Green beams of energy bounced back and forth between the walls right over their heads. Showers of green sparks rained down, singeing cloth, skin and hair. A quick glance behind her showed Alana the three trailing Mages, all in single file, hovering ever closer. She knew there was no way to outrun them, but Vohl kept pulling anyway.
She planted her heels to stop him from dragging her any farther. The move knocked Vohl off balance, pulling him backwards and tumbling over top of her. The random move had saved them, as just as they tumbled to the floor, another powerful stream of energy tore passed them. She wasted no time drawing her sword and lunging at her attackers. Before the one with the staff could summon its power again, she had stabbed with all her might right through his ribcage. Shards of bone and bits of meat sprayed out of his back, catching the other Mages by surprise.
The staff clattered to the floor but Alana's strength held the dying man upright. The other Mages quickly realized what had happened, and swerved to avoid slamming into the blade jutting out of their companion's back. When she let him fall, the other two Mages seemed to lose their ability to hover and they stumbled when their feet hit the floor.
Alana ripped the sword out of the man's chest, stepping up onto his crumpled body and bringing her sword down on the next man. The blade hit his hood, catching on his skull and raking down the side of his face. His ear, along with almost all of the skin was peeled away before the blade ended up breaking his collar bone and coming to a stop in his torso. He looked down and screamed; the realization of what had happened reaching his mind before the pain could.
When he fell to his knees, she leapt over him to pursue the final Mage who was already trying to turn and run. He got a few strides in before she caught up to him, driving her sword into his midsection. He let out a scream, but continued to run. She stabbed him three more times before he finally fell.
Vohl came walking up behind her and slipped on some blood on the floor. He just barely caught himself, maintaining his regal composure and avoiding an embarrassing trip to the marble floor. He checked himself over and brushed himself off a bit before speaking.
"I suppose I do not need to ask if you are alright. That was an impressive display you put on."
"I had to do something," she said as she tried to catch her breath. "They were right on top of us. They were going to kill us."
"Yes, I can see that. I do not think they intended to capture us at all. They were just going to kill us—well, you anyway."
"Yeah, I wasn't really expecting that. I guess looking back on it now, it was kind of stupid to assume they would just capture us. Uritus has no need for me alive."
"Yes, and now I fear for Song. With the few Mages we have seen, I do not believe they expected us to enter the labyrinth this night. That means that we served as no distraction at all. He is out there on his own, facing more Mages than he can probably handle."
"We have to find him!"
"My Lady, we cannot. These men know we are in here now and we are no longer a diversion. If we find him, we will be bringing an army of angry Mages behind us."
"There must me something we—," she started to say.
"What is it, my Lady?"
Alana ignored his question and walked around him down to the end of the narrow hall. Across from the opening was an open door to a small room. Inside, a single candle brought a little life to the darkness. Something tugged at her soul, urging her to investigate.
"Vohl, is that what I think it is?"
——————
Uritus folded his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. "Just what are you doing here, Song?"
Song could only stare. He was not expecting to run into anyone—let alone Uritus. Song was paralyzed with both confusion and fear. He knew that at any moment Uritus could destroy him and erase everything he had ever accomplished in his life. He began to tremble.
Uritus put his hands behind his back and began pacing. I expected you to tell me that you were lost. I can appreciate that you did not attempt to lie. I did not expect that it would be you to come for the book. I thought it would be the immortal. You have been working with them, yes?"
Song tried to stand a little taller. "I have."
"You foolish brat. You do not understand what damage they are bringing to this world. Do you realize that if they were to succeed that this country would fall? They are misguided people who do not even understand that their motives are evil. Their dream is to ensure that there is a permanent underclass to serve the class above them. They speak of freedom and yet look down their noses at all those who are forced to serve them."
There was no point in trying to argue with him. Uritus would never see that the things he thought about Rommus and the others were completely false. It was Uritus who dreamed of destruction and enslavement to his system. From what he knew about Rommus, it seemed that he only wished for all people to have the chance to succeed or fail on their own. He did not wish to rule men, but men wished for him to lead them. Uritus desired power over the people. He wished to force them into equality; not by allowing the successful to rise up, but rather by raising up those who could not or would not rise on their own. The successful were the ones who paid the price for it.
Song shook his head in disgust as he sneered. "You can kill me, Emperor. You can end my life or send my soul to the void, but you cannot convince me that your lies are true. It's apparent to me now that you believe those lies yourself, so I cannot hold your beliefs against you. But even through your thick fog of lies you must surely see that Rommus does not wish to rule anyone. He's a good man, trying to do what he thinks is best for the world."
"Oh my young, naïve friend, your foolish words both entertain and sadden me. You are too young to see the folly in your logic, and it appears that Rommus is too old to see the folly himself. I had reserved some small hope for you, thinking that you would begin to see the truth, but I was wrong."
"You are wrong about a great many things, Uritus. You may not think it, but it is true nonetheless. Truth is not undone by our opinion of it."
Uritus chuckled. "Your words mean nothing. The only meaning of your entire existence was just to teach me not to reserve any hope for the foolish. You told me you wanted to become an important man, but the end of your life will make more of a statement than your life ever did."
Song cringed as Uritus raised his hands. Threads of energy began to weave into a churning ball of light. Song's body was frozen with fright, but his mind raced. He knew there was no time to run. There was no time to do anything. Death, it seemed, was coming in another heartbeat. He would soon reluctantly discover the secrets of the world beyond.
But something was happening inside him. At first he thought it was some strange effect from the magical, glowing tiles at his feet, but he soon realized he was wrong. There was an energy in the room. It wasn't the tiles and it wasn't the roiling energy growing between the hands of Uritus. It was coming up through the earth beneath him and filling his entire body. All fear and worry drained from him and time seemed to slow. He could see the cords of energy rolling over the ball of light Uritus held. He had released it, and it was tumbling towards Song, a mere instant away.
But the power Song felt surging through him was stronger and faster. It roared through his left arm and down into his fingers. It took control of his muscles and forced him to bring his gauntlet up to his face. Uritus's streams of energy hit the gauntlet and bounced off, spraying in every direction. Where it hit the walls, the marble either shattered or melted. The room shook with the tremendous power, nearly knocking both men to the ground.
Song aimed his gauntleted hand at Uritus. He didn't understand how it was possible, but he was calling forth power from somewhere deep within him. Golden lights began to dance across his gauntlet as the power built up. When the explosion of light came, it temporarily blinded him. The release of that power ripped his arm backwards painfully, again nearly sending him to the floor.
Uritus was cowering, clearly te
rrified by what he had witnessed, but he was completely unscathed. At first Song thought that it was because of the magical robes he wore, but he soon realized that he had missed his target completely. While the bulk of the statue at the center of the room still stood, most of the base had been destroyed.
Panic flooded into him as all of the power he was feeling drained out. He scanned the shattered wreckage of the base, hoping to see that the book was unharmed, but saw nothing but shards of marble and paper. The parts that were not burned away had turned to dust. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Uritus straighten, holding out his hands once more.
But the loud pop of cracking stone surprised him. Uritus looked up just in time to see the heavy remains of the statue crash down upon him.
Chapter 22
"We should have chosen a warmer spot to meet," Alana said as she sat on the temple steps.
Vohl immediately removed his cape and draped it on her shoulders, then went back to pacing behind her. At the end of every pass, he would search the area for any sign of Song. With the snow only having been removed from the temple steps, his form would stand out against the remaining white snow in the streets. But everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but snow.
Alana turned up to face him. "Do you think we should go back in there and look for him?"
"No, I do not think that would be wise. It is far too risky to do any such thing right now. They most certainly have found all the men we killed by now, and they will be waiting for us."
"So what? They were probably waiting for us when we walked in last time. We were able to fight them and get out."
Vohl shook his head. "I do not think they were expecting us this night, my Lady. We were fortunate enough to have stumbled through their maze on a night where they did not know we were coming. To return would be folly. They will kill you on the spot if we go back in."
"But they’ll kill Song too, Vohl. We need to save him."
"Song is destined to escape this peril. He must survive if he is to travel into the past and become the Emperor of Medora."
Alana shivered and pulled the cape tighter around her. "I was thinking about that while we were in there. I am not so sure that Song is the one who has to go back in time. We learned that the Book of Eternal Wisdom remains unchanged, no matter what, but that doesn't mean that the person writing it can't be someone other than Song. If Song dies, then History will be forced to find another suitable person to fill his role. Assuming he will survive does not make him invincible."
Vohl put a palm to his head and thought a moment. "I suppose there is logic in those words. I do not know for sure what fate has in store for him, but right now we need to stick to our plan; and our plan does not include going back into that hornets' nest."
"Well we can't wait here all night either. I'm going to freeze to death here soon. You probably will too."
"Not to death, my Lady. The cold cannot claim this soul."
"Oh right, I forgot. It must be so odd to know you can never die. Everything in the world begins and ends. It must be so strange to be excluded from that."
Vohl sighed quietly. "I have grown accustomed to exclusion, my Lady. It does not remain an odd feeling for very long. In fact, it is a strange feeling to know I am accepted. For nearly all of my life my views have been rejected. I was hated for centuries by people who were nearly identical to me in every way except our personal beliefs. They hunted me, and as you have seen, they still do.
"But to your point on being immune from death, I do not think any soul can ever quite grasp it. I have suffered injuries that would kill a man countless times, and the worst that happens is loss of consciousness. When I awake, I am always alive and healthy, although admittedly I sometimes do not expect to wake at all.
"To sit and ponder the realities of eternity can be overwhelming to say the least. When I consider the ramifications, I often reach a point in my mind where reason seems to break down. It is like reaching a wall in my mind where I cannot experience what is on the other side of it."
Alana blew hot air into her hands to warm them. "Well, I can understand that much of it. For those of us who are not immortal, we are cursed with a similar wall. We don't know what comes after this life, and no matter what we're told, there's just no way to find out. I mean, we walked right over to the Land of the Gods and saw Morendiir, the literal city of the dead. We saw those people who were there who looked like green statues. Is that where I go when I die? Or the void? No matter how much I learn about it, I can't make any sense of it."
"No, I am afraid none of us can, my Lady. I have walked the earth for more than 3,000 years, and I am no closer to an answer than you are. I do not know the nature of the realms beyond, nor can I ever discover that secret. At least you can discover it one day."
Alana laughed. "Yeah, but I have to die first. I don't want to know that badly."
"You do not desire to move on to another realm and reap your rewards for the good deeds you have performed?"
"No, Vohl, I don't. The way I see it, this world is our reward. We're alive in this wonderful world right now, finding happiness and bringing happiness to others. Anything beyond this world is totally uncertain, so we'd better make this life count. This life is all we can be sure we get."
Vohl sat next to her, despite the fact that the steps were dirty. "And what about all the terrible things that happen in this world? The world is full of horrors humans commit on each other. Children sometimes die before their first birthday. How can this world be a reward?"
"Bad things do happen, Vohl. There's no denying that. But the world is not responsible for them—we are. We are the ones who make terrible things happen, but we are also the ones who make great things happen. I think that there are just far too many people thinking happiness comes from money or power, when in reality happiness comes from making others happy. If we all did a little more of that, the world would be a much better place."
Vohl found himself staring blankly across the street at another building. "How I wish I could bring more happiness into this world. But alas, such is not my fate."
She looked over at him in the darkness. "Fate is what we make it, Vohl. We control fate; fate does not control us. We just have to find what we want, and go after it."
The silence after her comment seemed to go on forever. Thanks to the darkness, he could stare into her eyes and not risk corrupting her mind with his power. He relished the moment and the look he imagined her face to have. His thundering heart screamed at him to lean in, but his mind screamed that she would pull away. He heard her words repeating over and over in his head. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to go after it. She could at least appreciate what he was trying to do; even if she shot him down entirely. Reluctantly, he leaned in just a little bit.
"I have bad news," A breathless Song said as he came up behind them.
Vohl jumped at the surprise interruption. "Song! Are you alright? What happened to you?"
"I'm fine. I found a secret passageway into a whole different part of the labyrinth. I think nearly the entire mountain behind the Emperor's Hall is hollowed out. I can't even imagine how such a thing could be accomplished.
"Anyway, there was a small room inside there, and Uritus was there with the book. He and I talked briefly, but then we fought."
Alana nearly choked on the words trying to escape her mouth. "You fought him?" How?"
"I wish I knew. When I say we fought, I don't mean with our fists. He attacked me with magic, and something strange happened."
"Well, what was it?" Alana asked when he paused.
"I felt something inside me. I think I felt it coming up from the ground. It filled me with some kind of power and I let it take over. I was able to block his fiery attack, and that shocked him. Then I somehow conjured up some magic of my own. I sent this beam of light out at him but I missed. I hit a statue instead and it ended up falling over and crushing him."
"Are you serious?" Alana asked. "You killed him with magic?"
"
I didn't bother to check if he was dead. I can't see how he could survive that statue falling over on him. I know it hit him because there was blood and his bones were even showing. I saw it land on him very clearly."
Alana turned to Vohl. "Magic? I don't get it."
"Remember, my Lady, Ridoria founded the Silver Mages."
"What?" Song asked as he watched Alana nod. "What does that mean?"
Vohl ignored his question, standing up to brush himself off a bit. "Well killing Uritus sounds like good news, Song. What is the bad part?"
"Well, when I missed and hit the statue, the book was there. I destroyed it. It's gone."
Vohl smiled in the darkness, placing a hand on Song's shoulder. "Do not worry about that, my friend. We have something we need to show you."
Chapter 23
Uritus screamed in pain. Other Mages tried to comfort him, but there was very little they could do. His left arm had been completely destroyed; no longer the strong, solid form it once was. Fragments of bone protruded from his skin, and parts where the statue had pinned him down were crushed into a paste of bone and flesh. Small chunks of marble bits still clung to the exposed tissue, and Mages were working diligently to clean them out.
The rest of his body was completely unharmed. The robes of Inshae had protected him from the falling statue, but like a fool he had reached up with his left arm at the last moment before impact. The large, loose sleeve fell down to his shoulder, exposing his entire arm to the marble that crashed down on him.
The pain had knocked him unconscious, leaving him with no memory of what happened after the statue fell. He awoke to several Mages hovering over him trying to move the statue without doing further damage to his arm. Their attempts were appreciated, but everything they did resulted in terrible pain.
Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) Page 13
