Pandora's Box: Land of Strife: Pandora's Box Series, Book 1

by S. Y. Lee

  “Her name is Caitlin. It sounds like your friends took her sister and nephew. I’m looking for my daughter. She was abducted by a wizard.”

  The lord stared at the man in his colorful attire for a long time as everyone waited for him to weigh in on the situation. “Clera, do your men have her kin?” he finally asked the leader of the group in red.

  “Yes.” Now that she had turned around to face Caitlin, the latter could see her red eyes. It wasn’t because she was tired or ill. Her pupils just gleamed bright red, as did those of the men under her command.

  “Let them go,” Caitlin said through gritted teeth. She raised her bow and aimed at Clera, slowly drawing the string back. She peered behind her to see that guards, clad in the dark armor of the city's colors, had arrived and surrounded them. She was trapped with no way of escape, but at least there was some space between her and the people in the red uniforms. She could still let loose an arrow before their blades came within striking distance.

  The Lord of Thermine stood, leaning heavily on a marble cane. He wasn’t fazed by Caitlin pointing an arrow in his general direction, even if it wasn’t directly aimed at him. Taking his time, he stepped down from the elevated throne until he was standing beside Clera. “She’s brave. I admire that,” he said. “Look at that bow. At this distance, you can’t stop or dodge that.”

  “She has good form. I’d take her into my troupe if she weren’t about to puncture my throat,” Clera remarked casually. She had put her sword away, knowing that it wouldn’t serve her any use in this situation. Caitlin was astonished at their cavalier attitude, but she tried her best not to show it. Shooting a boar in the forest had been one thing. Putting an arrow through the neck of a woman she had just met wasn’t something she wanted to do.

  “You said they’re harmless?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s end this without bloodshed, shall we?” the lord announced to the room. He took a step away from Clera and smiled at Caitlin. “The Dark Flame will let your sister and nephew go. In return, you must go with Clera and join her troupe. Is that agreeable?”

  Caitlin thought about the offer. She had no concept of what the Dark Flame was, only that they were supposedly going around and abducting women and their children. She was about to turn to Alister, the only person she knew in the room, when the lord tapped his cane sharply on the hard marble floor.

  “Don’t turn away from Clera! Concentrate! If you lose your focus, one of these men will be holding a sword to your throat before you know it,” he said.

  “Uh… thanks?” Caitlin said. She wondered why he was helping her. “What about the other women and children? I don’t want to go and become a child abductor.”

  “Fine. They’ll set them all free. It was a fool’s errand anyway. There is a more urgent matter at hand, and Clera could certainly use an archer for that task.”

  “I could indeed,” Clera added.

  “And I can trust the two of you?”

  “You have the word of Rylance Green, the Lord of Thermine,” he said. Caitlin looked at Clera, waiting for her to acquiesce as well.

  “Clera?” Rylance tapped his cane.

  She sighed. “So it shall be. Men, put your swords away. You have my word too. Would you lower the bow now?”

  “Not until I see them.”

  Chapter 60

  After tea, Mira brought them dinner and they all ate while Delmar regaled the newcomers to Servane with stories of his glory days. It was hard to imagine him being an accomplished swordsman back in the day, and they all took his words with a grain of salt, though they didn’t voice their skepticism.

  Dinner consisted of fruits and fresh vegetables. For people who were supposedly immune from the effects of aging and death, Delmar and Mira ate healthily. Leo knew he would have done the opposite. Every meal would have constituted of fried food if he were in the same position. In the meantime, Karine had simmered down and even she seemed to enjoy the simple meal.

  While Mira cleaned up after dinner, Delmar led the group outside where it was starting to get dark. He gave them a brief tour of the enclave and introduced them to several of its residents. The giants they had seen earlier were particularly friendly, while others were less welcoming. It appeared that they much preferred to keep to themselves, but begrudgingly greeted the guests at Delmar’s urging.

  It wasn’t clear if the tiny man had an official role within the community as its leader, but he certainly behaved like he was the mayor. According to him, there were about sixty residents at this time, though the number had fluctuated throughout the years he had been there. At its highest, their numbers were close to a hundred, and it had been cramped and crowded inside the mountain.

  At the end of the tour, Mira rejoined the group and led them to a hut that was mostly built into the side of the mountain. It was a kind of halfway house, she explained, to help transition newcomers into life in the mountain. Inside, she had already started a small fire in the stove to keep the guests warm, and laid out sheets on beds that were carved into the walls. There were eight beds in the wall, with four below and four on top, like bunk beds. David claimed the lower bunk on the far right, while Sarah chose to stay close and took the one above him.

  Leaving the four to rest, the mayor and first lady of Servane invited them to breakfast the next morning before wishing them goodnight.

  It was a lot to take in. Servane wasn’t as treacherous they had expected and the truth was so far from the stories Karine had heard. Nobody had said anything in a while since their hosts had left and they lay there in their beds.

  “Maybe we should stay here,” David said out of the blue.

  “What?” Sarah asked.

  “Maybe we should stay here.”

  David’s words echoed in the minds of his sister and Leo. It was certainly an idea that had crossed their own thoughts. Immortality, albeit in a mountain prison, was difficult to turn away from.

  “Maybe you should,” Karine uttered from the other end of the hut. Leo was in the bunk next to hers, and he said nothing and turned on his side, facing inwards. Tempting as it was, he knew he couldn’t spend eternity holed-up in a mountain community. He had to go home, he repeated over and over in his head as he drifted off to sleep, almost afraid that he might forget his main goal.

  *

  When Sarah woke up, she saw that the men were still soundly asleep as she climbed down from the top bunk. The bed where Karine was supposed to be was empty. It was no surprise that the elf was the first one up.

  For a brief moment, Sarah thought that the elf had left them behind and made her way off the mountain. “Maybe you should,” Sarah had heard her say as she closed her eyes last night. Her heart beat rapidly in panic, until she opened the door to see the now familiar, golden blonde hair. A couple of residents within the mountain community were out and stirring, as Sarah took a seat next to Karine on the short flight of steps that led up to the stone hut. The Englishwoman took a few deep breaths to slow down her heart rate, before she turned to Karine.

  The elf was staring absently at the grass at her feet and her mind appeared to be millions of miles away.

  “Karine?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you had gone,” Sarah said.

  “I don’t know what to do. Maybe staying here is the best thing. Let others deal with the evil forces of Gormore.”

  “What about your father?”

  The morning air was crisp and fresh. Birds could be heard chirping over them. It wasn’t just the peacefulness and calm inside this hidden paradise that was alluring. Right now, they were cut off from all worries of the outside world, including the world where Sarah came from. She didn’t have to worry about her job or trying to get a recording deal, or her brother being out of work with no prospects. Here, she could live a carefree life.

  Karine must have been thinking the same thing.

  “We need you,” Sarah said after a long silence.

  The elf looked at her sadly.
“We don’t even know how to get you back to your world.”

  “I know, but we can’t just give up. Neither can you.” Sarah put an arm around her friend and pulled her in for a hug. She felt the elf’s firm hand on the back of her head as she embraced the human. It was an unlikely friendship and they had both come to rely on each other for support and encouragement.

  “To Thelmont then,” Karine whispered into Sarah’s ear.

  Chapter 61

  She could hear the little steps of a child against the hard marble floor. Her arm was starting to stiffen and wobble ever so slightly from holding her pose for so long, and Caitlin was relieved that the standoff was almost at its end. Her knuckles were white from hanging on to the notched arrow and she even feared that she might lose her grip and accidentally send the projectile flying forward, killing Clera. There would have been no negotiating out of that snafu.

  “Aunt Caitlin!” It was the familiar voice of the little boy she had come to know as her nephew. A few moments later, she felt his arms wrap around her right leg. Finally, Caitlin lowered the bow and patted Edan on his head, before looking back to see Keela not far behind.

  As the three of them reunited and embraced, Rylance had returned to his throne and was now speaking with Alister in hushed voices. Occasionally they would laugh out loud, then change the subject back to something more solemn. Alister was presumably asking for help hunting down his daughter’s abductors.

  Caitlin was still checking to make sure Keela and Edan were unharmed, when she heard Alister’s loud and shrill voice.

  “She was here?!”

  On his seat of authority, Rylance nodded.

  “She was. With two other humans, young men, one was dark-skinned. And there was an elf. She was most skilled. Escaped through there, if you could believe it,” the Lord of Thermine said, pointing up at an opening in the ceiling above them. Instinctively, everyone looked up with their mouths open, in awe and wonder of how anyone could have accomplished that escape. Caitlin thought it was funny, even though she had also looked up, that people anywhere were the same. Point up in the sky, and everyone will look. It could be a bird. A plane. Even…

  “That’s them! Where is she? Where is my precious Sarah?” Alister continued to push for answers. He must have been very good friends with Rylance, since the nobleman didn’t seem to mind this colorful man, in the most literal sense, yelling at him while barely standing a foot away.

  “They escaped. My men underestimated them. It was two days ago.”

  Alister was so animated that he walked around flailing his arms as he spoke. Several of the members of the Dark Flame, Clera included, had to step aside to avoid being hit in the face. “Then give chase! I’ll lead the hunt!”

  Rylance tapped his cane on the ground in a rhythmic beat until Alister shut his mouth, though he didn’t stop pacing back and forth. “I can’t spare the men. Not after the attack on Silverbrick. Many survivors are fleeing here, and already rumors are spreading that we aided the attackers.”

  “Rumors! Rumors are only rumors if they’re not true,” Alister remarked.

  “Mind your words and tone, Alister,” Rylance said calmly. His tone had changed and he leaned forward on his cane for extra effect. “We may be old friends, but it will not stop me from having you thrown into the cells.”

  Caitlin felt a chill run down her spine. Since she had walked into the hall, apart from the throne, she hadn’t thought Rylance was any different from any other person she had met outside the keep. Yet, his stern words and composure now revealed the true gravitas of the man who ruled over an entire city. This was a man who didn’t make threats readily, and when he did, he followed through.

  Even Alister, who was as flippant as they come, felt the weight behind Rylance’s words. He stopped pacing in the middle of the hall, brought his lanky legs together, and bowed his head apologetically.

  “I spoke out of line, my Lord,” Alister said. His tone was more tempered.

  Rylance let him remain bowing for a few more moments, before motioning for him to raise his head. “I know you did it out of anxiety for your daughter, Alister. I wish I could help you, but I cannot afford to spare any men. We must march soon.”

  Suddenly, the man in black who had been sitting quietly in the seat by the side spoke up. “Perhaps the Dark Flame could assist. These individuals who have taken Alister’s daughter appear to work against the Blood Throne. It would be in our joint interest to pursue them,” he said.

  “Rance makes a good point,” Rylance said as he rose from his throne. “Clera, what do you say?”

  “They’re heading to Thelmont!” Alister chimed in, hoping it would further his case.

  Clera nodded. “He may ride with us to the Kallen Valley where we must carry out our orders. Then, he will have to proceed alone. The Dark Flame cannot enter Thelmont. At least, not yet.” She then turned to Caitlin. “Say your farewells. You will not be seeing them again anytime soon,” Clera said, as she strode by tall Australian. Caitlin felt like taking a swing at her, and she knew she could easily floor Clera, but she just clenched her fist and kept it down by her side.

  “Caitlin, what does she mean? Aren’t you coming home with us?” Keela asked.

  “I can’t. Here,” Caitlin fished out ten gold pieces from her recently acquired coin pouch and stuffed them into Keela’s hands. The latter was shocked. All her life, she had never seen so much money, nor had she any idea how Caitlin had obtained it. “You should be able to buy a horse or something, I think. Go home and stay safe. I… uh, I’ve got to go.”

  Caitlin closed Keela’s fingers around the coins and gave her a hug, before bending down to kiss Edan on the top of his head.

  Without another word, she ran after Clera and the red shirts. Alister was right behind her.

  Chapter 62

  When they arrived at the stone teepee for breakfast, steaming bowls were already set on the tables for them. Leo had no idea how Mira knew when they would be awake. It had only been just a few minutes ago when Sarah and Karine had informed him that they had made up their minds to leave Servane. David had managed a half-hearted protest, but he knew it was the right decision in the end. He would have been bored out of his mind staying inside a mountain for eternity.

  So, they had all agreed to inform their hosts of their decision.

  Breakfast was a scrumptious vegetable stew. Leo was always one for bacon, eggs, and sausages, or any kind of red meat, but he found himself slurping down the stew and wanting more. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t tell what some of the ingredients were when Mira set down another bowl in front of him just as he was finishing his first serving.

  “Thank you, Mira,” he said as he exchanged the bowls in his hand.

  “Eat up. You’ll need energy for the journey,” she replied.

  The four companions froze when they heard Mira’s words. “No need to panic, children,” she chided jokingly. “We know you’re planning on leaving. Eat up and we’ll show you how to get off the mountain. You can’t just go the way you came.”

  The small woman took her place beside Delmar who had finished his stew. He was amused at the dumbfounded looks on their faces. He got up from behind his table and picked up a wooden stick leaning against the wall. It was a plain looking stick that was smooth around the edges and both ends were flat. It was short too, just coming up to around Delmar’s waist, and he held it like a sword instead of a walking stick. Somehow, he appeared a different man with the stick in his hand. It was strange how an item could change their perception of a small, seemingly defenseless man, into a possibly dangerous warrior.

  His gentle eyes twinkled as he walked over to Leo’s table and tapped the table with the stick. “Come out when you’re done with your stew.” That was all he said, and he exited the teepee. It had been an invitation, not a threat, and Leo was genuinely intrigued as he swallowed his mouthful of hot stew.

  *

  He didn’t finish the second bowl of vegetable stew. He was too e
ager to find out what Delmar wanted to show him. At first, he thought the short man was standing motionless under a tree just outside the teepee, but then he realized that Delmar was just moving very slowly, with the stick in his hand. It was like one of those exercises he had seen old people do in the park.

  Behind him, he could hear Mira asking Sarah to go with her to fetch some fresh clothes for everyone. As the two of them stepped away, Karine and David stood at the top of the steps of the teepee and watched.

  “How do you like wielding Sparrow?” Delmar asked. His eyes were closed as he continued his exercise, moving the stick slowly from right to left. He must have heard Leo approaching.

  Leo tapped the sword by his side, wondering how Delmar knew the name of his sword. “It’s good. It was given to me by uh, my father, Sam. He said some guy named Pexaf gave it to him.”

  “Pexaf? Never heard of him,” Delmar remarked. There was another long pause as Leo waited for him to continue. A few of the other residents of Servane had also gathered around, though they kept their distance, as if wary of getting too close to Delmar. At last, the small man lowered the stick and opened his eyes.

  “That sword was once mine. Part of a set of two.” Delmar nodded at the blade. Leo remembered Sam had mentioned something about that when John had brought the sword to their room in The Laughing Frog.

  “That’s… wow. What are the chances?” Leo said.

  “Chances?” Delmar laughed. “It is by design. I don’t know how or by whose hand, but here you stand with that sword before my very eyes. A reminder of the battle I didn’t fight. Tell me, what do you fight for?”

  He couldn’t possibly tell Delmar the real reason why they had embarked on this journey. Even for a man who had lived more than two hundred years, Leo doubted that he would believe Leo’s story.

  “Even without you, the battle was won many years ago,” Karine interjected on Leo’s behalf, sensing his trepidation. “Alas, Gormore rises again. Another now sits on the Blood Throne. Will you join us, Delmar? Fight the battle you missed. End this madness.”