Earth Magic

by Kenneth Price

  "You will return," stated Lord Rodan with more confidence then he felt. "I know you will."

  "I will take care of her," added Kayno. Leina chose not to respond.

  Elwin gave Kayno a long look trying to remember why he was so familiar and why his voicing his support to Leina did not surprise him and why he found it very reassuring.

  Colin dropped his head, "A knight should protect his prince. It is wrong for me to allow this."

  Elwin placed a hand on his shoulder. "My friend, you cannot stop it." Colin nodded weakly and said nothing more.

  Pallas shifted from one foot to the other. He looked sadder than Elwin had ever seen him. "This is not the adventure I wanted." He said after a long moment. “I thought it would be grand and exciting. I wish now we had stayed home.”

  Elwin responded with a warm smile. “Don’t give up yet, it still may turn out okay. I will be back.” Not very likely, I will see to it that. This all ends here.

  Leina looked up at her brother. Her eyes turned soft. Then acting very unlike a Guardian, Leina wrapped her thin pale arms around his neck and pulled him close, "Remember," she whispered in his ear, "you promise to return." Silvery tears raced down her check. "You promise."

  Gently pulling away, Elwin stepped back from her. "I will try."

  "No!" she said sternly. "You will not try! You will do it and you will come back!" There was a sternness to her voice that Elwin knew was covering her fear.

  Finding no words to say, Elwin looked at Leina and tried to smile. He tried to look braver then he felt, knowing that he was shaking from the knees down. Then Elwin took a long deep breath, saying his final good-byes to his friends he pulled Leina close one last time. Finding it hard to let go, Elwin finally stepped back. His legs felt weak and he felt sick to his stomach. Yet he knew what he had to do. Taking another deep breath, he squared his shoulders, and turned away. He did not want them to see him crying or the fear in his eyes.

  Crossing back across the room, Elwin stopped just before the door. Then in a sudden and unexpected burst of speed, he grabbed the sword. He pulled the Saran na Grand out and free of the floor and keyhole. The door started to grind close.

  "No!!" Someone behind him shouted. Elwin, knowing they were already too late, never turned his head, leaped forward, darting through the closing doors.

  "Elwin!" screamed Leina, "You'll be trapped!"

  "I know," he answered, turning so that he could see her one last time. "But you will be safe."

  In a panic, the Guardians rushed forward. However, there was no way they would reach the door in time. Elwin clutched his sword to his chest, never once looking at the hysteric guardians. Instead, he stood there starring into Leina's eyes. "I am sorry," was the last thing he said as the great doors closed with a bang of finality.

  Suddenly the shouting was silenced. Elwin stood alone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The small campfire crackled as its flames devoured the dry wood, while around the dancing flames, a small island of light spread out, and then faded away into the deep darkness of the thickly scented forest. Beyond the comfort of the fire, the sounds of the night were soft whispers that drifted upon a cold mountain breeze, an owl hooted, the call of a distant lone wolf, the mountains could be a lonely place, and so it was for Ruan. Despite being surrounded by his closest followers, friends, and family, the Strigiol lord felt alone. Squatting near the warmth of the small fire, trying to fend off the chill of the night air, Ruan felt the weight of responsibility much like he could feel the gray woolen blanket that was draped over his shoulders. On the far side of the fire lay a strange figure with dark hair and dark skin, curled into his own blanket, the Yorn was unaware that Ruan was watching him, wondering about him.

  A Dark Elf, a Yorn! Ruan breathed to himself in disbelief. A creature of myths and nightmares lay sleeping no more than twenty feet away from the moody lord. How did this come to be? How is it that I am trusting my life and the life of my friends and family to a legend that has stepped out of the darkness of this land? Yet, Ruan had to admit the Yorn had saved his queen’s life. Only hours ago, the Dark Elf had risked his own life by attacking the Mountain Troll, a troll that had nearly killed Catriono. That was something Ruan could not nor would not forget. He owed this strange creature.

  Ruan wrapped his blanket closer about his tired shoulders. Should I trust him? Tomorrow will tell. I hope I do not regret it.

  For Ruan, the morning came early, unable to sleep he rose early to think and brood over his situation, he was staking their lives on a dream; a dream and a legendary Elf. Those two things were all that he had to lead him forward. Yet, the dream was now so etched into his mind it no longer felt like a dream. So real were his dreams, Ruan was hardly surprised when the Dark Elf, known as a Yorn, had led them to the banks of the mountain lake of Ruan’s dreams. Through a thin misty morning air, Ruan looked upon the small green lake, a waterfall cascading down a stone and mossy covered cliff face left no doubt, this was the place of his dreams, the place where his unborn daughter had led him. Above the lake and waterfall was a sturdy, yet ancient looking stone bridge. With the misty morning combined with the soft murmur of the flowing water, this could have been a beautiful and sublime moment. Yet for Ruan, standing before the lake, it was a moment that was both surreal and disturbing. Ruan had been here before. This is the lake my dead daughter had shown me. I must be mad?

  The Dark Elf, also rising early, stood beside Ruan. “Is this what you sought, my lord? Is this your lake?”

  Ruan nodded his head. “Yes, Zann, this is the place.” The Dark Elf’s full name was Zann Ka Mar.

  Zann frowned, “This is a place of great mystery. It is said this lake is a gateway to the world beyond, to the world of the dead. The ancient kings of the Yorn are buried near here. Beyond that bridge to the east, the road leads to a long boxed canyon. The Canyon is honeycombed with the tombs of our ancient kings. We once used this place to worship our ancestors, but few come nowadays. That bridge and road, however, will lead us nowhere other than the Canyon of Tombs. It is said that this road is older than the mountains themselves. The Yorns have a legend, that as the mountains grew they created this valley and cut the ancient road in half. The road is said to be older than the mountains themselves and now only leads to our ancient tombs. It is now only a place of the dead. The road is no longer of any use to the living. It will not take us past the mountain and to my people. We should turn back.”

  Ruan only smiled a sad and distant smile, then once everything was made ready, he took the lead. Taking the narrow path that rose from the lake's quiet banks and still waters, Ruan lead his weary group of travelers across the bridge. He hesitated a moment to look down upon the lake one last time, smiled sadly and left the lake and waterfall behind.

  From his dream, Ruan now knew where he was going. He knew that the path did not end in a boxed canyon. “Let’s hurry. I fear the trolls and hobgoblins are not too far off. Let’s not let them find us.”

  It did not take long to find the Canyon of the Dead. Like the mountains, it was a quiet and lonely place, and the party walked in respectful silence. In that silence, Ruan wondered why he had not seen these tombs in his dream. Maybe I can't entirely trust the strange dream world, or maybe it shows me only what I need to know. All through the canyon, nothing moved. Even the mountain breeze had fallen silent. Along the cliffs of the canyon, large tomb openings seemed to stare out at them as they passed, haunted places of a lost time. Ruan had never before stood here in this lonely canyon, and despite missing the tombs within the dream that was not a dream, he knew this place. Ruan knew where to find the hidden stairs; stairs that were cut into the cliff face; stairs that would lead them to a hidden cave which cut beneath the mountain, to a valley beyond. Right where he knew they would be, he found the steeply ascending staircase. The staircase was exactly as his daughter had shown him in the dream and soon they were all climbing towards the top of the cliff. It was not a difficult climb, but it was slow goi
ng up the ancient and worn stair and one had to watch one's steps. Once he led the way to the top of the stairs and passed through the cave, Ruan found what he knew he would. Below in a lush green valley was a city ablaze with bright and colorful flags. All around the amazing city were farm fields which added to a sense of an orderly world on the very edge of these dangerous mountains. Charming cottages dotted the landscape. If Ruan did not know better, he would have sworn he was back home. It looked like a Kambryan city, though more colorful, and the surrounding countryside could have been a Kambrya landscape. However, this was the far side of the mountains. Beyond the farms, cottages, and city, was a woods and forest that stretched out beyond the horizon. Ruan had never seen a forest so vast. It appeared to have no end. He was looking over the great White forest of the north. They had at last crossed the mountain range.

  "That is my home," stated the Yorn, pointing proudly out over the valley that spread before them. "You are the Pathfinder, you have come to save us!"

  Ruan did not have to ask from whom the Dark Elves needed saving from. To the South of the city was a towering wall that stretched across the narrow section of a mountain pass. It was a defensive wall designed to keep out the creatures who lived within the mountains from entering the valley. Scattered beyond and south of the wall was a vast army of Trolls and Hobgoblins. The city was blocked from all access to the mountain pass. The army was like a black smudge against the white limestone cliffs of the mountain pass. Campfire smoke filled the air that seemed heavy with war.

  Ruan turned to his one-eyed captain. "We'll stay here until dark, then we will enter the city. It does not appear that the Troll army is aware of our secret mountain cave, and it is probably best they don’t see us coming out of the mountains.”

  Zann frowned. “Even us Elves did not know of this back door. If the mountain creatures had known of this path that bypasses our defensives, our homes, farms, and lives would already be lost. We cannot flee into the White Forest. That is a place even worse than the mountains."

  Ruan nodded, even though he was not sure what dangers lurked in the massive forest. The city itself seemed much more concerned with the mountain pass than the woods. After all, they had built a wall across the mouth of the pass, yet there were no defenses between the city and the not too distant forest edge.

  In a strange manner, the Dark Elf cocked his head to one side as he looked at Ruan. “We did not know of the cave above ancient tombs, or we would have left this land. I think, our time here is done. You have come to save my people, to take us home. You are the Rathad.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Holding up his torch, Elwin squinted into the darkness. Slanting downwards, ever deeper into the earth, the cave disappeared into a sea of blackness. The torch proved to be a poor light source and gave him little comfort, yet that was better than no light at all and just the thought of being down here in total darkness made him shiver. The air in the cave was cold, and the silence was profound, and he was so very much alone and trapped in this underworld.

  Elwin turned back to the Sun Door. Form this side; the door looked like any other part of the cave; gray and cold. The name, Sun Door, seemed ironic with all the darkness that surrounded it. Elwin rested a hand on its cold surface, knowing that just on the other side were his friends and sister, yet they might as well have been thousands of miles away. Using the torch, he searched the door, floor, and walls. Nothing. Not even a crack, he noted with despair. There was no way to reopen the door. Turning, he leaned back against the cold stone. Well, there is nowhere to go, but forward, he told himself, trying not to be scared and having little success. His legs felt like led and his heart raced. The cave before him was as a quiet as a tomb. My tomb. Fool! You've locked yourself inside of a cave. At least Leina will never be able to follow me. No one will ever walk through this door again. He gripped his sword tightly. I have the only key, but the lock is on the far side of this door. He pushed himself off the stone wall. Well I can at least see if there is another way out. If I can find this Hall of Fire, maybe I can find a back door. Elwin took a step into the dark. It was hard to leave the door behind, but it was closed now, and there was no way to open it from this side. He had to go forward.

  In one hand, Elwin clutched onto the torch and in the other, his sword as the cave led him deeper and deeper. Turning to the left, then to the right, the cave curved and twisted. There were no side passages, leaving no choice but to go down. What will I do when the torch goes out!? No! Stop thinking about that. Maybe I will find something, a lamp or something else. Maybe. It seemed unlikely. There has to be more than just this cave. Well I guess I will see, and there is nothing to do now other than to keep moving. Around the next corner, the cave started to narrow. Twice he was forced to duck under low hanging outcrops as both the walls and ceiling started squeezing inwards. As Elwin went further, he had to squeeze past stalagmites that rose from the cave's floor and stood blocking his way. Never had Elwin felt so alone or lost.

  Time slipped past, and the cave went on. Then just as he thought the cave would never change …

  He came to a stop, not quit believing his eyes.

  "Stairs," he breathed. A set of spiral stairs carved out of stone stretched upwards into a hole in the ceiling. Elwin looked up and saw that the stairs quickly disappeared into the darkness above. But they go UP!

  Elwin started to climb, however, the stairs did not go up as far as he had hoped they would. Holding the torch high, and after a short climb, he peered into yet another dark passageway. This time, the passageway was different. It was no longer a cave but was now a man-made hallway with smooth walls painted in a now faded blue. Elwin hurried forward. The hallway neither descended nor rose, running straight and level before him. At the end of the hallway was a large white marble archway. Beyond the arch, the walls suddenly fell away. If there was a far wall, it was too far to see in the dark. He strained his eyes. Still, he could only see a void before him. Passing through the arch, Elwin went forward and into the black void. The floor itself was covered in thick dust. Beneath the dust was a black and white tiled floor. The air smelled old and musty. Elwin found himself in a strange dark world without walls as he moved deeper into the room. He squinted into the darkness, but could see nothing. He shivered, and kept moving in what he hoped was a straight line. Cautiously creeping forward, something started to emerge out of the darkness. Just within the torch light was a shadowy white image.

  "A pillar." He said out loud as he came closer and passed the white marble pillar that stretched upward into the dark. Soon he found another white marble pillar and then yet another. I am in some type of hall. "The ceiling must be pretty far up." He looked up, holding the torch as high as he could, but he could see nothing of a ceiling. Again, he went forward finding yet another white pillar. This must be the large hall father found. He stepped past the pillar. "If I could just see a little better, I wish I had more light." Something beneath his foot clicked. And if in answer to his needs, a light flashed, and the darkness suddenly vanished. Stunned, Elwin blinked and quickly covered his eyes. All around him torches suddenly burst into life.

  As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, he looked up. Gasping, he saw that he was indeed in a huge hall supported by tall pillars that stretched some fifty feet towards a domed covered ceiling. The room was immense, but that was not what had taken his breath away. At the far end of the room was a giant throne. The Dais of the Sun. “That's the High Throne of Kambrya," he realized. The High Kings throne. But how did it get here? The throne was thought to have been lost in an earth quake centuries ago. Yet here it stood before him, beckoning him from the past.

  Crusted in gems and valuable stones, the white marble throne stood on a round pedestal of green marble. Stairs dropped away from the throne on all four sides.

  A dozen feet before the throne, Elwin saw something at his feet, something blue was showing through the thick layer of dust. Crouching, he brushed away the centuries of dust. Beneath that, he found a mosaic
of a blue sun with red flames. Within the sun was a small heart shaped tile with a small depression in its center. Encircling the sun were red and blue symbols and signs. To one side of the sun was an inscription carved into the floor. It was written in an ancient form of Kambrya dialect. An ancient dialect his father had forced him to learn. You knew I would come here, that I would have to come. You made sure when the time came, I would be ready in the way you were not. Thank you, father. He now understood why his father had forced him to learn a nearly dead and forgotten language. Elwin was one of only a handful of scholars who could still read the ancient text. Silently he read.

  "I, King Coinneach, High King of Kambrya, leave this world with my hand upon a heavy heart. I give my life. For I am too weak to do what is needed. In the Hall of Fire, he will come. From my blood, he will be again. The Chosen One must find the Hall of Fire. In the Hall of Fire, it will start. May the Chosen One have the courage I lacked."

  Seating back on his heels, Elwin gave a soft whistle. "King Coinneach! A coward?” What could he have been scared of? He was the greatest king there ever was.

  He looked up, gazing across the hall. If this is not the Hall of Fire where is it? He could see no doors, except for the one he had come through. Unsure what he should do next, coming back to his feet, he approached the Dais of the Sun. Almost reverently, Elwin started up the marble steps to the throne of his ancestors. From this seat the High Kings had ruled, and the last of the High Kings had been Coinneach. From this High Throne, the heroes of the past had defended the lands against the Severed Head and the Dark Overlord. Elwin felt small and insignificant against such a history. Sadly, he also realized, that in all those years since the time of the High Kings, little had changed. The land was still fighting against the black cult of the Severed Head and the Dark One threatened to destroy the world once again. Only now there are no more heroes or High Kings, and the darkness was winning.