Earth Magic

by Kenneth Price

  The officer laughed at Elwin. "Take them, but do not kill the prince."

  Upon his order, the soldiers dropped their crossbows and drew their swords. They took a step forward. Another explosion erupted. The ground shook violently. A crack in the earth opened up, and flames leaped up into the air.

  "We're going to die!" someone shouted. As one the crowd turned once more. With a great cry, they surged forward. This time, they would not be stopped, dragging Elwin and Aidan along with them, they attacked the guards who were attempting to stop them.

  "Get back!" shouted the officer. This time, the crowd refused to listen. The ground continued to shake. Another crack in the earth opened up, and more flames leaped toward the sky.

  Slowly the guards were forced backward, but they were making the crowd pay for every step. Already, several people had died. Then another explosion erupted. Everyone stopped, soldiers, servants, priests, and hobgoblins turned and looked. The temple began to collapse inwards. Fire surged up through the earth as large sections of the courtyard fell into a growing fiery hole in the ground; a hole that burned with a heat that no ordinary fire could produce. More cracks in the earth formed, the hole grew wider, and more fire leaped into the air.

  Again, the crowd cried out. This time, the guards did not resist. The gates were thrown open, and everyone including the guards fled into the night. Elwin and Aidan were only a few blocks away from the temple when the earth violently heaved upwards. Throwing them to the ground, the trembling earth shook out of control. The ground was shaking so violently that, they could not get back on their feet. Stones from buildings were shaken loose of their mortar and fell crashing to the road. A building nearby collapsed. Erupting like a volcano, a tower of flame leaped from where the temple had once been. The sky turned fire red, changing the night into day.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The Aonach night was as hot as the day had been. The air was still and heavy. It was a dark night, yet earlier, the skies above the city were ablaze. For hours, a great towering of flame had lit up the night. The light show was now over, yet the sky still glowed brightly over the spot where the temple had been. The mood of the city was a mixture of excitement, fear, and uncertainty.

  In front of an alleyway, two boys, not much younger than Elwin, approached each other.

  "Nat, did you see it?" asked one boy.

  "Sure did, Trey. I was there. It was something to see, too." He held up a piece of charred rock. "Look."

  "What's that?" asked Trey.

  "It's part of the temple wall."

  "Wow!"

  "You should have seen all those people running!”

  "What does it look like now?"

  Nat laughed, "It's a big hole in the ground. Something is still burning deep underground too, but the temple is gone. Only the outer walls are left standing, and even most of them have fallen in, too."

  "I wish mother had let me go.”

  "Come on," said Nat. "Let's go over to Tyson's. I want to show him my rock." He smiled proudly. "I'll tell you the rest of it the way over." The boys turned and started down the street.

  "Did they catch the prince yet?" asked one.

  "No ..." Then their voices faded away as they moved further down the street.

  Checking that none of the guardsmen were about, Elwin and Aidan crept out of the alley. "Did you hear that?" asked Aidan. "I bet every guardsman in the city is looking for you."

  "Great!" Elwin pointed across a small court. "Let's go over to that well. I am thirsty. And we need to clean up." They were still covered in dirt and ash from their escape from the temple.

  They had just finished washing when an elderly woman approached. She dipped her bucket into the well, but her eyes stared at the strange glowing sky.

  "Boys," she asked in a raspy grandmotherly voice, "what foul thing has happened this night?"

  Aidan drank some of the cold well water, then looked up. "The temple has burned."

  "Oh, how wonderful!" the woman exclaimed. She clapped her wrinkled hands. "Who did it, the Renegades?"

  "We don't know," Elwin curtly answered, wishing Aidan would keep quiet. "But I would advise against exhibiting such enthusiasm. The Severed Head is not happy, and there are spies about."

  "Oh, phooey on spies! Young man, I am an old woman," she pointed out the obvious, "and I will not spend my last years acting or doing as others think I should, or because someone might be listening in."

  Hearing the conversation, a cobbler in his brown leather apron, crossed the street. "I know who started the fire. It was the outlaw, Prince Elwin. He has destroyed the temple."

  With a jerk of his head, Elwin looked at the man, but he quickly realized that the cobbler did not recognize him. Also realizing the same thing, Aidan asked, "The outlaw prince? Here in the city?" He was trying to hide a wry smile. Trying not to sigh, Elwin gave Aidan a nudge.

  "Sure was," the cobbler answered. "Prince Elwin and an Elf if you can believe it. That is what I heard at least."

  "An Elf?" said Aidan, not taking Elwin's hint. His long hair was pulled forward to cover his ears. His hair was also still thick with ash so it had a dark look to it rather than the natural light blond hair of the Wood Elves of the Green. "But Elves don't really exist; Do they?"

  Elwin inwardly signed.

  Unaware of Aidan’s joke, the cobbler went on as if he were a fountain of knowledge. "Maybe and maybe not.”

  Others began to gather to hear the cobbler talk, and soon the cobbler had a broad audience. "I was down at one of them taverns near the temple when it all started. It was something all right. The ground was shaking so much I thought the tavern was going to come down right on top of me."

  "Some places did collapse," someone added.

  "I think the Old Grange was one," added another.

  The cobbler nodded and went on. "Prince Elwin attacked the temple. And he did it with only a hand full of Renegades... Destroyed the whole place, too." The cobbler shoved his hands into his apron pockets. It was evident that he was enjoying all the attention he was getting. "After it was all over, I talked to one of the servants that worked in the temple." A hush fell over the crowd. "He saw the prince and this Elf fellow. He said that the prince was trying to get out of the temple. Some of the temple guards tried to stop him. This servant says Prince Elwin stood right up to the officer and says to him that he better get out of his way. When the officer refused, the prince took his sword and slammed it into the earth, and that's when the temple started to explode. He used some type of magic to destroy the temple. The earth started shaking, and a fire started coming right out of the ground, it did."

  Another voice spoke up. "I heard that the prince killed a priest and the High Priestess Mor." Several voices added that they had heard the same.

  Enjoying himself, Aidan asked, "How do you know it was not an ordinary fire? Maybe a priest was clumsy with a lamp, or something like that."

  The cobbler looked at Aidan as if the boy must be mad. "Look at that sky, boy," he pointed at the glowing dome over the temple grounds. "Is that some kind of ordinary fire? For hours, there was a tower of flames. It reached right up to the clouds, but the fire never spread past the temple walls. I was there, and I saw it. And I am telling you, this prince is a wizard of some type." The cobbler mounted the lip of the well so that he could better see his audience. "There is more," he raised his arms to quiet the crowd's murmurs, "There are hobgoblins in the streets, and ...."

  Grabbing Aidan by the arm, Elwin dragged the Elf from the growing crowd and headed down the street. Everyone was so intently listening to the cobbler that they did not notice the two leave. After a short distance, Elwin let go of Aidan’s arm. "You're as bad as Pallas!"

  "It was his story, not mine!”

  "You encouraged him."

  Aidan laughed, "By tomorrow you will be a hero."

  Elwin's face turned hard, "I do not want to be a hero! And I defiantly do not want to be a wizard. I just want to get out of here and find Leina." />
  Aidan suddenly became serious. "Okay, I 'm sorry. Let's find someplace where we can talk. Don't worry, Elwin, we'll find her."

  Finding another dark alley, Elwin and Aidan were safely out of sight. Taking advantage of the moment, they sat down with their backs against the alley wall.

  Aidan's mood was still serious. "How did you do that back there in the temple? Are you sure you are not a wizard?"

  "You asked me that before. But I didn't do anything."

  "You don't remember, do you?"

  "No. I had my eyes closed the whole time."

  "Well," started Aidan, "when that raging fire leaped out of that priest Gillies, you raised your hands and a light came right out of you too but your light was a bluish green color, and it wrapped around us like a shield. The fire raged right past us, destroying everything except us. Inside that shield, I did not even feel warm. It was unbelievable!" Frowning, Elwin kicked at the ground.

  Aidan looked at him. "You really don't remember, do you?"

  "No, Aidan I don't! I don't know what is happening, but I have no powers. It could not have been me. It must have been the priestess, she didn't what us to be hurt. Remember?"

  Aidan shook his head. "She could not even save herself." He then nodded at Elwin's sword where he had tucked it under his belt. "You have been carrying that sword for a long time. Maybe the druid is right. Maybe it does have some type of power, and maybe some of its magic has worn off on you. It survived the fire too."

  "No!" snapped Elwin, "It wasn't me! And it wasn't the sword!"

  "Okay," Aidan said defensively. "Just forget I said anything."

  Elwin considered asking Aidan if he had heard the music too. But he knew that Aidan had not, and he did not want to accept what that might mean.

  Elwin and Aidan sat without talking for some time before Elwin finally turned to Aidan. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I am just so blasted tired and scared. And I really do not have any power. If I had some kind of magic, I would have felt something." Did I not feel something? What about the song? "I just want to get out of this cursed city and find Leina."

  "What about Pallas and Colin?"

  "We can't wait, Aidan. Soon the temple guards will reorganize and start looking for us. They have probably started already. The temple was destroyed, but I think that the Severed Head survived. They are still in control of the city, and soon they will be out looking for us on every street."

  "I really think that was Pallas and Colin we saw at the temple."

  Elwin nodded, "Maybe they were trying to rescue us. But we can't go about looking for them without drawing attention to ourselves. They won't be at the Inn. So we have no idea where to look."

  "Then we're just going to leave them behind?"

  "No. With all the rumors, Pallas and Colin will be able to figure out that we have escaped. And they know that we are headed for the Tent City of Caiplich on the edge of the Aleach Grasslands. They will figure we have left Aonach, and they will then follow us. Even if they think we have died, Colin will still go on. Leina is his princess. He will try to find her, and Pallas won’t let him go alone. Once we get to Caiplich, we will find them, or maybe we'll find them along the road. Maybe they’ll buy some horses too. They do have all the money I gave them."

  Aidan gave a quick node. "Then the next question is how do we get out of the city? This late at night, the city gates are bound to be closed. And like you said, they're going to be looking for us. Even if we wait until tomorrow, we won't get past the gates."

  Thinking, Elwin fell silent for a long time. Then he admitted, "I don't know what to do, but we can't stay here. Tomorrow their search will begin in earnest. We have to be gone by then."

  Frustrated and feeling trapped, Elwin leaned back and tried to think, but a soft sound invaded his head. It sounded too familiar. Fearing that it was the song of Earth Magic, he jerked his head up. The sound did not go away. "What is that noise!?" he demanded.

  Listening, Aidan heard a gurgling sound. "It must be the canal, one runs through the city and serves the city as a giant sewer system. The channel must run nearby this alleyway. Why?"

  Relived, Elwin sighed, happy that it was not the song of Earth Magic. "It's nothing." Then in a burst of energy, he was suddenly on his feet. "Of course! Aidan, you are a genius!"

  "Well, yes that's true, but what did I do?"

  "The canal is really a river, and it runs in one side of the city, then out the other."

  "So?"

  "We can use it to escape."

  Aghast, Aidan sat forward. "You want me to swim in that? Do you know what these city folks throw in there?!"

  Following the stone lined sewer canal, Elwin and Aidan carefully and quietly crossed the city while avoiding any more gatherings of people. That alone was difficult. The whole city seemed to be out on the streets talking and staring at the red glowing sky. No one appeared to be sleeping this night. However, at last they reached the spot where the sewer drained out under the city walls. This close to the walls and away from the city’s center the area was deserted, dark, and quiet. Slipping into the slow moving water, the two boys moved forward. Wading in the cold chest high water of the canal, Elwin and Aidan worked their way to where the water meets the city walls. Constructed into the city’s wall was a small flat arch that allowed the water to flow out of the city. The small opening was not guarded, but blocking their way was an iron gate that stretched across the canal.

  "There has to be a way to open it." Elwin tried to lift the gate. When it would not move, he became frustrated and stepped back. "It is meant to keep people out, not in."

  Hoping to find space under the gate wide enough to slip through, Elwin held his breath and dove beneath the surface of the cold water. Discovering that there was no way under it, Elwin came back to the surface, sputtering and looking like a drowned rat. Aidan pointed towards the tall wall above them to where a large platform stood out from the stone wall. "Look! There is a small building on that platform. Can you see the ropes and weights hanging out of the bottom? That must be some type of gatehouse. It is probably used to open the gate when it gets clogged up with debris."

  Elwin looked up, "Sure, but how do you plan on getting up there?"

  "By Climbing."

  "But it is a thirty-foot climb. And it is straight up! We can't climb up the wall."

  "There is a rope with a weight on it. It's probably part of the mechanism which operates the gate. If you give me a push, I should be able to reach it. If I am not spotted, I can make it up the rest of the way. And as you said this gate was not designed to keep people in."

  Elwin looked at the wall and finally saw the rope Aidan was referring too. Realizing it just might work, Elwin gave Aidan a quick nod of his head, "Okay, but be careful. The walls will be heavily patrolled."

  With a push from Elwin, Aidan grabbed hold of the rope and started up. Quickly, Aidan ascended until he came up underneath the platform. He let go of the rope and swung onto one of the platform's wooden support beams. Aidan made it look easy. Looking down at Elwin, he waved and smiled.

  Elwin did not smile back. A soldier was coming down the wall. Urgently, Elwin waved and pointed. He did not dare callout. Finally getting Aidan’s attention, Aidan also saw the soldier. Then Elwin took a deep breath and ducked under the cold water. Aidan pulled himself up under the platform, clinging from the support beam.

  The soldier was watching the glowing sky over the city. He stopped and glanced down at the canal. Aidan held his breath and prayed. For a moment, the guard did not move. But seeing that the gate was still in place, he finally moved on. Unable to hold his breath any longer, Elwin resurfaced. He looked for the guard, but he was gone.

  Aidan had already swung up to the platform. With a quick look at Elwin, he disappeared into the small building. A moment later, the weights that controlled the gate began to move and the iron barred gate started to rise.

  With the gate open, Aidan dropped back down the wall and splashed into the canal,
“We will have to leave it open. There is no way to close it from the outside."

  A few hours before dawn, Elwin and Aidan found themselves east of the city and heading into the Cluain countryside. It was not long before both sides of the dirt road they were traveling on was wooded, and only the sounds of the night could be heard. Not too far away an owl hooted, but they did not hear any sounds of pursuit.

  "We should stop," stated Elwin. "We need to get some sleep before the sun comes up."

  Aidan pointed to a tight grouping of trees. "How about over there. If we go into the woods far enough, no one will find us." Finding shelter under a big pine tree, they settled in for what remained of the night. With no supplies or food, they laid down on a makeshift bed of pine needles, both hungry and exhausted, they prepared to get what sleep they could.

  "We should have thought about food," said Elwin, laying his sword down beside him.

  "No need," answered Aidan. "We’re in a woods and I am a Wood Elf. Tomorrow, I will find us food."

  Nodding his head Elwin closed his eyes. Too tired to think of what had happened or what was going to happen he quickly fell off to sleep. However, Aidan remained awake. Lying on his bed of pine needles he listened to the sounds of the night. Somewhere to the south, a wolf howled at the moon and an owl hooted. The late rising moon could now be seen poking through the branches above. Despite everything that had happened, Aidan felt more at ease than he had in days. He was a child of nature and a Wood Elf, and as such felt at home among the trees. Aidan ran his hand through the soil, realizing just how much he missed his home in the Green, the Elf wondered when he would see it again, or even if he would ever see it again. Letting the sounds of the night soothe his nerves and worries, he to closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

  --

  Pallas woke to the distant Aonach cathedral bells chiming of the 'prime'. The bells announced that morning had arrived. Usually, it was the temple bells that rang out every morning, but that was no longer possible. So the Church of the Three Gods once more rang in the morning, as it had before the arrival the cult.