Alynon's Tear

by Rick Brown

  “I offered you a piggy back ride,” Barad replied as he stepped over the prone dwarf.

  “Iffin’ we dwarves ever war against humans, I’m going for that one first,” He said as he pointed at Barad.

  “When that day comes, I’ll help you,” Bri promised as she reached down and helped the dwarf up.

  I was still carrying the Opal and walked by everyone to check on them. “Is everyone ok? Did anyone other than Lenux lose their supplies?”

  “Sorry,” Lenux apologized.

  “We’ll be alright,” I replied to him. “We have extra rations.” Then I spoke loud enough for everyone. “Ok, here’s our chance. Let’s make camp. Take out your spare clothes, Father Yagen and I will dry everything.”

  “What about me?” Abigail asked.

  I looked from Abi to Father Yagen, “I don’t know. Drying clothes is tricky. Too little and you do nothing. A little too much and it can burst into flame.”

  “I can do it!” She stated enthusiastically. “My control has gotten so much better.”

  “Fine, but you start on your own clothes.” I looked around the chamber we were in. “Let’s hang one of our blankets on those stalactites. The ladies can change behind there.”

  Ryan and Whilhoit grabbed their blankets and created a divider. The ladies went to the other side. Everyone but Lenux changed into fresh clothes. Since he lost his clothes with his bag, he had to hold the light while we changed. Once everyone was changed, the girls joined us and it was Lenux’s turn to go behind the blankets. After a moment he threw his clothes over to us. I laid out his clothes and started targeting the water in the material. Something I could not have done with just my human magic. I quickly boiled away the moisture leaving just dry clothes. I tossed them back over the blankets so Lenux could get dressed.

  I walked over to Father Yagen, who was instructing Abigail on how to dry the clothes. “Just a little heat, Abi. Too much and you risk igniting it. With your strength, you will want to apply as little as possible.”

  She nodded and started to focus on her wet pants, which were laid out on the tunnel floor. After a moment, steam started rising from the pants. “There ya go, easy now. Not too much. Lower now, LOWER!” He yelled as a puff of smoke came off the pants cuff. I quickly used my magic to starve it from air before it could ignite.

  “Sorry,” Abigail moaned. “Oh, my pants.” She picked them up and examined the scorch.

  “Don’t worry, my dear,” Father Yagen comforted. “You have only just begun taking lessons. Something as sophisticated as drying is for more experienced magicians. Don’t let it discourage you. Your progress is quite remarkable.”

  Abi turned and looked at me. “See, that is how you encourage a student.”

  I rolled my eyes at her and finished drying her clothes with a wave of my hand. I went over to each person and did the same for them and their blankets. “Is that your magic or normal magic?” Father Yagen asked.

  “Actually, it’s a combination of the two. I isolate the water with my magic and then heat it with human. That way I am not using my magic reserves.”

  “Ahh, my boy. You are learning, and all without a teacher! Marvelous. Just marvelous.”

  “I must agree,” Farloc said as he approached. “I’ve heard of the Eberon family’s magic, but the act of using two at once? I believe this is new.”

  I shrugged. “It just seemed the natural thing to do.”

  Father Yagen laughed. “Nothing you do is natural, Your Majesty.”

  I smiled with him. Once everything was dry, I turned to the group. “All right everyone. We only have a few hours to sleep. Make the most of it.”

  Chapter 21

  (Lee)

  After the terrors of the night before, nobody slept well in our camp, other than Orlik, whose snores were reminiscent of the angry troll we left behind. I rolled up my bedroll and strapped it to my pack. Pulling out some jerky and stale bread, I ate my morning rations. Luckily, there were plenty of clean water sources in the caverns. The dwarves that were here before us identified where to find the best pools, which Orlik was able to lead us to when our resources were low.

  I had lost track of day and night somewhere in the first few days of our trek. There was no concept such as time when you walked in eternal darkness. I know that we had slept twelve times, so we must be getting high up inside the mountain.

  The torch had been sat in the middle of our group, which I had left at a dim glow, much like glowing campfire embers would have cast. I walked over and brighten it so I could once again see the chamber we had slept in. It seemed no different than many of the chambers we crossed. I estimated its ceiling at fifty feet, with some of its stalactites hanging down almost to our heads.

  “Good morning,” Bri greeted as I walked past.

  “Ah, Good morning,” I answered. “Ready for another day?”

  “Gods, I’m just ready for this to be over.”

  “I can’t agree more,” Whilhoit joined in. “I may never go into a darkened room again.”

  “Orlik, do you think we are getting close?” Abigail asked. We had all wanted to ask, but to pester him made the cantankerous dwarf livid. Luckily, Abigail caught him at a good time.

  “Aye, I thinks we are getting close. Keep in mind, this wasn’t a path just to Illiner, so they didn’t add no road signs sayings how long, but more of the runes do mention Illiner, so I suspect we are a ‘nearing it.”

  After everyone had his or her breakfast, we starting marching again through the cave. Every now and again we felt drafts of cold air signaling an entrance was nearby, but Orlik insisted that they didn’t lead to Illiner, and we continued our trek.

  For the last hour we had been hearing a low roar of a waterfall, the sound growing louder as we marched towards it. Finally, we entered a large chamber with a giant waterfall pouring into a bottomless abyss.

  “It must have been carving that hole for millennia,” Ryan commented as he glanced over the pit.

  Bri reached over and pulled him back. “Easy there, Ryan. I’m not going over that edge for you if you fall.” He smiled and stepped away from the pit.

  The path we followed wound its way behind the waterfall and out the other side. I glanced back to see the remarkable site one last time.

  A few hours later we entered an even more remarkable chamber. As I entered the room, the glowing opal’s light was caught in a myriad of crystals all over the walls. As I brightened the glow, giant crystals jutting from the chamber floor captured the light, refracting it into the chamber walls and creating a brilliant show of rainbows as the entire room lit up. I had never seen so many crystals in my life. I had to lower the glow on the torch as the light blinded our eyes.

  We all stood in awe of the magnificent room. Crystals of all sizes covered the entire surface. “Gods, what a sight,” Orlik muttered. “In all my time under the earth, I had never seen its like.”

  Father Yagen and Father Pild both took the opportunity to pray to Alynon in such an astounding place. I took a brief moment to pray to both of the gods to whom I was now bonded. I felt a warm glow from each in acknowledgement.

  Making our way through the cavern was much more challenging than its beauty suggested. Our rock trail was now covered with sharp crystals that made walking over it difficult. Bracing your hand against the side of the chamber wall for balance was rewarded with a bloody hand, but once we started, there was no place to stop and rest, so we pressed forward. At times we were forced to climb over the crystals that blocked our path.

  The hours of toiling to cross the beautiful room did diminish some of its splendor. Orlik was openly cursing the crystals he had admired only a few hours earlier. It was a relief to us all as we passed out of the chamber and back onto the rock surface. Barad knelt on his hands and knees and kissed the ground. “I thought I’d never be so happy to stand on rock,” he stated.

  As he got back to his feet, a roar from a troll echoed through the caverns. “Which direction was that from?” Ryan a
sked.

  We were all quiet as we tried to locate the source of the roar as it echoed through the caverns. Orlik sighed. “I can’t tell. It’s far enough away right now that I’m not gonna worry on it.”

  Grabbing our packs, we started again down the tunnel. The climb was getting steeper as we went, which Orlik insisted was a good sign. We stopped to read another rune that had been carved into the cave wall when another, closer troll was heard roaring.

  “We’re getting near the surface,” Orlik explained. “We are nearing the caves that the trolls use to get in and out. Best to be careful now. No one wants to run into one of them nasties.”

  “So, which way does the rune say to go?” Ryan asked.

  “We’re to take the left tunnel,” Orlik answered, as he nodded indicating our path. “And I think I’m a smelling fresh air. We must be near the entrance now.”

  “Oh, bless the gods,” Yagen declared.

  As we started up the trail, I could feel the air chilling as the outside air mixed with that of the cavern. There was an excitement in the group, as we knew we were finally getting close to the surface.

  Another nearby troll roar took the excitement right out of the air. “That was close,” Barad stated.

  “Aye,” Orlik agreed as he quickened our pace.

  As if in answer to the first roar, another roar came from a different direction. “

  “They’re going to trap us!” Abigail worried.

  “They’re gonna try,” the dwarf stated as he started to run up the trail, pulling his axe from his back and carrying it in his hands. We all followed his example and pulled our weapons. Running into the next chamber, we almost crashed into the back of a large troll that was greedily devouring the last bits of a mountain goat.

  The beast roared in excitement as it turned to find the surprised prey standing behind it. Another roar from behind us answered the beast.

  “Run for that hole!” Orlik yelled as he slashed the troll’s leg with his axe. The furious troll roared as it backhanded the dwarf sending him crashing across the room. I cast a quick spell, binding the beast around its arms and chest with magic.

  “Hurry!” I yelled as the others ran for the opening Orlik identified. The priests and Ryan picking up the injured dwarf and carrying him to safety. I looked to my sides and saw Barad, Bri, and Whilhoit standing behind me with weapons drawn. “We aren’t fighting, we’re fleeing! Get moving.”

  “Not without you,” Whilhoit declared. I allowed Barad to guide me back towards the hole as I kept my eyes on the troll. Sweat dripped from my face as I magically wrestled with the beast. Its strength was amazing as it fought against the binding. I had to release it as I was pulled into the hole with the others.

  I heard it roar again, which was quickly responded to by multiple other individuals. I turned to look around the small cave we found ourselves in. There was no other exit. I looked back to the entrance just as the long arm of the troll stuck through and started reaching for us. Barad hacked at it, releasing a spray of blood as Abigail released a ball of fire back out into the cavern.

  With a screech of pain, the troll pulled its arm back from the entrance. This time I heard the sound of other trolls now in the chamber outside of our hole. I walked over to the two priests that were caring for the dwarf. “How is he?” I asked.

  Yagen shook his head. “He’s in a bad way. At minimum, he has some broken ribs. It’s possible his lungs been punctured.” I knelt next to Orlik and put my ear to his chest. Listening, I could hear the telltale signs of blood gurgling in his lungs.

  Sighing, I placed my hand on his chest and gently released some of my magic into him. Closing my eyes, I could almost see into his chest. I regretted not having had the opportunity to read up on anatomy as Alynon had recommended, because most of what I saw made no sense. As I kept looking, I was able to start to identify his ribs. One was indeed puncturing his lung and allowing blood to flow in. Using my magic, I was able to pull the bone out and put it back in line where it belonged. I still had no idea how to repair the break. With the lung, I pressed the torn parts together to stop the blood from entering. Lastly, I pushed the blood out of his lung and out of his mouth, spraying Father Yagen and Father Pild.

  I released Orlik and collapsed beside him, feeling exhausted from helping the dwarf. I looked up to find the blood-covered priests checking on me.

  “Sorry, I didn’t have a way to warn you.”

  “We’re fine,” Father Yagen said, as he wiped away the blood. “How is Orlik?”

  “I set the bone, but I don’t know how to heal it. Same with his lung, the only thing I could do was remove the blood that was pooling in it.”

  “Well, his breathing is better,” Father Pild announced, as he examined Orlik.

  “And what of you, Your Majesty? Are you ok?” Father Yagen asked.

  I nodded back to him as I got up. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  “That was amazing!” Abigail stated as she watched the dwarf. “How do you know how to do that?”

  “I don’t,” I replied. “Not really, I don’t know enough about anatomy. I need to read up on it.”

  “Oh, we had books like that in our office in Vennean,” Ryan pointed out.

  “That would make sense,” Farloc said. “Your ancestors had probably studied it as well.”

  I nodded in acknowledgement then turned to Barad. “How are things in the cavern?”

  “Oh, there’s a whole troll party going on out there. Must be ten of the buggers just walking around. They know we are in here, they glance in the hole every once in a while. Abi greets them with a fire burst.”

  “Does it have any effect?” I asked.

  “Some scorched eyebrows, that’s about it. They jump around and run for a bit with their hair burning, then they settle down when it finally goes out. After a few minutes another comes to check on us and it all starts again.”

  “Do we know which way we are supposed to go?”

  Barad nodded. “There’s only this hole, the entrance we came through, and a tunnel exiting the other side. That’s got to be the exit. I think I can even see daylight coming from it, but that may be my imagination.”

  “And it may not,” Bri added. “It’s freezing in here. We must be near the tunnel entrance.”

  I had to agree. The air was fresher and definitely colder, that tunnel had to be the exit. If we are going to make it, we’ll need a distraction.

  Looking out into the room, there were a number of stalactites. Possibly I could knock those loose and into the trolls. I watched the trolls as I thought, that might distract some, but not all of them.

  “What are you thinking?” Barad asked as he walked up behind me.

  “We’ll need a distraction if we are going to make it to that tunnel,” I shook my head as I played out the odds of making it. “I was thinking about the stalactites, but I don’t think that will distract them long enough to for us to make it to the surface. Not while carrying an injured dwarf.”

  “What if we had some oil?” Barad asked.

  “You’re carrying oil? That may work. What made you bring that?”

  Barad looked a little uncomfortable. “You know, just in case your crystal thing didn’t work out.”

  I laughed at his nervousness. “Is anyone else hiding oil?”

  “We were going to get some, but that lying shopkeeper distracted us,” Bri answered honestly.

  “Mine was eaten by the troll,” Lenux admitted.

  “Well, one jar is something,” I said as I thought it through. “Father Pild and Ryan, will you be able to carry Orlik out of here?”

  “Father Pild shrugged. “We can carry him, I can’t promise we won’t reinjure him.” I nodded in understanding.

  “Farloc, would you mind helping them. It may be the difference between Orlik living or dying.” The elf nodded.

  “Whilhoit and Barad. You’re our swords. The trolls will be distracted, but some may try to catch us anyway. Barad you will have the oil. When
we cross into the passage, let’s use that oil to light a fire, hopefully stopping the trolls from following us.”

  “That won’t last for long,” Father Yagen pointed out.

  I nodded. “The burden on this attempt falls on us magic users. I’ll drop the stalactites while you and Bri attack the trolls. We’ll continue to fire down the tunnel as we flee.”

  “It’s quite the gamble,” Farloc mentioned. “There’s no guarantee that the entrance is close.” Then he broke into a smile. “I like it.”

  “He’s been spending too much time with Orlik,” Bri said, shaking her head.

  “Everyone take a look into the chamber, it’ll be chaos out there when we make our run. Be sure you are very familiar with the layout and where the exit is located.”

  I walked over to look at Orlik while the others familiarized themselves with the escape. Some color had returned to his skin since I adjusted his rib. Checking his breathing, it seemed strong. “Hold on Orlik,” I whispered to the dwarf. “We’ll get you out of here.”

  I returned to the opening where everyone was still discussing our escape. Father Yagen looked to me. “Are you sure you can break those stalactites?”

  “No, but I pulled down the palace roof in Vennean. How different can this be?” I asked as I once again examined the stalactites. There were maybe six significant ones hanging from the chamber ceiling, some with corresponding stalagmites underneath. Targeting those six would be the most disruptive.

  “Can you make them fall in a way that would push the trolls away from us?” Ryan asked.

  “Well, I could drop the ones closest to our path first, that may drive them back. Then incrementally do the others, until the trolls are pushed to the other side.”

  Father Yagen nodded. “The seems a sound plan.”

  “Everyone get a drink and gather your things. It’s going to be an all or nothing run. Get ready.”

  I glanced behind me to make sure everyone was ready. Father Yagen and Abigail were at my shoulders, Barad and Whilhoit were waiting with swords out, Brianna and Lenux had their bows with arrows knocked. Last there was Farloc holding Orlik by his shoulders and Ryan and Father Pild both had hold on his boots. Ryan was carrying the glowing opal in his other hand.