by Sam Ferguson
Nebenuk sighed once more. “I did,” he said. “I fashioned it several millennia ago, but I was not the one who made it what it has become today.”
“What do you mean?” Miranda asked.
“I fashioned the amulet to help Tanglewood Forest. You may not be aware of this, but the first several centuries of Terramyr’s history were rife with conflict. There was a time when even the Gods themselves could not fully control the world. That is when I fashioned the amulet.”
“If that’s true, then you would be thousands of years old,” Jason put in suddenly. “Elves don’t live that long.”
Nebenuk held up his hand again. “Most elves live for one thousand years, it is true, but I have extended my life.”
“How?” Jason asked.
Nebenuk shook his head. “We are here to talk about Raven,” he said, bringing the subject back to Miranda’s father. “He brought the amulet and I told him the same thing I will tell you. There was a family struggle among my posterity after the amulet began to lose power. My nephew, Lidaryn, altered the amulet so that we could put our very life essence into it to fuel it. Unfortunately, the council deemed it was too dangerous an artifact to keep after that point.
“They were right. Soon, the family fought over the amulet, and eventually a small group managed to steal it, and hide it away. It was discovered after some centuries that the amulet needed more life force to operate. Soon, elves began disappearing.” Nebenuk’s eyes welled with tears and he looked down to his feet. “I led a few of my most valiant sons to crush the wicked sect of necromancers that had taken to sacrificing their own kin for the glory of controlling the weather. We rid Tanglewood Forest of Lidaryn and his followers’ putrescence, and then we banished the amulet to the Netherworld.”
“Why not destroy it?” Miranda asked.
Nebenuk shook his head. “We tried, but we were unable to do it. Like you, we used weapons and tools to shatter it, but the crystal regrew and healed itself no matter what we did. So, the sitting council at the time opened a small rift to the Netherworld, and we sent it through. I had thought our work was done, but when Raven came to me with the amulet, I knew we had failed. Someone has followed in Lidaryn’s footsteps, and the realm is in dire straits so long as the amulet is out there.”
“Did my father give it back to you?” Miranda asked.
Nebenuk shook his head. “I alone do not have the power to seal it away.”
“So he went to seek out the council then?” Jason surmised.
Miranda shook her head. “No, the council is no longer complete.”
Nebenuk smiled and nodded at her. “That is true. The council used to be comprised of three elders from each of the seven elf races. Now, however, many of the elves have moved on from Tanglewood Forest. Even if the council wished to banish this relic, I doubt they would have the strength to do so. The elves of my day, especially the patriarchs, had a power and level of skill that few elves ever achieve these days. Raven may have gone to the council for guidance, however, as they may know of a method to dispose of it, or perhaps to seal its danger.”
“Where did he go then?” Jonathan asked.
Nebenuk smiled slyly at him. “After I gave him the amulet’s history, he traveled northward, to Telward, via the causeway that travels through Sohn.”
Miranda screwed up her face and frowned. “But the council lies in Gwyndoltai, why not travel through Heartspring directly to Gwyndoltai?”
“Because,” Nebenuk said with a frown. “He told me of the trolls in the Murkle Quags. He enlightened me to the war that had been raging in your lands.”
“You have been living here for thousands of years and yet you didn’t know?” Jason asked.
“I suppose Gadrien had not realized the importance of informing me. He would have been my only connection to the world outside this preserve.” Nebenuk gestured to the area around them, reminding them that he was in fact hiding within a magical preserve of mystical creatures. “Had he told me, I would have suspected that they had found the amulet.”
“They?” Miranda pressed.
Nebenuk nodded. “You know about the rift between the drow and other elves, yes?”
Miranda nodded.
“Since that time, there have been pockets of drow who seek powerful artifacts in an attempt to restore their long lost power. Gadrien told me of one troublesome youth, a descendant of mine who, unfortunately, seeks to bring our family back to power.” Nebenuk sighed and folded his arms. “His name is Larkyn, and he is a Tomni’Tai noble, the son of my eldest son’s eldest son, and heir to the council seat we held. However, he, along with any drow who remained behind after the drow exodus from Tanglewood Forest, have always been rejected by the council. Therefore, the only way he can claim the seat is to take it by force.”
“A war among the elves,” Jason whispered breathlessly.
“And he will stop at nothing to get what he wants, or to prevent others from stopping him.”
Jonathan suddenly remembered the letter shoved into his pocket and he pulled it out and offered it to Nebenuk. “I was given this on the street, just before we were attacked.”
Nebenuk took the note and opened it. “This is written in Gadrien’s handwriting,” Nebenuk said. “He told me that he would be working to solve the mystery after Raven had traveled north. Go to him, see if he can offer clues where I cannot. Here, I will write his address and draw a map to his home from here.”
“Actually, I have his address,” Jason said referring to the paper Ziegler had already given him. Jason then reached into his pocket and pulled out the strange silver charm left by their attacker. “Do you recognize this?”
Nebenuk took the charm in his hand and sighed. “This is the symbol of my family. Where did you find it?”
“Someone attacked us. He got away, but he dropped that,” Jonathan said.
“Oh, he wouldn’t drop it,” Nebenuk said decisively. “This is a charm that belongs on a bracelet. There would be seven such charms on the bracelet by now, possibly more. One for each generation of my posterity. I was the first to carry it.”
“Then Larkyn is the one who attacked us?” Jason asked.
Nebenuk’s eyes grew dim and watery. “I never intended to create pain for this world. I had created the amulet to use for good, to bring peace and order to Tanglewood Forest.” He looked to Jonathan with sorrow in his purple eyes. “I am afraid I cannot go with you. To leave the preserve would be to die for me. However, should you ever need assistance, return to me and I will tell you what I can. Now you must go to Gadrien.”
Jonathan nodded, then he pointed to Ma’at. “Can he help us get out of here quickly?”
Nebenuk smiled and nodded once. “Ma’at,” he called. “Please take our friends to the edge of the preserve so they can resume their quest.”
The pegasus whinnied and unfurled his great wings once more.
CHAPTER 5
Jonathan, Jason, and Miranda stopped on the opposite side of the street from what Ziegler had marked down as Gadrien’s house. The building was made of the same, sparkling white stone, and rose three stories tall with a sloped roof of tile facing the street. Two stained glass windows in the top floor depicted floral scenes with hummingbirds, while the windows on the second and first levels were made of plain glass. The door to the house was made of mahogany, and sat twenty feet back from the road, separated from the group by a small fence with a waist-high gate that marked the border of the exquisite orange and yellow rose bushes and the expertly trimmed rows of hedges flanking the coral and gray flagstone path to the door.
“Should we go up and knock?” Miranda asked.
Jonathan nodded and led the way. He pushed open the gate and approached the door with a determined gait, only to find it already open when he struck it with the bottom of his fist to knock. The door creaked eerily and the hall inside was cluttered with overturned chairs and bits of scorched wood. Jonathan looked up to see a large, charred circle in the wall nearby and his stomach tightened.
“Larkyn was here, come on!” Jonathan said.
Jason followed him in and pulled a pair of knives from his pack, handing one to Jonathan. “Eyes open, little brother.”
A rustling sound was heard up the stairway to their left. The three shared a nod and then crept up the stairs. Thankfully, the thick green carpet runner muffled their steps and the stairs did not squeak. Jonathan then heard what sounded like voices, but he couldn’t be sure. When they reached the top of the stairs, a door to the right was ajar just enough to see a shadow cross the doorway.
Someone was inside.
Jason snuck to the far side of the door, while Jonathan crept up to the near side on the right. Miranda moved into position and lifted her hands, preparing a spell. Jonathan nodded to Jason and then the two took a breath. Jason kicked the door the rest of the way open and the two brothers rushed in, breaking out wide to the sides.
A large hand seized Jonathan and tossed him into the wall face-first.
“Easy Moose! It’s our boys!” Ziegler shouted.
Jonathan stumbled back from the wall, a bit too dazed to realize that they had just rushed in on the other Ghosts. He waved his knife around a bit as his eyes regained their focus. As his vision came back in and his head stopped ringing, Jonathan noticed Bull standing in front of him with a wide grin.
“Shouldn’t try sneaking up on Ghosts of the Quags, you ought to know that by now.”
“We thought you were him,” Jason said.
“Him who?” Ziegler asked.
Jonathan put the knife away and turned around to see what had happened. Ziegler was kneeling next to a dead body. An elf with long, golden hair was face-down upon the wooden floor. A bookcase was overturned, covering the elf’s lower half. Blood was pooling around the elf’s head and right arm. Books and papers were everywhere.
“We got here too late,” Jonathan said.
“Too late?” Ziegler echoed. The captain stood up and approached the brothers. “If you two know something I don’t, I suggest you tell me, now.”
“We were attacked on our way to the preserve,” Jonathan said.
Ziegler shook his head. “Who attacked you?”
“Not sure, never got a good look at him, but we think his name is Larkyn, a drow relative of Nebenuk, the elf who made the amulet Raven has been investigating.”
“Slow down,” Ziegler said. “Who is Larkyn, and where did he attack you?”
“He might be the one Raven is after,” Jason reported. “He attacked us with fire spells. We were saved with the help of others in the preserve,” Jason said.
“Who helped you?” Ziegler pressed.
Jason opened his mouth but then hesitated. “It might sound a bit crazy, but we were saved by fairies.”
“Bwahaha!” Bull shouted as he clapped his hands together. “Oh, you boys are never going to live that down. Saved by a bunch of pixies!”
“Bull, tuck it away, now.” Ziegler silenced the bald warrior with a stern glare, then he turned back to the body. “And what makes you think this Larkyn fellow was after Gadrien too?”
With Jason still red in the face over Bull’s comment, Jonathan spoke up. “The fairies sent us to see Nebenuk, an old elf living in the preserve. He gave us clues about Raven and the amulet the troll king used in the Murkle Quags. Then told us to come here and speak with Gadrien. Seems he knew him as well. We came as soon as we could, but it wasn’t fast enough.”
Moose pulled a mammoth cigar from a pouch on his belt and lit it, then he turned toward the window and scanned the street below, grunting as he let out a puff of smoke.
“Moose is right,” Bull said respectfully. “We’ll need to leave soon, before the guards catch us in here. Someone is sure to have seen or heard something.”
Ziegler shook his head. “No,” he said. “Whoever killed Gadrien was quiet about it.”
Bull gestured around and scoffed. “How is someone quiet while doing this?”
“The intruder tore the place apart after he killed Gadrien. Either way, he killed the elf silently.”
Jonathan shook his head. “But there were signs of a struggle,” he said. “Downstairs there are scorch marks on the wall and floor.”
Ziegler raised an eyebrow and moved back to Gadrien. Bull picked up the overturned bookcase and Ziegler flipped the corpse up to show the others the wound in Gadrien’s chest. Jonathan saw a small, deep hole in the right side of Gadrien’s chest. The copious amount of blood pooling around him proved that this was the fatal wound. From the small bubbles in the blood, Jonathan knew that the wound had pierced Gadrien’s lung. He had seen similar wounds plenty of times before while hunting deer.
“Whoever did this knew Gadrien well enough to allow them to come in close, from the front,” Ziegler said.
“Then what of the scorch marks on the first floor?” Jonathan pressed.
“Maybe two intruders,” Bull pointed out. “Perhaps we have more than one person who wanted Gadrien dead, and they ran into each other.”
“Or maybe Larkyn killed Gadrien quietly and then wanted to cause a ruckus to make neighbors aware of the fight,” Jason said. “Maybe he was hoping we would come here and then get caught by the guards, and they could deal with us since he failed.”
Ziegler nodded. “Could be. We didn’t see the scorch marks, we came in from the back door. Show us where they are.”
Jonathan took the others back down to the landing near the entryway, showing them the large circle on the wall and the bits of charred wood on the floor.
“Kid’s right,” Bull said. “Does look like a fight.”
Ziegler bent down and picked up a piece of silver from the floor. “Anyone recognize this?” he asked.
Jason immediately produced the charm from his pocket and moved in close to examine the second one. “It’s a match,” Jason announced. “Larkyn was here.”
Suddenly, Moose made a quick line for the front door and leaned to the side, peering out. He closed the door and then locked it.
“Time to go, guards are here,” Moose said.
“Snake piss, this is poor timing!” Bull swore.
Ziegler gestured with his hands for Moose to lead the way and the group quickly fell into a line, running through the rubble to the back side of the house. Not two moments after they were out and had the back door closed before Jonathan heard a large explosion.
“That’ll be them knocking in the door with their own magic,” Bull said.
Ziegler pointed to a large well in the middle of the rear garden. The group ran toward it. Moose reached down into the water and then jerked to the side.
Jonathan was a bit confused at first, but then he heard a low, metallic clicking noise inside the well. That was soon followed by a grinding sound, like stone being slid over another bit of rock, and Jonathan understood that Moose was activating some sort of hidden passageway.
“Come on,” Ziegler said.
Jonathan followed the others to a large family monument that was swiveling out and away from a large hole in the ground.
“In you go, cross your ankles and fold your arms over your chest!”
Bull jumped in feet first, locking his ankles before he disappeared in the darkness. Miranda went next, then Ruben. Jason jumped in a second before Jonathan, Captain Ziegler and Moose brought up the rear. Jonathan felt something hard and smooth slam into his back and buttocks, and then he began sliding at a steep angle downward. Darkness closed in as the statue above moved back into place, and then it was as if he was traveling through a void of sorts. The only sound was the rough slipping of cloth and occasional grunt as someone was jarred on the smooth, cold stone chute. The ride felt as though it lasted an hour, though in reality it was only a few seconds before they were dumped out into a pool of water.
Jonathan only managed to suck in half a breath before his body was enveloped by the warm water. He had no way of knowing how deep he had fallen, but he immediately threw his arms out and began clawing his way up to the surface.
&nbs
p; FAWOMP!
A wave of water pushed Jonathan out to the side as Ziegler plummeted into the water beside him. The boy thanked the gods that Ziegler hadn’t landed on top of him, and then resumed swimming to the surface. His face was greeted by cool, musty air as he broke free from the water and took in a new breath.
“Jonathan, over here!” Jason called in the darkness.
Jonathan swam toward his brother, but was dragged below the surface when something heavy fell upon his ankle. A large hand pushed him aside in the water and Jonathan realized that Moose had just landed in the pool. Once again he swam to the surface and then called out for his brother. The voices guided him to a solid surface, but it was still darker than any place Jonathan had ever been before.
“Kind of like the chute in the Warrens right?” Jason said as he slapped Jonathan’s back.
Jonathan wished Jason hadn’t drudged up that memory. That particular chute had led down to the troll king, and resulted in a terrifying battle. Worse than that, Jonathan hadn’t known whether that particular chute would open up to anything, or drown him inside of it, as it had actually been an underground waterway.
“No,” Jonathan said. “Not exactly like that one.”
“Ruben, give us light,” Ziegler said.
An instant later there was a soft, blue, glowing orb in the air over them. Jonathan looked around to see that the underground pool extended for another thirty yards in the opposite direction, where it then met a sheer wall of brown stone.
Jonathan then realized that something was missing. His heart skipped when he patted the pocket that had held his book. It was gone.
“Come on,” Ziegler said. “The guards may still be able to track us unless we hurry.”
Jonathan almost thought to go back into the water after it, but he knew it was a lost cause. Even if he could find it in the depths, which was doubtful at best, the pages were surely ruined by now. The book was lost. He took in a breath, and tried to push it out of his mind. “What is this place?” Jonathan asked, hoping conversation would take his mind off of his precious travel guide.
