“Do not worry,” he said. “I will remain as close as I can.”
Tiari took a deep breath and tried to quiet the fear that seemed to grow with each step she took. They did not go far before a bend in the tunnel blocked the light from the entrance, plunging them into total darkness.
“Damn,” Tomas swore. “We should have brought torches with us. We must go back.”
“No, Tomas,” Tiari said. “We can’t. Remember what Jahil said, once we enter, we cannot leave without the orb. I suspect that should we try, something unpleasant would happen.”
Tomas swore again. “Why did he not warn us that we would need light?”
“Because it would not be allowed,” Tiari said, knowing it to be true. “This is meant, Tomas. We must go forward.”
“Without being able to see?” Tomas asked.
“I am used to that,” Tiari said. “Which, I believe, may be the point.”
“Yes, I see that now,” Tomas said. “Let’s continue then.”
“Please keep your hand in mine,” Tiari asked. “And try to walk quietly, if you can. I need the echo of sound to help guide me.”
“I shall do my best,” Tomas promised.
Tiari began moving forward again, reaching out with all of her senses to get a feel for their surroundings, and the way sound reflected off the rock walls. Before long, she was walking at near normal speed, much to Tomas’s surprise.
The further they walked, the warmer they got until, half an hour later, they left the tunnel and found themselves in a gigantic cavern. Tomas blinked, relieved that he could see again, if only faintly. After a moment he realized that the light was red, and coming from far below them. He looked around, noting that they were on a narrow ledge, though he couldn’t see far enough to determine how long the ledge was. He stepped to the edge and looked down, his stomach doing a sickening flip when he saw that the red light was coming from an ocean of lava a great distance below them. He looked up, but saw only the narrowing walls of the mountain as they faded into darkness high above them.
“I don’t understand,” he said. “There is nothing here, just lava below us and this small ledge. What are we supposed to do?”
“You do not see the pathway?” Tiari asked.
“What pathway?”
“There is a narrow path that begins here,” Tiari said, pointing to the empty air in front of her feet. “It twists and turns back and forth, around and up. It’s very confusing, but I think it will eventually take us to the other side.”
“I don’t see it, Tiari,” Tomas said. “I see only air beyond this ledge and molten rock below us.”
“Here,” Tiari said, pulling the bracelet off of her wrist. “Hold this.”
Tomas took the bracelet from her, then looked again. “No,” he said. “There is still nothing.”
“Without it, I no longer see the path,” Tiari said nervously. “There is no sunlight in here, so I see nothing at all now.”
Tomas handed the bracelet back to her and she slipped it back on her wrist with shaking hands. “I suppose this is the part where I must have total trust in you, Tiari mine,” Tomas said.
“The path is very narrow,” Tiari said, her voice trembling. “No wider than my shoulders. You must stay very close to me.”
“Do not worry, I will,” Tomas said. “However, I think that I shall also keep my eyes closed. Otherwise I will feel as though I am walking on thin air.”
“Yes, keep your eyes closed,” Tiari agreed. “I will go slowly, and warn you before any turns.”
“Let’s go then,” Tomas said. “I will place my hand on your shoulder. That will allow you to use your arms for balance if need be.”
“All right,” Tiari said. She took a deep breath after Tomas placed one hand lightly on her shoulder, then stepped out onto the path that only she could see. She was terrified that she would make a mistake, that Tomas would fall to the lava below them, but fear or not, she had no choice. They could not go back. Forward was the only way.
“It is all right,” Tomas said softly, sensing her fear for him. “I do trust you, Tiari. We will do this, and then we will get married and spend the rest of our lives loving each other. There is nothing to fear. Our future is set.”
Tiari took another step, focusing on the feel of Tomas behind her, and the feel of the strangely gritty stone beneath the hard leather of her riding boots. It felt real and solid beneath her feet, so she wondered why it was that Tomas couldn’t see it at all, while it appeared as a glowing pathway of light to her otherwise blind eyes. She gave herself a mental shake. She needed a distraction.
“How many children do you want to have?” she asked abruptly.
“I did not know that we got to choose,” Tomas said with humor in his voice. He felt Tiari’s shoulders move slightly as she took another step and followed her lead.
“We can choose to have none,” Tiari said archly.
“Only if we never join together as one,” Tomas said. “I promise you, Tiari mine, that will not be the case.”
“Then how many children would you like to have?” she asked again.
“A daughter with your heart, and your laughter is an absolute necessity,” he said, taking another step. “If we must have twenty boys first, it does not matter, so long as we eventually are blessed with a daughter.”
“What if she has eyes like mine?” Tiari asked, and Tomas knew that was what she most wanted to know.
“Then she will also be as beautiful as you,” he said.
“You would not mind?”
“Of course not,” Tomas said. “How could I? There is not a single thing about you that I would change, Tiari. To have a daughter exactly like you would be a joy almost too great to bear.”
“I am not so sure about the idea of twenty boys,” Tiari said, pausing for a moment as she considered the path before her. “Twenty little copies of you running around might be a bit much, even for me.”
“You are probably correct,” Tomas said. “Why have we stopped?”
“The path forks,” Tiari said. “I am trying to decide which direction to take.”
“Right,” Tomas said at once. “Turn right at every fork.”
“How do you know?” Tiari asked, though she didn’t hesitate to follow his advice and immediately turned right.
“There are many stories and songs about the Orb Quest,” Tomas said. “Most of us are raised on them. When you mentioned a fork, I remembered a line in a song my mother used to sing when I was very small. It says;
Remain on the path over burning light,
follow the hand that leads to the right.
“When we have children, it will be up to you to teach them these things I’m afraid,” Tiari said after a moment. “I recall my mother telling me stories and singing to me, but I don’t remember what the songs or stories were about.”
“I will teach you,” Tomas said. “Then, we will teach our children together.”
“There is another fork ahead,” Tiari said. “Do we continue to turn right?”
“According to the song, yes,” Tomas said. “I can’t promise it’s correct.”
“I trust you, Tomas,” she said. She turned right again.
***
“Do you have any idea how long it will take for them to claim the orb and return?” Zakiel asked Jahil.
“No, Highness, I’m afraid not,” Jahil replied. “I know only that we are to guard the entrance for a full day and night after they enter, or until they return.”
“Guard against what?” Zakiel asked. “The mountain is invisible.”
“From the moment they entered the Cavern, the spell of invisibility was broken,” Jahil said. “The mountain is now as clear to see as it once was. Not only that, but the wall is gone as well.”
“Damn,” Karma said, her tone causing Zakiel to spin toward her, his eyes searching for danger.
“What is it?”
“Harpies,” Karma said. “A lot of them. And kadjet. Without Tiari to tell
us where their hearts are, this could get ugly.”
Zakiel followed Karma’s gaze and felt a chill roll down his spine that had nothing to do with the snow surrounding them. In the distance, flying straight toward them, were a host of forest harpies and, unbelievably, seven, no, make that eight kadjet. Never had so many attacked at once before.
“You are familiar with these creatures?” Jahil asked, his smiling joviality gone.
“The large segmented ones can be killed only by destroying the section that contains their heart first, which varies in each of them,” Zakiel explained. “Otherwise, they will multiply. The others may be killed however you wish.”
He turned to see that Kapia had already removed her overskirt in preparation for the coming battle. She stood holding her staff before her, feet in an attack stance, eyes on the sky, body relaxed, her long dark hair ruffling slightly in the breeze as she awaited the coming battle. He wanted to tell his little sister to seek shelter, but the young woman before him was no child. She was every inch the warrior, possessing both great skill with her chosen weapon, and the determination to do what needed to be done.
He turned to Karma on his other side, and felt his heart clench painfully in his chest as she, too, prepared to do battle. If anything happened to her, or their child...No! he admonished himself. He would not think of such things. The quickest road to defeat was to believe in it.
He deliberately called forth his Tigren. As the curved, hooked claws sprang from his fingers, he threw back his head and roared a challenge to the sky.
Jahil watched in surprise, then laughed heartily. “Such sweet music, mighty Vatra!” he shouted. “We cannot but accept your invitation to join the Dance of Tooth and Claw.” Jahil and the rest of the Argiari threw back their heads as Zakiel had done, and roared so loudly that the very mountain seemed to shake beneath their feet.
Then the first of the harpies reached them, and the battle began.
***
“I need to rest for a moment,” Tiari said.
“Do you want to sit down?” Tomas asked, keeping his eyes firmly closed. He had peeked a couple of times already during their trek across the Cavern, and that had been more than enough for him. He saw nothing beneath his feet but air, and below that, the bubbling lava. The first time had merely scared him. The second time he’d become dizzy and had needed to ask Tiari to stop for a few moments until it passed.
“No, I just need to stand here for a moment,” Tiari replied. “I think we are almost there.”
“Almost where?” Tomas asked.
“Almost to the far side,” Tiari said. “It’s hard to tell because of all the turnings, but we’re close.”
“Do you see anything over there?”
“No, but I can’t actually see anything at all except for this glowing path,” Tiari reminded him. “Once we reach the other side, we will need to rely on your eyesight.”
“I suppose this is why Jahil said we must trust one another,” Tomas said.
“I’m glad that is not a problem,” Tiari said. “All right, I’m ready to go on now.”
“You sure?” Tomas asked. “We don’t have a time limit as far as I know, so take what rest you need.”
“No, I’m fine now,” Tiari said. “I just needed a moment to take a deep breath.”
“All right, but if you need to stop again, don’t hesitate,” Tomas said.
“Thank you, Tomas,” Tiari said. She looked around at the confusing maze of twisting turning pathways and took a step, feeling Tomas move with her.
“Tomas, when we are married, where will we live?”
“We can live wherever you like,” Tomas said. “I would prefer to stay in Isiben, but if you don’t like it there, we can go elsewhere.”
“What is Isiben like?”
“That might take a while,” Tomas said.
“I think we have time,” Tiari replied with a grin.
“”Yes, I suppose we do,” he agreed with a chuckle. “Well, Isiben is a large country, but most of it is desert. There is a river that runs through it that we call Ank-Teru, the river of life. There’s a wide place in the river that holds an island we call Ka-Teru, the soul of the river. That is where the palace is situated, and where the king and the royal family live. Ausar, the people’s city, is on the far bank of the river. On either shore for miles up and down are farms. Farms must be situated next to the river of course, otherwise there is no water for the crops or the herds.”
“That makes sense,” Tiari said. “That’s why you call it the river of life, isn’t it?”
“Exactly,” Tomas replied. “My mother was King Rhobar’s younger sister. She inherited an estate on Ka-Teru from their parents, near the palace. My father was also from a prominent family, the House of Lorin. He inherited a small estate on Ka-Teru, as well as a farm along the river. When they died both estates, and the farm, came to me, their only child. As I had no desire to become a farmer, I gave my father’s estate back to his family, where I believe it belongs.”
“That was very thoughtful of you,” Tiari said.
Tomas shrugged, embarrassed by the praise. “My father’s family struggled for many generations for their wealth, and the right to own land on Ka-Teru. Why should they have lost everything to a small boy who had no need of it, nor any interest in it? Giving it back to them was simply the right thing to do.”
Tiari smiled, proud of the man who would soon be her husband. He was so much more honorable than he realized.
“I still own the estate left to me by my mother,” Tomas continued, “but I have not lived there since their deaths. I also have rooms in the palace given to me by my Uncle, King Rhobar, but I have not used them more than a few times in recent years. As a Knight, I have a room in the Hunter’s compound near the palace, and that is where I generally stay when I am in Ka-Teru.
“So we will live there? With other Hunters?” Tiari asked.
“No, that is not a place for women,” Tomas replied. “We can either live in the estate my mother left to me on Ka-Teru, or we can live in the palace. I am certain King Rhobar will welcome you with open arms. Or, if you prefer, we can live in the city of Ausar instead of Ka-Teru. I inherited the means to purchase whatever you would most like to have.”
“Would you want to live in the house your parents lived in?” Tiari asked.
Tomas took a few moments to search his feelings before answering. “I have not stepped foot on that property since the day my parents passed to the beyond,” he said. “Now I find that I want very much to go back there, with you, Tiari-mena. I want us to make it our home, and raise a family there. If that is all right with you, of course. If you don’t like it, we can live elsewhere. “
“I cannot imagine why I would not love it,” Tiari said. “After all, in comparison to where I grew up, I am sure it is quite wonderful. Will you tell me about it?”
“I can tell you what I remember,” Tomas said. “I have not been there since I was a boy of ten.”
“That’s fine,” Tiari said. “Any errors you make I will be sure to hold against you later.”
Tomas laughed, then cast back, seeking childhood memories that he had for years avoided. “It is a large house,” he said, “three levels high. All of the main rooms overlook the river.”
As Tomas spoke, Tiari tried to picture the house he described while being careful to watch where she was leading them at the same time. She wondered what it would be like to live in such a place with Tomas and their children. It was, she soon realized, beyond even her imagination, but she very much wanted to live through this trial so that she could experience it.
***
Karma focused on the smallest of the kadjet approaching them, which was only two segments long. She widened the Ti-Ank’s beam, and waited for it to come just a bit closer. She needed to take the entire thing out at once or it would simply multiply, and the closer it was, the easier it would be to fully engulf the thing in a single beam. She heard a flapping sound from behind her and tense
d, knowing she would lose the kadjet when she turned to face the new threat.
“I got it,” Nikura said, flashing past her in a silvery blur.
She heard an odd ripping sound, then a gurgle and thump. “These things are disgusting,” Nikura said even as she heard him leap into the air for yet another one. “It takes forever to cleanse the bitterness from the palate.”
Karma laughed softly, but refrained from pointing out that this was yet another argument in favor of opposable thumbs. He was, after all, guarding her back.
“And I know how you dislike getting blood on your fur,” she said instead.
“True enough,” Nikura replied. “Sometimes, though, the pleasure of the hunt exceeds such concerns.”
“That’s good to know,” Karma said, watching Nikura from the corner of her eye as he leapt twenty feet straight up into the air and literally yanked an unsuspecting harpy from the sky. She shook her head in amazement and left him to it.
Zakiel roared as he battled several harpies a few yards to her right just as the kadjet grew close enough for her to engulf. She let loose a wide beam of energy and the kadjet vanished in a satisfying flash of white light. She immediately looked for a new target, pausing when she heard a shout from Kapia. She turned to check on her student, then nodded in approval at Kapia’s fierce grimace as she stood over the still body of a harpy, her staff held ready to take on a new opponent.
Karma returned her gaze to the sky and selected another kadjet. This one had three segments, and she worried about her ability to take it out in one shot, but she had to try. Just then three separate lines of flame shot skyward, enveloping the individual segments of the kadjet at the same moment. She looked around, shocked to see three Argiari standing side by side, bright gouts of flame pouring from their wide open mouths. She grinned, then turned to see if their method worked. By the time she looked back, there was nothing of the kadjet but ash. Suddenly feeling as though they might have a chance to win this battle, she searched for another target.
She chose another three segment kadjet and focused on it. She poured more energy into the Ti-Ank, which drew more power from the sun. She felt the familiar spike of pain in her head and ignored it as she built the power higher and higher. Just as she released the broad beam of deadly light, something slammed into her back. She saw her target flash out of existence as she fell forward, tightening her grip on the Ti-Ank and pulling it close to her chest, her only thought to protect it at all costs. She never saw the rock that her forehead smashed into, sending her straight into oblivion.
Quest for the Sun Orb Page 32
