by Bob Blink
They walked over to where the three Duneriders had disappeared inside. The opening they had created was still cloudy, but the three figures could be seen moving away inside.
“Do you think it is safe to follow through their opening?’ Nycoh asked. “There appears to be some kind of residual barrier still in place.”
“I don’t see that we have much choice,” Daria said, pointing in the distance. At least three dozen Baldari were hurrying their way. The warriors carried swords and bows. They were prepared for a combined assault.
Kaler hefted his sword, as Rigo stepped forward. “I’ll go first. If I get through, the rest of you need to follow. Maybe they won’t come inside. They appear to avoid this structure.”
So saying, he stepped into the opening before he could change his mind. It had a thick resistance to his movement, but he was able to push though without incident. A moment later he was inside. The Duneriders had disappeared down a long hallway.
“Hurry,” Rigo said. The Baldari were getting uncomfortably close outside.
Nycoh was the next through, followed by Daria and finally Kaler.
“That was strange,” Kaler noted. He turned and looked back at the approaching Baldari, but now that everyone was inside, the warriors appeared uncertain how to proceed. They had stopped some fifty paces away and looked hesitant to approach any closer. “It seems to have worked. They aren’t coming closer or attempting to follow us inside.”
Daria looked back through the opening, seeing what Kaler had said. The Baldari were stopped, looking uncertainly at the structure. She could see part of Ash’urn’s body on the ground where they had left him. Like Rigo, she was stunned at what had happened. Ash’urn had seemed indestructible. She could have accepted the death of any of them more readily than his. Unfortunately, she had seen too much death to have any illusions that he was only gravely wounded. She wouldn’t have left him had that been the case.
“This way,” said a tight lipped Nycoh.
Daria could tell she was forcing herself to hold her emotions in check.
“The Duneriders went down this hallway. I think we should see where they are going.”
They followed behind the three Duneriders. It was strange to see them here in an environment so much different than where they had encountered them in the past. They also seemed somehow incomplete without a couple of Hoplani nearby.
Daria and Kaler both had their bows ready. Swords and knives might have seemed more appropriate, but they were concerned they might have to deal with the Brryn woman at a distance, and the bows were better suited to that. The arrows were heavily inscribed with runes, but it was anyone’s guess if they would work against these people.
The hallways were made of some kind of metal. Embedded into the metal were long streams of some kind of crystal which sparkled in the light that filled the passageway. This was looking more and more like the kind of place that Mitty had described. As they walked they passed a number of side passageways. Each led into a large room with strange looking devices or a large number of closed drawers. It would have been very interesting to have a look at what might be stored there, but their highest priority was to do something about the Brryn before she discovered their presence. For all they knew, she was aware and planning a response even as they moved closer.
“This hallway is far too long,” Daria said. “The inside of this structure is too big for the outside.”
Rigo had been having similar thoughts, although he wouldn’t have phrased it that way. They had walked a considerable distance, and the end was still surprisingly far away. They had easily walked around the perimeter when they were outside, but having walked for what was certainly a much greater distance they were less than two-thirds of the way down the long hallway.
As they walked, Rigo thought about what Ash’urn had said before he died. The admonishment from the elder scholar stung more than a little. Rigo couldn’t get the words out of his mind, and there was no way to answer them now that Ash’urn was gone. “You’ve been idle, boy.” It made him feel that he’d fallen short, that he’d disappointed his old friend. It was as though he wasn’t doing his part. The elder scholar had been right. Magic had cost him. It had been a turning point in his life, but he’d had to sacrifice for it. He’d thought he’d done his part. It was time for others to pick up the load. He’d found a life, and had hoped to enjoy it fully. Ash’urn had obviously seen matters differently.
“There,” Nycoh said interrupting his thoughts before he’d really had time to examine his feelings. The three Duneriders turned into one of the side hallways.
“Now we’ll at least see what they are after,” Kaler said.
By the time the four of them had made their way cautiously into the room, the three Duneriders were busy at work. They were moving a series of large crystal containers into slots in the wall, and attaching some strange ropy vines to the top. The vines pulsed with magical energy, and it took only moments to trace them back to a larger crystal device in the opposite end of the room.
“Great Risos!” Rigo exclaimed as he lowered his sword. “Do you know what that is?”
Nycoh had seen the one Jeen had found under the seabed as often as Rigo. She nodded her recognition.
“This one is clearly operational.”
The large device was aglow with colored bands of light as the various crystals pulsed with power and unknown purpose. It was providing magical power to the devices the Duneriders were putting into place, but Nycoh and Rigo both suspected it was doing much more. The Repository had been destroyed along with the pieces of the base before they had learned very much about it, but it had been obvious among its other functions it could augment a protective barrier and raise its strength to something far above what any wizard could create alone.
“I’ll bet it powers this entire structure,” Daria said. She hadn’t been in any of the meetings, but her practical intuition made her see to the crux of the matter. “If we could shut it down, I’ll bet it wouldn’t be appreciated by the Brryn. It might take away some of their advantage.”
Nycoh studied the glowing apparition uncertainly. It had a colored haze that surrounded it. She had no idea if that was dangerous or not.
“We never learned enough about it,” she said. “I have no idea how it can be turned off, and without magic I doubt we can do very much. I’m certain that our swords would be useless against it.”
Rigo walked quietly across the room moving closer to the device. One of the Duneriders looked up at him, but then turned away and went back to the task it had been assigned. They had usually been that way. Nycoh followed Rigo, moving closer to the object until they were within a pace of the cloudy glow that surrounded it.
“Ash’urn knew how to shut it down,” Rigo said softly. “You are right that he never learned what it could do, but he discovered that much. He knew it could be shutdown manually, and believed it could be controlled remotely as well. At least some of the functions.”
“Unfortunately Ash’urn isn’t going to be able to help us,” Nycoh reminded Rigo.
“Actually, he is,” Rigo said. “He said he gave me something. I didn’t understand. Now I think I do. He passed his knowledge to me. A lot of knowledge. Do you have any idea what he knew and understood? I know what he knew about the device. I think we can turn it off.”
“How could he do that?” Nycoh asked.
“I’m not certain. It is similar to the way we pass inherent knowledge of magic, but is trickier and can only be done once. The effort drained him, both mentally and physically.”
Nycoh looked at him doubtfully. “He can’t have known much about this thing. Are you certain it’s safe to try?”
“I think it’s got to be done or we won’t have a chance. This thing is important to the Brryn.”
“What do we do?” Nycoh asked.
“You stay here just in case I’m wrong,” Rigo said, and then stepped forward into the hazy glow. Ash’urn had somehow figured out how the device could be
deactivated manually. That was relatively straightforward. Whoever had built it had believed it was well enough protected that an enemy wouldn’t be able to get close enough to need to worry they might perform the task. Rigo suspected if it hadn’t been for the Duneriders, they would never have been able to get inside. Luck, or something, had been on their side.
The glow provided more of the syrupy resistance much as the entryway had, but it didn’t restrict him or prevent him from approaching. A couple of quick steps brought him alongside the device. He searched for a particular symbol that he knew would position his hands. Then laid both against the side and pressed against a pair of colored crystals.
Rigo felt as much as heard a faint click. For a fraction of a second, nothing happened. Then a burst of multicolored light flared out from the object, filling the room before dissipating. Rigo felt a powerful chill through his body as the light passed through. A quick look at Nycoh showed she had experienced something different. Daria and Kaler waited expectantly. They obviously had felt nothing.
“What was that?” Nycoh asked.
“I don’t know,” Rigo admitted. “But I believe the device is shutting down.” He pointed to the glow in the crystals which was far less intense and clearly fading.
Kytra felt the change immediately. She realized the amplifier was disabled. She was also aware she was not alone in the chamber. They are here, she realized. How could that be? Somehow the rebel wizards had discovered she was in the southern mountains, managed to travel here unobserved past the thousands of Baldari who roamed the jungle. Then they had seen through the illusion, and even entered the valley. Remarkable! Even more surprising, they had found their way into the protected chamber. That had to be related to the halfmen. They had either learned how to control them, or had somehow followed them. Unfortunate.
As the power from the amplifier drained away, she felt her own strength slip. The action taken by the wizards was something she would have loved to be able to do herself. Had she been able to shut the cursed thing down a long time ago, she would have been free to escape the magic that had held her trapped. Then she could have reset the device so it operated properly, not the way Nyk had obviously altered it. Then she would have been able to pursue her goals. Now, while the device was shutting down and had freed her from her prison, it had provided her with a serious dilemma. While she was freed, and the others with her, she was weak. Having been under the influence of the amplifier for aeons, her own magic was stunted. She had been able to perform because the device boosted her ability. Given a few weeks, a month perhaps, away from the device, she would regain her former ability. But having just been released, she was surprisingly weak.
She probably could deal with a couple of the wizards, but she sensed that others were here as well. They carried weapons. Blades and arrows. Those would be difficult in her weakened state. The problem was even greater than that. She couldn’t be certain that others weren’t coming. With the device shutdown, the fields protecting the chamber would be falling away. It would take some time, as there would be a residual hysterisis that would resist the decay. More importantly, the illusion would be gone, and magic would no longer be cut off in the valley. If there were more of the wizards nearby, they could start appearing at any moment. She wasn’t in any shape to take them all on. Soon, but not yet.
That meant she needed to get away from here until she was ready to deal with them. Kytra pushed herself up and out of the cavity in which she had been kept alive, but also held captive, for so very long. Fortunately the chamber kept her strong, and while she felt awkward on her legs, they were not atrophied or weak as one might expect after so long without use. She lifted her long unused staff out of the special impression that had held it secure. She welcomed the feel of the implement in her hand once again. Somehow just holding it made her certain this would all work out.
Quickly she glanced around the chamber to see what she would need. She couldn’t leave either Hyndl or Tryll. She would need their help in the coming confrontation. She would take the other two if she could, but two was going to tax her abilities. She would have to leave them to the wizards. Carefully she pried Hyndl out of his pod, then returned for his staff. Then she did the same for Tryll. She laid them on the floor of the chamber room, close together, so they would be easier to transfer.
There were thousands of items that had been stored away in the facility. Items that aided their magic and would make controlling the world simpler. There was no time to deal with that now. There was one item she wished, however, and she made a hurried trip out of the main room into one of the side hallways and retrieved a packet of the special bands. If Nyk was still somehow around, these would be the only way she could contain him, assuming of course she could manage to get one in place.
Thinking she heard a noise down the long hallway, she glanced back and stumbled, dropping a couple of the bands. She was about to pick them up, then thought better of it. She only needed one, and she still held a pair. It was time to leave. She sent a mental command to the halfmen to leave and close their passageway behind them. She didn’t know if she’d have a use for them later, but given her intentions, it would be unhealthy for them to be inside while she was gone.
Any wizards still inside would discover the same thing. The primary amplifier might be down, but there was a small unit that would ensure that no one inside could get out, and no one on the outside would be able to get in. Not with their limited magic. Unfortunately, it would also be unhealthy for anyone inside. That would ensure the treasures stored here would be protected. It would, unfortunately be hard on the others in the pods, but that couldn’t be helped. There was only so much she could do in an emergency.
Kytra walked over to the small control panel and triggered the emergency system she wanted, giving it a short time delay to ensure she had time to get Hyndl and Tryll out, and to give the halfmen sufficient time to escape. She smiled when she returned and stood beside Hyndl. He would be pleased. He was even more focused than her, and had taught her a lot about being forceful. If he had been stronger, he would have been dominant over her, but she’d always been blessed with more ability than the others. Except Nyk, of course.
With nothing else to delay her, Kytra knelt beside her two prone companions. She placed a hand on each. Her own residence would not have survived as untouched by the years as this place, but she’d left it with a protective field which would have survived for a long time. In addition, most of the facility was underground, protected by the stone from which it had been carved. It would do. She created the Transfer. Unlike the primitive portals used by these wizards, she didn’t create an arch to be walked through. One minute she knelt there in the main chamber, the next moment the three Brryn had simply vanished.
Rigo led the way, followed by his three friends. The large area at the end of the hallway was just ahead, and they would soon know if this encounter would end the situation. He’d been confident they would get this far. At least that Daria and Nycoh would. Mitty had had that visit long ago that had revealed Daria and Nycoh in the same area as the Brryn woman. That had helped him retain the belief they had a chance. The fact that Queen Mos’pera had made it important he be part of the expedition had given him hope he would make it as well, but he hadn’t been certain. Of course, maybe he had now performed the part he was needed for. They weren’t out of this yet.
Rigo had his hand on his sword. Daria and Kaler had their bows charged and ready. Nycoh was at the back of the group, staff in her good hand. She had no access to her magic, and was not going to be much use in a fight. She was concerned that magic hadn’t returned. She had hoped that Rigo’s shutting down that device would have returned their ability, but that hadn’t happened. She really doubted the arrows that Daria and Kaler held ready to shoot were going to be sufficient. Rigo was convinced he had struck an important blow. Well, they would soon know.
They burst into the chamber, fanning out so as not to present a single target. A brief glance told the st
ory. For the first time Rigo saw the scene that Mitty had described to him in detail. Four figures remained. The two that Mitty had said were dead, and two that were also unmoving. Four were missing, the empty depressions in the slanted incline where they should be. The Brryn that Mitty had described was gone, as were two others. The fourth Mitty had said had long been empty.
“They’re gone,” Rigo said, and quickly spun to examine the room to see if they might be somewhere nearby.
“So it appears,” Daria said, sizing up the empty positions. Quickly she moved over and checked the remaining bodies. “These two are alive,” she said.
“Rigo,” Kaler shouted. “The Duneriders are leaving. They seem to be in some hurry.”
Rigo and the others looked where Kaler was pointing.
“I think maybe we should follow them,” Nycoh suggested. “We still don’t have access to our magic, and if they close that entrance we could easily be trapped.”
“What about them?” Daria asked.
Rigo hesitated only a moment. “Follow the Duneriders,” he shouted to Kaler. “They probably won’t close the opening if you are in it.” Then he then climbed up to where they were and quickly slipped in place the blocking bands he had brought. He didn’t know if they would work, but he could hope. Then he pried the male out of the depression, and threw him over his shoulder.
“Let’s go,” Rigo said. Maybe we can learn something from this one.”
With her broken arm, there was no way Nycoh could carry the other Brryn who was unconscious. Daria was going to need to be free to fight, and couldn’t be burdened with the load of an unconscious body. The one Brryn would have to do. Nycoh spotted several strange looking bands on the floor and picked them up. They looked as if they might have been dropped in haste. She decided to bring them along. As Rigo turned toward the hallway, he caught a sudden flicker of steel as one of Daria’s blades flashed across the room and buried itself in the neck of the unconscious Brryn. Even Rigo was a little surprised.
