A Rojuun woman came out of another door just in front of them and gasped. Tathan leapt and slugged her in the face too, knocking her unconscious. He ignored Liselle’s gasp. Male or female, all Rojuun were dangerous at the moment.
He glanced at the princess in Sir Danth’s arms. She was beautiful, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her platinum hair was astonishing, appearing almost metallic. Tathan had only seen one other person with that color hair, a man who was also from the Kingdom of Mayncal. It was a rare type only a few people from Mayncal had, usually indicating someone who was blessed or touched by the gods. Her face was perfect in every way, with smooth skin and perfect eyebrows. Tathan liked eyebrows. They were like little roofs for the eyes. It was an odd way of looking at it and he had only told a few people, all but one of whom had laughed. The princess’s were as platinum as her hair, which fascinated him. He wanted to stare at them all day, but had an escape to make.
They reached a small cave with two new passages. A few scattered plants were showing up in the tunnels again, showing that these were rural caves. One meju and two feju warriors who had run from the previous cave stood in front of the passage on the left. Tathan’s sword was in his hand and aimed at them in an instant. They all had their long knives out and were in defensive crouches. Upon seeing the party, the meju and one of the feju ran fearfully down the passage behind them.
The remaining feju glanced over her shoulder with shock. She looked back at the party then turned to run after her friends, only to freeze mid-stride. Tathan shifted to the left to flank her, wondering why she had just stopped like that with one leg in the air.
Then he saw Liselle concentrating on the Rojuun. She must have cast a spell of holding to prevent the feju from escaping. Tathan wondered why and raised an eyebrow in silent query.
“Perhaps she’ll know the best way out,” Liselle explained, walking over to stand in front of the feju warrior. “What is the fastest way to the surface?” Liselle asked.
It was a good idea, though Tathan was debating whether or not to kill the Rojuun for knowing their plans. He also didn’t trust that she would tell the companions the truth. Liselle’s eyes narrowed at the warrior. She was becoming upset. Tathan could tell, because the blue ghost flames were beginning to light the back of her pupils.
“Dearest, your spell is holding her mouth along with the rest of her,” Vevin pointed out politely.
The flames disappeared instantly and she blushed. “Oh . . . How do I release just her mouth?”
Vevin shrugged. “I don’t know. Normally, I don’t have conversations with my food so I’ve never tried it.”
“Hmm . . . alright, let’s try this.” She stood closely to the Rojuun and stared into her dusky yellow eyes. “We are going to ask you some questions. If you answer them to our satisfaction, we’ll let you go. If not, then my friends will probably feel it necessary to kill you.”
She had just made Tathan’s decision for him. He wouldn’t kill the feju if Liselle made a promise like that. Liselle took a few steps back. Before she could remove the spell, Tathan suggested, “Let’s get the knives out of her hands first.” Liselle blushed again and moved forward to take away the knives. Tathan helped and in a moment, they had pried the knives out and tossed them into a glowing, bush-like plant near the wall of the cave.
Liselle dissipated the spell with a breath and a gesture while Tathan held the tip of his sword next to the feju’s face. Its darkness pulled in the light around it. He noticed that Liselle tried to stay as far away as possible whenever he had it drawn.
The Rojuun staggered forward as the spell released her. Liselle jumped back while Tathan repositioned the sword to adjust for the movement. The feju stared at it in fear and remained still. Liselle asked again, “What is the fastest way to the surface?”
The Rojuun warrior responded by wetting herself. Tathan could see a large stain appear in her leggings and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. He thought the teardrops from inverted teardrop shaped eyes to be rather poetic, sort of like a mirror image. A prisoner too terrified to speak was not poetic however. Liselle looked at him for help.
“Tell us the fastest way to the surface, then you can run after your friends,” he told the feju, pulling his sword back in the hopes it would help her to speak. She only fell to her knees while more tears streamed down her face. Tathan could tell by the smell that the warrior had done more than just wet herself.
“I don’t understand. I thought Rojuun were brave,” Liselle said, looking at the feju in pity and surprise.
Tathan shrugged. “Perhaps they aren’t that different from humans, some are brave, others are cowards.”
“Most of these have all acted in the manner of cowards though,” Sir Danth pointed out. “I must say that I am disappointed as well. This one kneels sniveling before us, while her companions have run away. I find that I have lost much respect for Rojuun whereas it was strong before.”
Tathan took a step forward, staring at the feju. “Will this take us to the surface,” he asked, pointing toward the western passage in front of her. She shook her head slowly, still sobbing. Tathan pointed at the passage behind her, headed toward the east. The Rojuun didn’t respond right away, but slowly moved her head up and down after a moment. Tathan considered before asking, “We can get to the surface from there, but not right away?” She nodded a bit faster. “Are you lying to me?” Tathan asked, bringing the sword back up to her neck.
The Rojuun shook her head vigorously through a new bout of weeping. Tathan turned to Liselle. “You stated that she could live if she answered our questions. Do you feel satisfied with the answers, or shall I kill her?”
“Let her live,” Liselle answered quickly. Tathan nodded, sheathed his sword and headed to the eastern passage, leaving them to follow. He wasn’t worried about the feju pursuing them. People who lost bodily functions didn’t generally chase whoever caused them to lose those functions.
Tathan didn’t like the idea of continuing east. He believed the best way to get out was to head north, get to the surface, head to the Willden Forest and then travel to Kethril in hopes of getting a ship along the coast heading south, essentially traveling in a large circle to Mayncal. It would be a long journey taking months, but going through the mountains and Iynath Empire simply wasn’t an option.
“Let me down!” a shrill voice sounded behind him. Tathan turned to see the princess beating upon the breastplate of Sir Danth’s armor. Her feet were kicking and she was flailing about.
The knight set her down, feet first. “Yes, Your Highness. If you give me warning before you faint next time, I’ll endeavor to catch you.”
Tathan thought the princess looked rather attractive when angry. She was glaring at Sir Danth with her jaw set and fists clenched. Tathan gestured down the passage. “Your Highness, if you’re done being cranky, we really should be going.”
The princess slowly turned toward Tathan. “I. Never. Get. Cranky,” she said, punctuating each word. She held up a finger in front of Tathan’s face. “I am a princess. I get mad and people serve me as you will serve me now.” She looked up and down the hallway, then at each of them. “I order you to take me home immediately,” she commanded imperiously.
Sir Danth raised his eyebrow at the command causing her to do a double take. Her eyes passed over Vevin, not really seeing him. Tathan didn’t blame the dragon for hiding behind his illusion and not wanting the princess to start giving him orders. Then she pointed at Liselle. “You will be my handmaiden and obey my every order.”
Tathan didn’t need to see Liselle’s eyes flare into pure fire or the blue flames surrounding her hands like living entities ready to engulf the princess, to know his cousin wasn’t going to take that well. The princess screamed and ran into Sir Danth’s arms.
Liselle opened her mouth, showing thin flames curling within and around her lips. The tendrils of fire slid in through her nostrils when she inhaled, creating an eerie effect. In an otherworldly voice
, she said, “I will never be your servant nor will you ever give me another order.” The princess gulped and nodded vigorously. At least she didn’t faint again.
Tathan intervened before Liselle could fry the princess’s head. “Peace, Cousin.” He gestured for her to be calm. The fire left her mouth and hands, but still ghosted behind her eyes. He turned to the princess. “It’s our intention to get you home, Your Highness. It’s not going to be immediate though. We’re deep in the Caaldith Mountains in Rojuun territory and there is no clear way out.”
“What do you mean there’s no clear way out?” the princess asked with concern.
“I mean we don’t know how to get out of the caverns,” Tathan answered.
“Never fear, Your Highness. We are looking for a way out at the moment. Hopefully, in a day or two, we’ll find a way,” Sir Danth reassured her.
“A day or two?” she replied with her eyes wide. “Wait a minute, you rescued me, but don’t know how to escape?” She looked around in a panic. “We’re stuck down here?” The pitch of her voice was getting higher by the moment. “Wait, wait,” she said spreading her arms out with palms out. She looked at Sir Danth, then Liselle, before finally settling on Tathan. “You look normal,” she said ignoring Tathan’s raised eyebrow. Liselle and Sir Danth raised an eyebrow too. Not wanting to be left out, Vevin joined in as well. Tathan’s mouth twitched as he attempted to contain a grin. “Where exactly is ‘here’?” the princess asked with a touch of panic in her voice.
Tathan answered, “As I said earlier, we’re deep in the Caaldith Mountains in the heart of Rojuun territory where no human has ever set foot. We’re hoping to find a way back to the surface, but don’t know how to get there or even which way to go,” he explained, giving the princess a realistic picture of their situation. Tathan absentmindedly noticed that Princess Anilyia was very pretty when tears began to stream down her face. Most women looked terrible when they cried. “There are Rojuun in every direction and we have no idea how many we’re going to have to fight to escape. Sir Danth was being generous with his estimate when he said two or three days. It’ll probably take a week or two if we even succeed . . . Why are you all glaring at me?”
Liselle’s eyes were filled with fire again and Sir Danth had his arms crossed. He was definitely glaring. Even Vevin seemed mad at Tathan. His dance had turned into an angry, serpentine movement. The princess wasn’t mad, she was just sobbing. That was Tathan’s least favorite thing about women: they cried . . . a lot.
“My dear Cousin,” Liselle said with her arms crossed. “You have a way of putting things in the most despairing way. You’ve made the princess cry and you’ve cast a gloom upon the entire party. You should be ashamed.” She glared at him. The fact that all women seemed to know how to make a man feel as though he were in trouble was his second least favorite feature of women.
“It’s important she, and all of us, have a realistic understanding of the problems facing us, that way we’re not surprised when we’re not looking at the sun in a day or two,” Tathan said defensively. He hated it when people had overly optimistic ideas of what was going to happen, it caused more disappointment in the end.
Liselle put her arm around the princess, not noticing how Anilyia shrank in fear from the person who had just breathed fire a moment ago. “We are supposed to bring hope and reassurance to this woman in a dark time, yet you tell her things are only going to get worse. How are the rest of us supposed to feel knowing you think we’re going to die and rot in these forsaken tunnels?” she demanded. The princess was trying to maneuver away from Liselle’s tight grip around her shoulder.
“I didn’t say we were going to die and rot! I don’t think that at all,” Tathan protested. “We’re extraordinary people capable of amazing things and we make a good team, which we’ve proven time and again, but it’s going to take some work and the odds are against us,” he explained more calmly. “Let’s have a realistic understanding of our situation then do our best to overcome it.”
“There is some wisdom to his words, Milady,” Sir Danth agreed.
Liselle closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The princess finally managed to get loose and went to Sir Danth. Liselle opened her eyes and the flames were gone. “Alright, so it’s going to take a while to escape. I truly believe we can and will.” She turned to the princess and pointed. “We are rescuing you. I don’t care if you are a princess, you will not give us orders. In fact, since we are currently in such danger, you will follow orders and do exactly as you are told.” Liselle leaned forward, directly into the cowering princess’s face. “Do I make myself perfectly clear, Your Highness?” The princess nodded vigorously.
“Very well, shall we go then, boys?” Liselle suggested, moving back to Vevin and linking her arm in his.
Tathan nodded and led the way once more. He really didn’t like his cousin’s new habit of calling them ‘boys’. None of them were boys by any stretch of the imagination.
Chapter 23
They walked down the hallway for a good half hour with Tathan in the lead, the princess holding on to Sir Danth behind him and Liselle and Vevin taking up the rear. In separate instances, they came across a group of five Rojuun, a trio and a pair. Liselle cast her hold spell on all of them and they proceeded without bloodshed. They knew the Rojuun would speak of their passing, but leaving a trail of dead bodies would tell anyone who followed them which direction the party was going just as efficiently.
At the first opportunity, Tathan had taken a tunnel heading north. There were more plants and various small animals moving about. At one cave, they had found a gate shutting off a tunnel. The companions didn’t go in that direction because it sloped downward. A breeze, colder than they had felt in the caverns, came from it. A few twists and turns had them heading northwest again.
Tathan was a bit worried about Liselle’s use of spells, but she had told them that passive spells like barriers and the such didn’t use too much energy. Explosive spells like fire took the most and healing spells took as much energy as the severity of the injury required. She appeared to be doing fine so far and the rest of them still had plenty to give if Liselle became too tired.
Princess Anilyia hadn’t said another word, staying close to Sir Danth, partially out of fear from the peril they were in and partially out of fear of Liselle. Tathan didn’t get much of a chance to study her due to the fact that he was leading the party, but the few times he glanced back, he was awed by her beauty. Her brilliant blue eyes sparkled brighter than the gem-encrusted jewelry adorning her ears, neck, arms and fingers. At times, when she brushed her hair back over her right ear, an intricate tattoo on her neck showed.
The rich dress she wore was terrible for traveling and the hem had already become frayed from dragging along the stone floor of the passage. She held it up with her hands, but it just didn’t stand a chance.
An increase in the frequency of light globes ahead caught his attention, doubling from every sixty feet to every thirty feet. “Tathan,” Liselle called out softly. He turned to see that she had stopped with Vevin. Sir Danth and the princess stopped to look back too. “Tathan, there’s something very wrong up ahead,” she said, obviously upset.
He walked back to her. “Do you have any idea what it is? Is there an ambush?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s not an ambush, it’s something unnatural, something that’s making the world scream.” Tathan could tell his cousin was distressed. “It feels unnatural like the hhorrj felt unnatural, Tathan,” she said with tears welling in her eyes.
Tathan put a comforting hand on her shoulder as Vevin wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She took a deep breath and nodded that she was ready to continue. Tathan took the lead again, this time with his sword drawn. The blade eagerly grabbed at nearby light. Glancing back, he saw the princess staring at it in frightened awe.
They entered another small cave a few minutes later. Tathan scouted it before waving the rest forward when he found it empty. “We
want to go there.” Liselle pointed to a hallway on the left.
“But that’s southwest, back toward Alluu,” Tathan replied. “There’s one other tunnel, going to the north.”
Liselle shook her head. “The unnatural feeling is coming from that direction. It’s not far away and then we can come back and go north. We need to see what’s wrong and fix it.” Her face was pale, the blood having drained from it.
Tathan looked both directions. He didn’t want to waste time trying to fix anything ‘unnatural’ when they should be concentrating on escape. It was clear his cousin didn’t even want to go that way. He sighed and headed down the passage anyway. If Tathan did many more good deeds, he might not be able to show his face in a dark alley ever again.
The new hallway was well lit and carpeted. A moment later, they came to an intersection. “Go right,” Liselle whispered. Tathan glanced around the corner and saw a glowing barrier with two guards in front of it. They were dressed in bright red and gold colored armor. He turned and held up two fingers. Liselle nodded, moved past everyone to get into the intersection and cast the spell. There was the sound of bodies falling. Then she nodded and Tathan went into the new hall ahead of her.
When he saw the unconscious bodies, he raised an eyebrow at her. She replied with a shrug. “I thought it would be better to put them to sleep.” He nodded and moved to the glowing barrier. It was orange and hummed with energy. There were metal brackets along each side of the barrier and a glowing panel set into the wall.
He looked at Liselle. She shook her head and shrugged. Vevin moved forward to look more closely at the lighted panel. Tathan might be able to figure it out, but magical locks were a great deal more difficult than regular ones and the Rojuun used an entirely different system than human wizards.
After a moment of studying the panel and the force field, Vevin reached down, grabbed the top right hand of the closest unconscious guard and placed it on the panel. The trick worked and the barrier disappeared. “It works by hand wrinkles,” Vevin explained.
Anilyia Page 23
