the rock-face, this time reaching his goal. He found several large fissures within the rock-face and began attempting to expand them. First he created a force-field within a fissure and then tried to expand it, but he didn't have enough power to split the rock any further. Then he noticed a small trickle of water running through one of the fissures and it reminded him of something that had happened to him as a young boy.
He had made a small clay pot with his grandmother one autumn day, and they had baked it hard in an oven. He had been very proud of his creation, and insisted that it should be used for something other than simple decoration. He told his grandmother he would collect rainwater in the vessel overnight, but she had warned him about leaving the pot outside in the cold all night. He had ignored her warnings, and woke to find the water within frozen, and his pot completely destroyed as a result. He was very upset and couldn't understand how water had destroyed his perfect pot, and his grandmother had told him: “Water is the most powerful of all the elements Lusam. It creates the great oceans and rivers, carves out lakes and canyons, and can even wash away mountains over time. Nothing can withstand the power of water, not even your pot.”
With the wise words of his grandmother still fresh in his mind he set about his task. This time instead of trying to split the rock using his force-field and the brute force of his magic, he instead blocked the exit of the water and let it build up within the fissure. Once the water had completely filled the void he sealed the top of the fissure with his force-field, creating a pocket of water within the fissure. Next he quickly reduced the temperature within his force-field and began to freeze the water inside. As the water froze it quickly expanded within the fissure, creating a great force that pushed against both sides of the rock until it finally split with a loud cracking sound.
The rock-face seemed to move in slow motion at first, falling away from its parent rocks on its long journey to the bottom of the gorge. It gathered speed quickly, collecting dozens of rocks and boulders with it as it came crashing down the steep sides of the gorge to the valley floor below.
The results were far better than Lusam could have hoped for. Blocking the valley between themselves and the Empire agents were now hundreds of tonnes of rocks and boulders. He had no doubt that they could clamber over or around the makeshift barricade, but at least they could no longer attack them directly, and it should give them time to get out of the gorge and find some cover.
“Well done lad,” Renn said, patting Lusam on his shoulder.
“We should get out of this gorge quickly, and try to find some cover before they're able to climb over those rocks. I'm not sure how many more hits I can take, but I know it isn't many,” Lusam said, wearily regaining his feet.
It was at least another ten minutes before they reached the far end of the gorge, but thankfully there were no sign of the Empire agents yet. What they saw beyond the gorge filled them with both hope and fear in equal measures. Below them was an immense valley floor, or at least they thought it was. They were unable to see anything through the thick impenetrable mist that covered everything for as far as they could see.
“I don't like the look of that,” Neala said.
“Me neither, but I like the look of the men behind us even less,” Alexia replied.
“It's going to be impossible for us to navigate down there,” Neala said looking worried. “We could travel in circles for days and never know it.” “Given the alternatives, I don't see we have a choice,” said Renn.
“Agreed. And if we can't see anything down there, neither can they,” Lusam said glancing back over his shoulder at the first Empire agents to appear over the fallen rocks. “Besides, we just ran out of time to debate it,” Lusam said as two missiles narrowly missed them, flying harmlessly out into the valley beyond.
Chapter Thirty
They half-run, half-slipped down the steep slope into the valley below. Thousands of small stones littered the slope, making the footing treacherous. Lusam was amazed that no one was injured when they finally reached the valley floor below and entered the incredibly dense mist that covered it.
“We need to stay very close to each other from now on. If we lose anyone in this mist we might never find them again, and we certainly can't start calling out to them,” Lusam said.
“I suggest we walk from here on in. The ground here is much more rocky, so try to stay on the rocks as much as possible and we will switch directions as soon as we have an opportunity to do so on harder ground,” Renn said. They all agreed and headed off into the mist, stepping only on rocks where possible and staying close to one another.
After a further two hours they came across what looked like an ancient dried up river bed that lead off in a different direction at almost ninety degrees. The ground within the riverbed was as hard as rock, showing no signs of their footsteps when they ventured onto it.
“Wait here a minute, I'll be right back,” Alexia said.
“Where are you going?” Lusam asked.
“To buy us some more time,” she replied, disappearing into the mist. Alexia found the last evidence of their passing, and began to leave fresh evidence in the form of footprints leading away from their true location. She terminated her tracks at a large outcrop of rocks, and returned to the riverbed in a wide arc, making sure not to leave any evidence of her true direction of travel. If her plan worked the Empire agents would follow her tracks to the outcrop of rocks and spend a long time searching for their tracks again, which of course they would not find.
Alexia found the riverbed easy enough, but she wasn't sure in which direction she would find the others. After a moment she decided to head off to her right, and was quickly rewarded by the sight of the others coming into view through the thick mist. She explained what she had done, and once again they set off together, this time following the ancient riverbed.
As they walked Lusam began to notice how strange the trees and foliage were in this valley. He was used to seeing all the different trees and plants in the forest where he grew up, but he recognised very few of these here. Then he also noticed something else very strange; the trees had moss growing on them all around their trunks, and not just on the north facing side. The only explanation he could think of was that this valley was always covered in the thick mist, and that made him extremely anxious. If they couldn't see the sky to navigate by the sun or stars, and there were no signs to follow on the ground, how would they ever get out of this valley? He decided to keep the information to himself for now, as the most important thing right now was to escape their pursuers. Escaping th
e valley could come later.
Darkness began descending on the valley, far faster than it would have done without the dense mist covering it. They had walked steadily all day within the dried up riverbed, and not seen or heard anything of their pursuers. Nobody spoke, but the atmosphere was one of quiet relief amongst the group. They had purposely passed up the opportunity to leave the riverbed via rocky paths several times during that day. Alexia had recommended doing this to confuse their pursuers even further. She had told them that if the Empire agents did manage to track them to the riverbed, they would expect them to leave it as soon as possible, and they would be forced to either check every possible exit point, or split their forces to keep searching for them in the riverbed, either way it made sense to continue on as they were until later. Eventually the land became much more rocky on both sides of the old riverbed, and they could have chosen to leave almost at any point along the bank without leaving any evidence of their passing, but they still continued until it was almost completely dark.
“I think we should get out of this riverbed soon. It's highly unlikely they will try to track us at night, but they may very well be tempted to search this riverbed for us if they think we're still following it. They can't get lost in the riverbed, and they could always retrace their steps back to wherever they are right now, and then continue the search in the morning when it's light enough,” Alexia said.
“I'd never have thought of that, but now you mention it, it seems obvious. I have to say, I'm impressed with your tracking skills and knowledge of evasion. Where did you learn how to do it living in a city?” Renn asked.
“I didn't always live in Stelgad. I was once part of a brigand of thieves that lived in the forest south of Lamuria. We robbed wealthy merchants as they passed through our forest on their way to the southern cities. We needed tracking skills to survive inside the forest, but we needed the skill to evade capture even more. The Duke of Oakedge placed a massive bounty on our heads. We had every bounty hunter in Afaraon after our hides, and even some from farther afield.
“Many of us evaded capture for over a year, but the Duke somehow managed to get a spy into our band, and that didn't end well. Most of our band were slaughtered one night as they slept. Attacked from all sides with no chance of escape, and no mercy given. I returned a day later with another three of our members to find the devastation that was once our camp. I swore that day I would make the Duke pay for what he did, but I doubt I will ever get the chance to make good on that,” Alexia said, lost in the memories of her past.
“I never knew that Alexia,” Neala said, giving her friend a hug. Alexia brushed away the tears in her eyes and replied,
“It's not something I like to remember too often, besides it seems so long ago now.”
“I'm sorry, I never asked you about your past when you came to Stelgad, I feel so bad now,” Neala said.
Alexia smiled at Neala and replied, “There's no need to feel bad Neala, you were the one who took me under-your-wing when I first arrived at the Crows' guild with nothing. I remember you speaking up for me when they refused me entry into the guild, and old Reed challenged you over it. I remember watching you slice that guy up good while everyone around laughed at him getting beat by a young girl, but I also remember nobody else challenged you afterwards. I don't think that poor old guy even landed a strike on you, but you made him bleed good that day, I was impressed.
“Later Byron told me you could have killed him a hundred times during that fight, but you chose not to. At the time I didn't understand why you let him live, because where I came from, if anyone challenged another it was always a fight to the death. Later I understood it was through loyalty to your fellow guild member, something that you taught me Neala, that's why I chose to stay in Stelgad, and that's why I chose to become your friend, because I knew you would always be loyal to me, and I to you, and I had never had that before in my entire life.”
Lusam and Renn both felt awkward standing there watching the two girls hug each other, reminiscing over old times, but they needed to move before it got too dark to see. Renn cleared his throat and it seemed to do the trick. Both girls becoming aware once again of their surroundings and situation.
“Sorry guys, girl-stuff, you wouldn't understand,” Neala said, and they both giggled at some unspoken joke, before settling back down and falling in behind Lusam and Renn. Total darkness didn't come for another hour, instead it remained a colourless grey during that time, as if it couldn't decide whether it should go full dark or not. They didn't manage to find a particularly defensible position to make camp, and had to make do with the shelter of a large rock. Lusam had suggested it as a location because if they hid behind the rock, the Empire agents wouldn't be able to spot their auras unless they were right on top of them, as it was unlikely they would already be in front of their location. Each person took their turns on night watch, but apart from Lusam the others merely used their ears instead of exposing themselves to the mage-sight of the agents.
The night passed without incident, something that Lusam was very grateful for, as it gave him a chance to recover some of his strength from the day before. He wasn't by any means fully recovered, but he felt a whole lot better than he had the previous day.
Renn once again handed out some of his meagre travel rations and they were soon on their way again. Several times they thought they heard movement through the thick mist and froze mid-stride, listening for any signs of their enemy, but heard nothing definitive, only to once again resume their trek.
It was mid-afternoon when Renn who was leading them stopped dead in his tracks, quickly followed by the other three. What they saw before them stunned them all into a prolonged silence.
“Tell me that's not what I think it is,” Neala said quietly.
“I think it is,” Alexia replied.
“But, it can't be. We've been walking half a day, how can we be back at the same dried up river again?” Lusam asked.
“I don't know, but unless we can find some way to navigate in this valley I think we're destined to walk around in circles forever, or at least until we run out of food and water, which won't be very long,” Renn said.
“Let's find some cover while we try to come up with an answer,” Alexia suggested. They all knew that standing in full view at the edge of the riverbed probably wasn't the best idea, so they headed back the way they had just come, knowing they had just passed a bunch of large rocks they could take refuge behind while they tried to work out a plan of action.
“So, anyone got an idea how we can navigate through this crazy mist?” Neala asked.
“I can normally navigate quite well, but without being able to at least see the sky or horizon I'm completely at a loss in this environment, sorry,” Alexia replied. “Me too. In a forest, even when you can't always see the sky you can use the moss on the trees, but not here,” Renn said. Lusam had been thinking about this exact problem ever since they had first entered the valley. As soon as he had noticed the trees didn't have moss only on their north facing side he'd been worried about finding their way out of the valley again. He had thought of a possible way to navigate using his magic, but he wasn't sure if it would work, and using his magic when they were so close to their enemies seemed foolish, to say the least. The idea he had come up with would also no doubt require him to answer some tricky questions, ones that he wasn't completely sure he wanted to discuss openly for some reason.
“What about you Lusam. Any idea's?” Renn asked.
“Maybe,” he replied.
“Well do you, or don't you?” asked Neala.
“It's not that simple Neala. I would be using something we found in Helveel to navigate by, something I feel we should never reveal the existence of to anyone. I don't know why I feel this way, but I feel an overwhelming desire not to discuss it for some reason,” Lusam said.
“Lusam, I already know about it. Renn is a paladin of Aysha, his word is his bond, and Alexia I trust without question. If she gives her wor
d never to speak of it, you can rest assured she will keep it,” Neala said. Lusam thought about her words carefully. He knew Renn would never reveal the existence of the book if he gave his word, but he didn't know Alexia, and could only trust Neala's faith in her.
He remembered the last time he had questioned Neala's decision to help Lucy, and he knew instantly she was right then, and she was right now too.
“You're right Neala I have to do it, but I will still ask Renn and Alexia for their word never to reveal my secret,” Lusam said.
“I swear by Aysha never to reveal your secret Lusam,” Renn replied, hand on heart.
“I give you my word Lusam, never to reveal what you say here today,” Alexia said.
“Okay, this is going to sound very strange to you both, and I'm sure you'll have lots of questions, but please keep them to yourselves until later, until we are out of danger and I promise I'll try and answer them then.” Lusam said. Renn and Alexia agreed and he continued to explain about the discovery of the stone door with the five pointed star carved into it, the book on the pedestal, and how it had enhanced his powers simply by reading it. When he finished he was about to explain his plan of how he intended to use the book to navigate by, but he was cut short by Renn.
“Aysha be blessed!” Renn whispered, “Lusam, have you any idea what you are claiming to have found lad! You've just perfectly described one of the lost books of the Guardians. Nobody knows where any of them are hidden. Wars have been fought over their supposed location for hundreds of years. It is written in the ancient scrolls that only a mage of incredible power can read such a book and survive, and only a Guardian themselves may read them all. They were created this way to stop any one person from ever obtaining such power as the Guardians of old once wielded.
