by Taran, David
“How come you can’t do it Tyrus? Isn’t that your specialty?”
“I can’t sense more than five or six feet into the earth. There’s too much in the way with no path around it,” he answered.
“I guess that makes sense,” she said while nodding. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
Sarena let her stone magic fill her, bringing the world to a halt. She could feel all the stone around her, but no sign of any tunnels. She wasn’t sure how she would know if she found one in the first place. Instead of releasing her power she tried to focus on simply holding it, and the world returned to its normal speed while she was still able to sense everything around her.
“I don’t feel anything. Are you sure we are in the right place?” She asked.
“Try and reach further then! The Labyrinth should pass right through this area!” Uckey encouraged her.
Reach further? I’m not Tyrus! How am I supposed to reach further!
Instead of trying to reach further, Sarena pulled on her power, gradually letting more and more fill her. She could feel her impressions of the stone around her becoming clearer. The hazy image of the world beneath her slowly changed into a clear picture, as if she was no longer viewing it through murky water anymore.
“Ah! I think I found it!” She said while pointing to the south. “Head that way. It doesn’t feel like it’s going any higher, but I can feel a hollow area in that direction.”
“Perfect! Once we get over it, use your power to make a shaft down to it!” Uckey said while trotting to where she had pointed.
“What? Make a hole? Uckey, it’s almost twenty feet below us! Only half of that is solid stone, how am I supposed to get rid of the dirt?” Sarena said exasperatedly.
“Just use the stone to create a tunnel down to it,” Uckey said.
Sarena stared at the glow horse. Is...Is he an idiot? No, what am I thinking, of course he is.
“Uckey. Did you forget that I just spent an entire day recovering from making one big rock and dropping it on a lizard?” Sarena asked.
“Well it might take some time, but it will work in the end! Besides, Tyrus helps you recover much faster than an ordinary shavren, and you’ll find you grow stronger when you exhaust all your power like before!” Uckey exclaimed.
“He’s right you know. Your core grew a lot after you killed that drake. It would have taken you at least a week to be back on your feet if you didn’t have me here,” Tyrus said.
Sarena grabbed the hilt of Tyrus and squeezed. This is the only chance we have. If I can’t do this we might as well give up.
She jumped down from Uckey’s back and sat on the leaf-covered ground with her back against a tree. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but she didn’t want to lose her balance while working and fall.
Uckey’s words had given her an idea, but she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to do it. Only one way to find out. She thought.
Closing her eyes, she sent her power into the stone she felt far beneath her. She pulled, creating a ring roughly six feet across and drawing it upward. Her power was draining rapidly as she forced the stone ring to grow upward, displacing the dirt above it and making the ground tremble. By the time the ring had reached the surface her mind was feeling sluggish, and instead of continuing she released her power.
She kept her eyes closed as she rested, her strength recovering quickly with Tyrus’ help. When she felt up to trying again she sent her power back into the stone below them, inspecting the work she had done.
A hollow cylinder of stone had been created that stretched all the way from the stone base up to the surface. The walls were only a few inches thick, and she doubted it would last long after they left, but she didn’t need it to last forever.
She nodded in satisfaction. Now for the hard part.
With the first step of her plan done, she sent her power into the stone at the base of the cylinder. Instead of drawing it upward as she had done before, she broke off chunks of stone and sent them into the tunnel, working her way up from the bottom. It didn’t take long before she felt her mind slow again and was forced to rest.
Seven hells! How heavy is this stuff? I barely made any progress!
She repeated the cycle of working and resting, losing track of everything else as she went. After every rest she was able to move more rock than before, to the point that by the last cycle she was able to grab an entire two foot thick slab of stone at once. As soon as she broke it off from the final thin layer of rock, she felt the stone shatter and the earth shook.
“Nurazor save us! What did you do?” Uckey’s voice broke through the haze in Sarena’s mind, bringing her back to reality.
Her eyes snapped open and took in the scene in front of her. The sun was setting, making it difficult to see through the shadows cast by the trees.
Really? Barely half a day? It felt so much longer.
“It’s done. I didn’t think I would finish so quickly, but I should be able to lower us down on a platform now,” she said.
“Quickly? Sarena, you’ve been sitting there for over a days. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be left alone with Uckey for almost two days with nothing around you? He spent an entire morning lecturing me about the correct way to cook a stew. Me! As if I can cook or eat anything!”
“Two days? What are we sitting around for then! We aren’t going to make it at this rate!” Sarena exclaimed.
She jumped to her feet, only to stumble forward and catch herself on Uckey’s side. Her vision swam in front of her as her body started to shake.
“Ugh. What’s wrong with me?” She mumbled.
“Too much magic with too little food and rest. You need to eat something before we do anything,” Uckey said.
Sarena reached into the pack at her side, pulling out a strip of dried meat she had purchased in town and shoving it into her mouth. It didn’t feel like she would be able to keep anything down, but she knew it would only make it worse if she didn’t try. The last thing she had eaten was the stew in the inn yesterday morning.
By the gods, I swear I’m never going to touch dried meat again once this is over. How do soldiers ever get used to this?
After washing down the meat with some water she felt her shaking subside. She wasn’t feeling anywhere near her best, but they didn’t have time to waste. They had already lost four days to this river.
Mounting Uckey, they moved to the edge of the hole Sarena had created. She had to say, it was an impressive bit of work on her part. A perfect circle of stone six feet across, leading straight down into the earth below. It only took a small portion of strength to call out a platform of stone and raise it up to them.
Uckey stepped onto it as soon as it arrived, and Sarena lowered it quickly. It took much less effort to do so than before, but it was still draining to move such a large chunk of stone so far. She couldn’t simply drop it like she had before. By the time she set them down on the pile of dirt at the bottom she was so weary that she struggled to hold herself upright on Uckey’s back. Every part of her body ached straight down to the bone.
“We need to get moving. I’ll guide us Uckey. Just follow my directions. Stay ready Sarena, if anything attacks we’re going to have to fight. As far as I can tell this tunnel just stretches in one direction with no other paths,” Tyrus said.
Stay ready? I can barely sit up. How am I supposed to fight anything like this?
“Tyrus, I need to rest. I’m sorry. I’ll just sleep on Uckey’s back while we go. You should be able to wake me up before anything dangerous reaches us, right?” Sarena said.
“That’s...” Tyrus said hesitantly. “Alright. I’ll wake you up in a few hours. We’ve wasted too much time here as it is, and we won’t be able to travel as quickly if you’re asleep.”
I worked as fast as I could, but I’m not as strong as him. He could at least acknowledge that. She thought while she pursed her lips. Besides, I can’t see a thing down here. If anything attacks us then it’s basically up to T
yrus to defend us. I can’t fight if I can’t see.
“Thank you,” she said as she laid her head down on the back of Uckey’s neck, exhaustion overtaking her instantly.
Chapter Twelve
Tyrus felt Sarena’s frustration, but was mystified about the reason for it. She had to know they were running out of time. Even if she was tired, they still needed to keep moving. If she was just patient for a while they could find a better spot to rest.
“You shouldn’t be so hard on her Tyrus. She’s only mortal. Using that much magic for so long puts a very large strain on the body, even with your help,” Uckey spoke up suddenly.
“I know it’s difficult, but if we don’t reach the grimoire in time she’s going to die. Shouldn’t she be able to put up with a bit of exhaustion for that?”
“What do you think she’s been doing you dimwit!” Uckey exploded.
Tyrus was taken aback at his tone. He had never heard the gnome be genuinely angry.
“What do you mean? You’re the one that’s done most of the work while we travel. She was able to go days without sleep when we were in the Godwoods, even with all of the fighting,” Tyrus said defensively.
“Have you already forgotten the aid your power gave her? It’s not normal to sleep so little!”
I was doing that? I thought that all humans were like that...How could I have missed it?
“You- How could you not realize that! She’s been pushing her limits ever since she gained her own core! Even if you can’t remember what it’s like to be human, you should have been able to tell from her aura!” Uckey said furiously. “If it wasn’t for our need for haste I would never condone the use of magic she just did! It may be effective in raising her strength, but every time she reaches her limit like that she is endangering her life!”
“Did you forget that this was your idea in the first place? I’m not the one who told her to dig a hole like that!” Tyrus yelled back at the gnome. How dare Uckey try to throw all the blame onto him after all the trust he had put into the crotchety old bag of wind.
“I had no choice! Sarena is the only one who can use magic here! I’m crippled in this body or I would have done it myself! If you weren’t there to sustain her then I would never have suggested it. Not with the risk of shattering her core,” Uckey said.
Did he really just say what I think he did? I can’t believe this. Maybe Sarena was right to not trust him. Tyrus thought. He knew what it meant. When he was expanding her channels his magic had given him the knowledge of it. A shattered core was a death sentence. Even with the bond her body would reject all magic. And with no core of her own anymore she would wither away and die in minutes.
Yet Tyrus still couldn’t bring himself to hate the gnome. He would have done the same even if he had known beforehand, and he knew Sarena would have also. Oh of course, there would have been all kinds of arguing, and she would have hurled abuse at the gnome. But she would still have done it in the end. Sarena was angry at the lot life had thrown at her, but she never shied away from what needs to be done. It was what he admired the most about her.
His anger settled at the realization. I should have known. She would never ask to rest unless she had to. Nobody is as hardworking as she is.
“Let’s go Uckey. And not a word of this to Sarena. She dislikes you enough as it is; we don’t need her actively trying to kill you before we even get there,” Tyrus said.
“Humph,” Uckey said. “She should be grateful that I felt she was able to handle the risks. If it was any other apprentice I would have tossed them out with nothing but the clothes on their back for even suggesting it!”
“Uckey, you’ve never had another apprentice.”
“Exactly! Both of you should be honored! No other has ever been worthy to learn from me!”
The two of them continued to bicker back and forth as they traveled along the stone tunnel. Tyrus kept his perception extended as far as he could in both directions, but he never felt anything besides more stone. There wasn’t even a single offshoot from the tunnel they were in. It was just one, long, straight tunnel, wide enough for five carriages side by side, with the ceiling around twenty feet above them. The only flat part was the ground beneath them, while the walls curved over them in a half circle.
Tyrus had no idea how long they had been traveling for when Sarena finally began to stir. There was still a pit of guilt in him over how hard he had been pushing her, so he let her sleep as long as she wanted.
“How far have we come?” She asked.
“It’s impossible to tell, but I’m guessing you slept for at least half a day. There’s really nothing to judge time by down here,” Tyrus said.
He felt a spike of confusion in her aura that faded away immediately before she answered.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“Now that you’re awake we can pick up the pace. Ideally we want to get out of this tunnel, but I don’t think we can afford the time for you to make another hole. Can you check how close we are to the surface?” Tyrus pretended he hadn’t heard her at all. He didn’t feel like he deserved any thanks, and he wasn’t sure how to answer it.
Sarena’s aura changed as she drew on her power, becoming a stony grey color. It wasn’t until that moment that Tyrus realized something very important.
He wasn’t giving Sarena any power.
She was surviving completely on her own, not drawing on his strength at all. The abnormal growth from pushing her own strength had increased the power from her core to the point that Uckey had predicted. Now that her core was able to sustain her on its own the bond should be broken. Yet Tyrus could still feel its existence.
“I can’t even feel the surface. Everything past around one hundred feet is blurry, but I can say for sure we are at least several hundred feet down. How are we supposed to get out of here at this rate?” Sarena said, a hint of panic in her voice.
“Uckey! You bastard! You lied to us!” Tyrus raged.
“What- Tyrus I’m not too pleased with him either but I don’t think he did it intentionally,” Sarena said.
“The bond is still there! Can’t you feel it Sarena? You aren’t drawing on my power, but the bond hasn’t shattered like Uckey said it would!” Tyrus yelled. He couldn’t believe the gnome had lead them on like this.
Ever since he woke up he had felt somewhat repressed, as if his emotions were stunted. He knew he should be able to feel more than he did, but it wasn’t until that moment that he understood what he was missing. An invisible barrier that had been pressing down on him shattered, letting his anger boil up to the forefront of his mind.
How dare he lie to us like this! He risks our lives constantly without even telling us, and now this!
Sarena’s aura shifted back to its normal state as the power drained out of her. Tyrus could feel elation within her. Probably because she could survive without him now.
She drew Tyrus right away and hopped off Uckey’s back. He knew what she was planning. If he was in her place he would have done the same. Even through his anger he was curious about what would happen also.
Setting Tyrus onto the ground, she withdrew several feet back. The elation in her aura grew the further she went.
“I’m free!” She shouted while laughing. “We’ve done it! I can’t believe it! Ankaros was wrong!”
When she was ten feet from Tyrus she abruptly stopped backing up, as if she had struck a wall. She spun around, staring at the space behind her in confusion. Tyrus was no different, his own anger forgotten for the moment. Sarena stretched her hand out to the empty air behind her until it halted. The elation in her aura changed to despair instantly.
Tyrus watched her feeling along the invisible wall, walking along with it as she circled him. A full ten foot circle, with him in the dead center. There was no denying what it meant.
“Well. This is...unexpected. I never thought there would be a limit to the range of the bond,” Uckey said.
Sarena turned and walked to the gnome,
silently staring him straight in the eye from just inches away. Tyrus could feel the fury within her matched his own, but surprisingly it started to drain away. After a few minutes of glaring at Uckey she dropped her head and sighed before walking back to Tyrus and sheathing him.
“You’re not angry Sarena?” Tyrus asked.
She shook her head. “What’s the point? Maybe he lied, maybe he was wrong, but it’s not like he’s the one who pushed us into the bond. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s at least better than before,” she said.
“It looks like my theory wasn’t quite right. If the bond hasn’t shattered at this point then I’m sure there is some meaning to it! How exciting!” Uckey said as Sarena mounted him again.
What use does the bond have at this point? I can’t help her in any way now, and instead I’m just limiting her freedom. Just what do we have to do to get rid of it?
Time crawled by slowly as they continued down the long tunnel. Uckey had increased his speed to a ground-eating stride far faster than they would risk traveling on the surface. He claimed his eyesight wasn’t affected by the total darkness that much, probably due to the glow horse growing up in the dark world of the Godwoods. Sarena’s worries about how deep they were had been put to rest when Uckey explained that the branch they were in had an exit in some ruins within the elven forest.
Tyrus almost felt like he was trapped back within the sword again. He had no way to tell how long they had been in the unchanging tunnel, and he could feel it making him anxious. When he finally felt a change in the tunnel in front of them he almost didn’t believe it.
“There’s something ahead,” he said.
“The exit already? It should take us two days to get there at this rate. There shouldn’t be anything else on the way there,” Uckey said in confusion.
“No, not the exit. Definitely not the exit. You’ll just have to wait and see yourself, Uckey,” Tyrus said.
It wasn’t long before Uckey slowed down to a stop.
