"Ahaaaa," screamed De-Stik after them. "Oh, I am the same as before," he smiled and fixed his hair in the mirror, "except that my hair has grown some more," and a frown crawled on his face.
"Relax," said Achtisanor, appearing in the mirror in front of them, looking like a burly gnome, "these mirrors distort your image. You have not changed at all."
"A pity," said De-Stik, "I think I could have gotten used to it all. For ages, I have been bald."
"Where are we?" Krunch looked in the mirror paved corridor.
"It…looks like… the way in," Logan hesitated, "nevertheless… shouldn't there be stairs leading down from turret?"
The four companions walked along the corridor that meandered until a second corridor intersected with it. From each side, they could see a never-ending series of intersections crossing one another. Vertigo of mirrors surrounded them from all directions.
"Damn it…" Krunch said.
"Don't be upset, this is the maze," said Achtisanor.
"A maze?" asked Logan.
"A maze," murmured De-Stik and almost cried, "why am I not amazed?"
"How can we exit it?" Krunch asked worriedly.
"Where we are not seen," said Logan.
"What?" asked Achtisanor.
"At the entrance to the mirror was a plaque with letters green – entering is permitted only where you are not seen," recited De-Stik.
"And how by the name of the gods can we find a mirror that we are not seen?" murmured Krunch. "There are at least a thousand mirrors here. I knew we should not have entered it."
"Well," said De-Stik, "the first rule is a maze that requires much concentration: everyone together, no separation."
"De-Stik is right," said Achtisanor, "we stay together."
The four companions ran in the mirrors corridors, slamming into hundred of confusing mirrors. Here and there, they yelped when they encountered frightening or funny reflections. But as time went by, they grew desperate. They have never encountered a mirror that they were not seen in. Their feet grew tired and their heart hammered wildly in their chests.
"We will never get out of here," screamed Krunch in hysteria and fell on the maze's floor.
"This is impossible," said Logan in desperation.
"Okay," panted Achtisanor, "we'll stop and think."
"And will it solve this one?" asked De-Stik the other three. "We'll sit here until we're dead and gone?"
"I don't think that the builder of this maze intended for people to die in it," shot Achtisanor back, "don't forget we did not see even one corpse or skeleton in it."
"That's right," said Krunch, "because everyone that passed here was a guard of the castle and he probably had maps and knew the rules by heart."
"No, it does not make any sense," interrupted Logan. "Achtisanor is right, the maze is endless. Even with a map, it would be impossible to pass it. There must be another way."
"How can we not be seen in a mirror?" wondered Achtisanor.
"Become vampires," taunted Krunch.
"For that we need a vampire," Logan taunted back.
"So why don't you become a vampire?!" Krunch was angry. "You have surprised us before."
Logan's face fell. She sat on the floor.
"There was no call for this, Krunch," Achtisanor admonished him. "Everyone is already stressed out. This is the way of mazes. Relax and apologize at once."
The four of them were silent. Krunch moved away with a frown on his face.
"Let us be silent for a moment and focus on the riddle," suggested De-Stik. "We will get out of here, there is no need to get angry or belittle."
De-Stik stood in his place. He closed his eyes and concentrated on finding the solution.
"De-Stik?!" wondered Achtisanor as he looked at his troubadour friend and then at his reflection.
"I said I need quiet and concentration," said De-Stik, "otherwise, how would I reach a solution?" He continued to close his eyes and this time he put his hands on his ears.
"But… you have found the solution," Achtisanor smiled.
"What?" wondered Krunch.
"Look at the mirror," said Achtisanor.
At the mirror in front of them were the reflections of three figures, but De-Stik’s image was gone.
"How in the dark abyss…" Krunch leaped, "De-Stik, open your eyes," and he pulled his belt.
De-Stik opened his eyes in alarm and his image reappeared in the mirror in front of them.
Logan sat in her place and smiled.
"You are a genius, De-Stik," Krunch leaped in excitement. "Look, you only need to close your eyes."
Krunch closed his eyes and showed De-Stik how his figure disappeared.
"Let's get out of here," said Achtisanor.
"Logan," Krunch reached his arm to her in apology, "I am truly sorry."
Logan nodded in forgiveness, reached her hand and rose to her feet.
The four companions closed their eyes and stepped into the mirror. On the other side of the mirror was a flight of stairs leading down into the castle proper.
Chapter 24 - Between the Bars
The stairs led them to the place they hoped they would lead – straight into the castle’s main hall.
"Friends, remember," said Achtisanor. "The castle contains creatures of all kinds: magical creatures like the eagles, whose function is to defend horn and we cannot kill them; Klaxes's forces, which landed in the city earlier on, and we must face and kill them; and creatures that we did not foresee – sea creatures that took the castle as their home. Be careful!"
The castle gates to the left were broken and a flight of stairs led to the hall. Dozens of Shark-men, sea lions, and trigons littered the floor next to it.
It seems that the hall itself was fancy in days of old. A huge and broken chandelier hung over the floor. Statues remains stood against the walls. These were probably the statues of the consuls who governed the city in the past. At the centre of the hall was a large and round fountain. Next to it was a crystal statue of a man pointing forward – to the castle gates. From the other side, they noticed an open door, whose flight of stairs lead to the other turret's top. They could hear swords clashing and battle shouts from the top floors.
"And once again, we arrive after everyone has left," said Krunch in disappointment.
"That's strange," said De-Stik, looking at the crystal statue, "this statue is not like the rest. All the other statues are broken, and this one at its best."
De-Stik touched the gleaming crystal. When he touched it with his finger, the hand moved downwards and pointed to the floor. Before they could leap aside, the floor opened and they fell into a slide leading them down into a grey tunnel. Their shouts were swallowed, and their bangings still hurt when they arrived at the bottom. For a long minute, all they could hear were Krunch's coughs and his friends’ groans of pain.
"Is everyone okay?" Achtisanor said.
"I am tired of the place," Krunch whined.
"Logan? De-Stik?" Achtisanor stood on his feet and cautiously reached his arms.
"I am here, I am okay," said Logan from behind, "but… I don't see a thing."
"Errr…" De-Stik’s moan was heard clearly, "remind me to break that statue's each and every finger, surprises like these don't make my happiness linger."
"Krunch," called Achtisanor, "can you light this place?"
"Begone the shadow of the night," Krunch said. "Come forth, the blessed light!"
A wan light appeared around Krunch's small hands as if trying to burst out of them, but it faded until it completely disappeared.
"It's not working," said Krunch.
"Magical darkness," said Achtisanor, "that also explains why Logan cannot penetrate it."
"Stay close to one another, and search around," said De-Stik. "Beware of what we found. Dungeons are my least favourite place. Search for a window, mind your pace."
The four companions started walking slowly until they reached a cold cement wall.
"Be careful," said Logan.
&nb
sp; The four continued along the room's walls, their hands examining every crevice and blemish on the walls.
"Wait," called De-Stik suddenly, "there is something here, but there's a twist. My hand passes through this wall as if it does not exist."
De-Stik felt with his hands and discovered a rectangular opening above his head.
"Lift me and I'll check it out," said Krunch.
De-Stik lifted Krunch into the dark opening, and the lutin crawled inside. After two steps, they heard his yelp and a muffled crash sound.
"Krunch, are you okay?!" called Logan.
"Everything is fine. No pains at all," Krunch’s miserable voice sounded as if he tried to convince himself of that fact.
"Where are you?" asked Logan.
"Ah… there is another room in here. Lighted," said Krunch.
Achtisanor and Logan used De-Stik and climbed into the opening. De-Stik entered it after them. After a short while, the four of them stood in a pretty large room. The walls and floor were made of old wood, and a closed door stood at the other side of the room. When they approached the door, Logan listened to the other side. At the same moment, the door banged open and Logan was thrown to the other side of the room. A familiar figure stood in front of the drawn weapons of Achtisanor and De-Stik – a large and ugly bear-man.
"Ah…Ah…Oops," murmured the bear-man, and started to flee to the corridor, which he just left.
"Smord," said Achtisanor angrily.
"Logan, are you okay?" asked Krunch.
"Yes," Logan shrugged off the shock and stood on her feet.
"Come on, let's go after him," called Achtisanor and the party chased the bear-man.
The corridor was narrow and led to a large hall. At the centre of the hall, a small dagger gleamed. Smord was not around. The four cautiously approached and entered the hall.
Logan picked up the dagger and suddenly creaks were heard all around them. Heavy wooden bars fell and closed each of the hall entrances.
"We are locked," called Logan. The four leaped and tried to run to the opening, which was already closed.
"Ha, ha, ha… stupid, very stupid," a hoarse laughter sounded from behind the bars, "Achtisanor and Tigertief are prisoners of Smord," yelled the bear-man. "Ha, ha, ha…" his laughter faded.
The four companions stood in front of the thick bars.
"Now how do we exit this hall?" asked Krunch.
They looked around and examined every floor and ceiling tiles.
"If I had a folded battering ram in my overall, opening the bars would not be a problem at all," joked De-Stik.
"We can try to burn them," said Logan.
"It would take hours. The wood is too thick. We have to find another way," said Achtisanor.
"We'll eat the tree," said Krunch gladly and pulled the little rod from his belt.
"What?" said Logan.
"Gather termites of the swarm, eat the wood – it's quite warm," Krunch waved his rod toward the bars.
Hundreds of little, white insects gathered from every corner of the room and climbed on the thick wooden bars. An echoing munching sound was heard incessantly and large holes appeared in the bars. After a few minutes, and much sawdust, the four were able to pass through the bars, and the termites moved toward the next bars.
They reached the corridor. It was longer than the previous ones, turned to the left and continued to another room, whose door was broken and laid on the floor. Torches lit the room and cries were heard from inside. Achtisanor held their weapons, and Logan held the sword hilt.
De-Stik peeked cautiously into the room. When he saw what happening inside, he quickly ran into it, followed by his three friends.
Chaos rules the room. A body of a lizard-man, a humanoid with a lizard head, thick and greenish skin and a large tail, laid on the floor near two of the Gods' Spirit members. A blood trail led from the centre of the room to the nearest corner. On the wall leaned once cleric that was critically wounded. A young priestess leaned towards him, weeping, and pressed on the wound.
Krunch did not hesitate. He immediately opened his pack and pulled out a small vial.
"What happened here?" asked Achtisanor and approached the two clerics.
The priestess turned toward them and they could see scratches on her face.
"In the name of the gods, they killed Karmus and Arafus," she cried. "And Orasin is mortally wounded. I do not have enough power to heal him. In the name of the gods, I cannot stop the bleeding. They slaughtered us. We thought they were magical creatures and did not know what to do. Until Karmus was killed and was sent to the gods. Only then we discovered that they were evil creatures. We must get Orasin away from here. Please, help me," her cry echoed in the room.
"Drink it," Krunch gave the vial to the wounded priest, who shook in pain.
Logan ran towards one of the killed priests and tore a piece of cloth from their cloaks. Then she approached the wounded priest and tended his wounds.
"What is your name," she asked the priestess.
"Lusanta," the priestess answered weakly.
Achtisanor laid his hands on the dead priest brow and closed his eyes.
"From where did you enter, Lusanta?" asked Logan.
Lusanta stood on her feet. A shiver took her, and a frown crawled on her face.
"Lusanta," Logan tried to reach her.
"The… stairs," the priestess pointed to the opening to their left, "they lead to the main hall."
"Listen well, Lusanta," Achtisanor rose and held her shoulders. "We have managed to relieve some of the pain of your friend Orasin, but he lost a lot of blood. You must take him out of here and hurry to the camp. You probably find healers there. Can you do this?"
The priestess looked with tearful eyes on Achtisanor, turned her face to her wounded friend and nodded.
De-Stik and Logan lifted Orasin and leaned him on his friend.
"Thank you," whispered the priest from his think and pale lips. "The gods bless you."
"Go on, climb the stairs and get out of here," called Achtisanor. He made sure that the stairs did not have any hidden enemies and motioned for them to go.
The priestess stopped at the bottom of the stairs and threw a piece of parchment on the floor. "Be careful!" she said and left.
"Smord and his friends," Achtisanor said angrily and picked up the parchment that Lusanta threw down.
"The bear-man is up to no good. We should have killed him back then in the wood," said De-Stik.
"Hey," called Krunch, "look at that!"
Krunch pointed to a large and decorated painting covering most of the wall to the left of the door. At the top of the picture was a white head with a thick beard, his eyes were sunken and his ears pointed. His long hair was held back as if the wind had whipped it back with force. Next to him was painted the letter N in an archaic style. Two big and interlocked rays were painted at the bottom of the picture, looking life-like. To the right was a painted fireplace, already burning, and to the left – a fountain sprouting water. At the bottom were hundred horns and a golden circle surrounding them.
"Look here at the bottom, near the grass," pointed De-Stik, "the name of the painting is 'the compass'."
"Look at the horns in the centre," said Achtisanor.
"The letter N at the top is an abbreviation for North," said Logan.
"Achtisanor," Krunch said curiously. What is written in the note that was left by the priestess?"
Achtisanor opened the parchment and read:
"The first frost the second a flame,
Put against one another to answer their name.
The wind symbols carved in the block,
Are put against the desert rock.
Then it shakes, then it trembles
One will come out from the shambles.
"Another riddle…" said Krunch in disappointment.
"Come on," said Achtisanor, "we cannot tarry. The sun is already at the zenith."
Chapter 25 - Battle against the Grey Elves
> They turned to the door to their right. A wide corridor was revealed, its walls decorated with strange carvings.
"I don't like this place," said Logan after they entered it, "I have a feeling that some stones walked this tiles before."
Logan finished her sentence when battle cries were heard behind them. Three stones leaped at them from the darkness and ran with drawn swords.
Logan roared at them and drew the sword hilt from her belt.
The three enemies stopped and laughed when they saw the strange hilt in Logan's hands. One of them ran to her and stabbed the sword toward her neck, but to everyone surprise, the sword stopped in the air by a steel clash. An invisible blade stopped it. Logan smiled.
The remaining grey elves attacked De-Stik and Achtisanor. They were quick and skilled with a sword, cursing their adversaries every few parries. Krunch, who stood behind at the rear, shot magical arrows towards the three, but not all of them hit.
The fight continued. Tigertief members were pushed back to the end of the corridor and there to the right. At the end of the corridor was a room from which they heard more shouts of battle and clashing of swords. Achtisanor and De-Stik panted, and their adversaries continued to attack relentlessly.
De-Stik stumbled and fell on his back. The grey elf leaned over him and moved for the kill.
"Krunch," screamed De-Stik in panic.
"From head to toes, paralysis takes control of your bones," Krunch shouted.
The grey elf froze above De-Stik and could not move. His sword was on its way to cleave De-Stik's head into two.
De-Stik swung his quarterstaff, hitting one of the grey elf legs, and fell him.
Achtisanor also attacked fearlessly the grey elf and drove him back. The grey elf did not surrender, held high his sword and rushed toward Achtisanor, but Achtisanor twisted his body, moved away from the crippling blow and managed to score a lash on the stone's back.
Logan and her enemy stood at the entrance to the room. Their hits were quick and combined with leaps and nimble turns. The sword clashing sound behind her grew stronger. Between several hits, she managed to kick him in the chest. When he hesitated, the invisible sword hit him and his sword fell to the floor. The grey elf quickly turned and ran back to the corridor. Logan crouched, took a dagger from her boot and threw it. The dagger hit him and he fell.
Logan Marsh: A Thrilling Fantasy Novel (Action Adventure,Mystery, Y/A Book 1) Page 15
