She heard an unfamiliar noise in the chamber. Fearing that she still dreamt, she pulled the sheets up higher. But there it was again, an unmistakable metallic noise. She vaulted out of bed and landed in a prone position, ready to take evasive action.
She saw something there in the moonlight of her window, a metallic figure that was shorter than a man or woman, and which was made up of a dizzying array of mechanical parts.
It was one of the mechanical gnomes that the wizards used as servants–of the same ilk as her former companion, Merit.
Somewhat relieved, she thought, I will have to remember to ask Falignus about this intrusion.
The small figure took a few steps forward, and there was a subtle sound that Hemlock recalled: tiny gears whizzing and whirring and the gentle hiss of steam exhalations.
As the figure spoke, Hemlock considered with a start that perhaps the figure wasn’t just one of Merit’s ilk and that it could actually be Merit.
"Miss Hemlock?" the figure said quietly.
"Merit!" Hemlock cried and ran over to hug the small figure awkwardly.
"How did you get in here?" she cried.
"The wizards never changed the wards for the servants at the cavern door of the Tower. I suspected that they wouldn’t. Nobody ever notices us. Some Tanna Varrans smuggled me into the City and dropped me off in the chasm near the lake. I was able to enter the Tower using my old passphrase."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Gwineval sent me to talk to you, Hemlock," he answered in his distinctive way.
Hemlock’s features darkened. "Gwineval? Why?"
"He fears that you mistook his intentions with the Wand, Hemlock. We both do. We need to rescue you from here!" Merit said.
"Merit, what’s between Gwineval and I is our business. You shouldn’t be involved," she replied.
"But I am involved, Miss Hemlock. You’re both my friends and I can’t believe that you are here with the wizards willingly. Gwineval believes that you have formed an alliance with Falignus and the wizards, based on news from the City. Is this true?"
"Merit, I was there and I saw Gwineval rip the Wand from Safreon’s hands. Safreon was…" here she became emotional again, "was killed soon after. I blame Gwineval and I want revenge. That is the only reason that I am staying here with the wizards."
"I was there, too, Miss Hemlock. You must not have noticed, but I was assisting Safreon during his conjuring. He drew too much power from the creature and asked Gwineval to come help him dispel it before he lost control of it. I think that he knew he would not survive, but he was more interested in saving the Tanna Varrans from that creature. Gwineval didn’t kill Safreon. He tried to save him, but it was too late."
"I don’t believe it. I know that Gwineval wanted that Wand badly. He saw his opportunity and he took it. He’s just like the rest of the wizards; ambitious and self-serving."
There was a pause and the gears on Merit’s head churned at a high speed.
"Hemlock, Gwineval feared that you wouldn’t believe me. He related a tale of Safreon’s to me so that I could tell you. He said that it might help you to understand."
"A tale of Safreon’s?"
"Yes."
"I know all of Safreon’s tales – certainly all that Gwineval would know," she replied incredulously.
"Gwineval didn’t think that Safreon had told you this one. Gwineval said that Safreon only told it to him after he had been tested."
"What did he mean by tested?"
"He didn’t say, but he told me to tell you that you are being tested right now."
Hemlock was becoming angry. "This is all ridiculous! Gwineval is just trying to confuse me. Well, it won’t work. He’s as good as dead."
"Will you listen to my tale nonetheless, Miss Hemlock?"
"Fine Merit. If you came all this way to tell me the tale, then go ahead."
Maybe it was the unusual sound of Merit’s voice, but as Merit began the tale, Hemlock began to imagine with a strange lucidity the unfolding events as they were relayed to her.
…
The air was chilling in the chamber as Safreon looked at the fortified parapet in the distance. He was in a large, natural, underground chamber that stretched hundreds of yards in diameter. Approximately fifty yards away from him was a worked stone stair that rose another fifty feet onto a parapet built into the sheer rock wall. He could barely make out a large stone door on that parapet, illuminated by the glow of a fungus which grew naturally on the rock.
"This is the rumored alternate entrance to the Wizard Tower, no doubt," Safreon mused.
He had no interest in the Wizard Tower on this day. He was headed into the deeper chambers. He had been secretly excavating in some remote caverns below the tower in recent years. The day before, he had made an important discovery.
He felt a familiar presence behind him.
Turning, he saw his raven-haired wife, Jupita. Her beauty seemed out of place in this harsh chamber, with its chill breezes that sounded like a ghostly wail as they wound through the depths of the earth.
Safreon lamented at her being there anew, for though she had insisted on joining him with a well-reasoned argument that her knowledge of ancient tongues and language could help him realize his discovery, he knew that it could also expose her to unknown dangers.
"Could I live with myself if she is harmed?" he thought with a shudder.
He suppressed the troubling thought, and tried to focus on the excitement of the discovery that appeared to be at hand.
Safreon believed that he had found a hidden chamber that may have predated the Wizard Guild itself. Since the chamber appeared to be cleverly concealed and because he could find no evidence of recent passage, he dared to hope that his suspicions were correct.
Safreon and Jupita had discussed at some length what the chamber could represent. They had excitedly wondered if it could hold a secret from the first Wizard, the benevolent founder of the City, who was now long forgotten by most. The possibility also existed that the chamber could date back to the dimly recalled time of the Imperator, the usurper of the City.
Safreon also knew that if the wizards discovered them down in these caverns, that it would mean death for both of them.
"But we’re doing this for a higher cause–" he thought, "to loosen the grip of the wizards on the City."
He also had some ambition to try and organize a political body within the Warrens–something to rival or at least counterbalance the Senate.
He knew that he needed as much power as possible in order to do that, especially if there was any sort of violent confrontation.
As he walked with Jupita, they chatted in low voices.
"Do you really think that the rune I saw is from the time of the Imperator?" asked Safreon.
"I do," replied Jupita. "It appeared to have the tight style that is characteristic of the period. It is also a rune associated with concealing magic. Hiding was supposedly the preference of the Imperator, who believed that any known ward would eventually be broken."
"It does seem to make sense," Safreon sighed. "I was so hoping it would be something from the time of the first Wizard. Imagine what pure magic might exist in such a place? The Imperator’s artifacts are likely to be tainted and corrupt."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I’m not sure what you are hoping to find. I am just seeking knowledge."
Safreon hugged her close. "That’s my Jupita: always the pacifist. I need an item of power – something to help me stand up to the wizards and the Senate."
"Don’t talk like that," Jupita warned. "You scare me when you talk that way."
"Don’t worry about it – it’s nothing," he replied, smiling. But his eyes burned as he thought about what he might find and what he might do with a powerful artifact in his hands.
After a time they heard the sound of rushing water and knew that they had reached the underground river that flowed out of Hemisphere Lake.
They soon reached a large underground ch
amber that held a subterranean pond. They made their way around the pond on a slim shelf of rock. Periodically there were ripples in the pond, which neither of the travelers cared to speculate about the origins of.
They reached the edge of the waterfall, and were able to pass behind it as the thin rock shelf continued.
Standing there, in the din of the falling water, Safreon drew out a flask filled with a glowing powder. He gathered a handful of the stuff and flung it sharply against the wall.
"There," he hissed, seeing the outline of the rune, which he had discovered on his last expedition, magically revealed by the glowing powder. It had not been visible to the naked eye.
Jupita leaned out, close to the water, to see past Safreon. Nodding, she confirmed that it was the same rune which she had thought it would be, based on a makeshift sketch that Safreon had done previously.
"You should stand back," Safreon shouted.
Jupita shook her head negatively. "Just do it," she cried.
Safreon shrugged and drew an intricate wrought iron shape from his cloak. He held it out and Jupita altered the orientation of his hand carefully.
Safreon knew that the angle was critical, so he concentrated on keeping his hand steady as he moved it toward the glowing rune.
As the wrought iron made contact, there was a glow that emanated from the wall that they stood against. Suddenly a hidden door swung open, moving amazingly fast considering its great weight in rock. Safreon and Jupita almost fell into the dark chamber revealed by the opening of the door.
Holding up his lantern, Safreon illuminated walls carved in bas–relief. The City was depicted, surrounded by four regions, each marked with a man holding a wand. There were details shown about each region, and the man with the wand was shown reigning over the people.
Across the long chamber at the opposite end was an open exit, which revealed a vaulted stairwell heading sharply downwards.
Safreon found a lever that shut the door behind them.
"Definitely the Imperator," muttered Jupita, with awe in her voice, as she inspected the artwork on the walls.
"We can trace those carvings later. We should take the stair and see what else there is. I fear detection by the wizards," urged Safreon.
Jupita was clearly disappointed, but she agreed. Together they approached the stairs, which were long and steep.
Giving Jupita a reassuring look, Safreon took the lead and began to descend.
A long time passed as they descended. It seemed like hours to Safreon. He feared that Jupita might tire and fall on him, so he was careful to try and keep his balance.
Just when he felt that they were reaching the limits of their endurance, they came to the bottom of the stairs and emerged into a large open chamber, in which their footsteps echoed loudly.
There were sconces on the walls flanking the wide arched doorway, and Safreon took a stick from the floor and lit it from his lantern and then lit the sconces, which miraculously still had some oil in them.
The sconces lit with a pop and revealed the full grandeur of the room.
It was dominated by a great cavernous pit, above which a platform was suspended by long iron supports that descended from the ceiling. A walkway extended from the ledge farther into the room onto the suspended platform. Upon the platform was a marble table and on that table rested a single item. It appeared to be a wand.
Safreon’s pulse pounded and his head swam.
"It can’t be," he muttered.
"Safreon!" hissed Jupita sharply, looking behind them.
Turning, Safreon saw that the wide doorway where they stood was flanked by the crudely carved images of two stone Golems, vaguely humanoid, and some twenty feet tall. Their gaze was directed into the center of the chamber.
"Safreon, I don’t like the look of those," Jupita warned. "The Imperator loved traps!"
"Jupita, they’re just carvings, don’t worry. Look over there! What is that?" he whispered, directing her attention to the suspended platform.
"Safreon," Jupita was again awed. "I think you know what it must be!"
"I’m going for it, wait here," he said tensely.
"I’m coming," she stated and followed him.
They advanced into the chamber and both soon stood at the mouth of the suspended walkway.
"Please Jupita, wait here," Safreon cautioned.
"Fine. But you must be careful. Look at how this walkway is constructed. Look down there, what is that?"
Jupita pointed down into the great pit, where a dull red glow was visible far, far below.
Safreon paused. This discovery was so intense that he felt like his faculties were overloaded.
"I, I don’t know. Could it be the Maker’s fire?" he asked.
The Maker’s fire was fabled to be the magical field upon which the City and surrounding realms travelled through the realms outside of the veil.
"Maybe. Amazing," was all the Jupita could say in response.
"Jupita, unless I am dreaming, that is a Wand of the Imperator out there on the platform. Stay here," he said.
He had taken about a dozen cautious steps and was at the midpoint of the causeway when the sound of crackling and crumbling rock roared from the direction of the great golems, which stood on each side of the single arched doorway like looming sentinels.
Safreon glanced back as he started to run for the Wand and saw that Jupita was recoiling from the Golems, moving closer to the causeway.
"Jupita, run for it! Wait for me in the hallway!" he cried.
"I'll not leave you!" she cried in response.
Safreon was amazed to see that the heads of the Golems were turning, and their eyes had begun to take on a baleful red light. The chamber floor was vibrating like it was in the midst of an earthquake as the great heads moved.
"Jupita, run!" Safreon cried again, desperate.
His heart sank as he glanced back again and saw Jupita shake her head resolutely and remain on the lip of the causeway.
But he was near to the Wand.
"Just a few more steps," he encouraged himself.
Then great blasts rang out on either side of him, dropping him to his knees.
Rock debris was flying through the chamber and there was a strange humming sound which was accompanied by the sound of rock grinding and falling.
Rising quickly, Safreon looked back and saw that Jupita was rising also; she had fallen precipitously close to the edge of the chasm.
"Get back!" Safreon screamed over the din.
Looking to his left and right, Safreon saw that beams of force were bursting forth from the eyes of the golems.
Following the path of the beams, Safreon realized to his horror that they were cutting through the iron supports that held the platform on which he stood from falling into the chasm.
He realized that he had only scant moments to act.
In a few more dashing steps, he grabbed the wand. It was warm to the touch and he felt a surge go through his body that almost felt like lightning, but without any pain.
Turning, he ran desperately back over the causeway toward Jupita, who was trying to maintain her footing amongst the falling rock and continual rumblings of the floor of the chamber.
In that moment, as he ran, Safreon was captivated by her beauty. Her raven hair was flying to and fro as she struggled, and her cloak and tunic were hanging on her loosely, revealing more of her figure than they normally would have.
But then his mind turned to the Wand, and another surge of excitement echoed through his body, overcoming his concern for Jupita.
"This is the greatest moment of my life," he considered as he ran.
But then the causeway began to buckle under him, finally succumbing to the stresses in the rock floor. It dropped about three feet and the rock floor around it partially disintegrated, falling into the dark pit.
The golems continued their grim work as Safreon reached the end of the causeway and jumped for the edge of the rock floor, which was now some feet distant
and above where he stood.
Amazingly, he made the jump, although only his shoulders and arms made purchase as his chest and body landed heavily against the rock. He had managed to retain the Wand during the jump.
Another rumble reverberated through the chamber then, and there was another great heaving of the rock floor followed by a blinding emanation of powdered rock.
Safreon struggled to climb up, but holding the Wand made it difficult.
A weak voice came from below him. "Safreon?"
Looking down, Safreon's heart froze. Jupita hung below him from an outcropping of rock. Only her bleeding hands, shoulders and desperate face were visible.
Safreon knew that he couldn't help her, for he was barely able to keep himself from falling, even as he held the Wand.
"Jupita!" he screamed.
Her hands began to give way.
Their eyes met as she fell. No words were spoken during that moment before she disappeared forever from his sight. It seemed like an eternity to Safreon, like they lived an entire life together in that one instant.
But then it was over. And he was alone, in the chamber that was crumbling around him.
The causeway finally gave way and fell into the chasm, as Safreon, now broken in mind, body, and spirit, gained his purchase and climbed to safety.
The golem’s eyes went dead as Safreon limped between them. They were cold stone again and Safreon felt a sudden kinship with them, for he felt nothing–was nothing–in that moment.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Hemlock was still lost in thought about the implications of Merit’s tale about Safreon when she realized that the small gnome had finished.
He looked at her with what Hemlock interpreted as a warm expression.
And then she saw a curious change come over Merit's features. In a combination of movements that she hadn't seen him make before, the gears, pistons and levers of his face formed into an expression of unmistakable mirth. He was smiling.
Perhaps seeing that makes all of this suffering worthwhile, she thought to herself, bewitched by Merit's simple expression of joy.
Hemlock And The Wizard Tower (Book 1) Page 36
