by Kel Kade
“Yes,” he said.
“You are a swordbearer,” Malcius said. He threw his hands in the air and said, “Of course, you are a swordbearer. Why would you not be a swordbearer? You are everything else. Why not a swordbearer?”
“I told you that Bordran had given me unlimited authority,” Rezkin said. “This is how he did it.”
Tam leaned over to Frisha and said in a forced whisper, “I’m friends with a swordbearer!”
Frisha rolled her eyes. “You’re friends with a king.”
Ignoring them, Malcius said, “That is why you never drew it in our presence. You did not want us to know.” With a suspicious perusal of the weapon, he added, “You said before that you do not draw it unless you intend to kill someone.”
Rezkin motioned over his shoulder. “We do not know what lies within the darkness. We should all be prepared.”
The others took this as a command and drew their own weapons. Rezkin almost regretted his words now that so many unseen blades were bared, but the mysteries that lay in the darkness were potentially more dangerous than those who had sworn to him their support or fealty.
“Check the other doors,” Rezkin ordered. “See if they are still sealed.”
“Are you sure, Sire? That did not go so well for you,” Kai said.
“Of course it did. The door is open, is it not?” Rezkin said. At the striker’s huff of dissatisfaction, Rezkin added, “Whatever spell assaulted me did not seem to affect anyone else who examined them. We have no reason to believe it will begin doing so now.”
The striker motioned to Jimson to have the men check the other doors. Rezkin gained a respite while the soldiers did his bidding. No one questioned him further, and he wondered how bad he had looked. Even those who had not seen the worst of his reaction were eyeing him speculatively. He was glad he had ordered Xa to stay aboard the ship with Ilanet.
Several minutes later, Jimson reported that the doors were indeed unlocked.
“Very well,” Rezkin said. “Split into five units with at least one mage in each. Gather torches as well. I do not wish to depend on talent in this place. We will enter each doorway in unison to ensure that no one flanks us. I will take this one.”
Shezar suggested, “Your Majesty, perhaps you should allow us to perform the forward reconnaissance while you maintain the command center here.”
Rezkin knew what the striker really meant was for him to stay behind because they did not trust him to keep his wits. Shezar might have had a point, but Rule 239 said to protect yourself before others to the exclusion of Rule 1, and Rule 1 was to protect and honor your friends. Rezkin would not allow his friends to go into potential danger without him. He was not yet fully recovered, but he could now recognize the presence of multiple people around him.
“An unknown power resides in this place, and I am apparently the only one trained to sense it. I will not allow you all to enter at a disadvantage,” he said.
“We do not sense it because there is nothing to sense,” Wesson replied. “Whatever power resides here seems to affect only you; therefore, you are in the greatest danger.”
“I disagree,” Rezkin said. “The spell on the door did not affect you when you touched it because you were not a threat. When we sailed through the island’s ward on the ship, you were violently shoved across the deck as the ward prevented you from passing. That proves this power can affect you, even when you cannot sense it.”
“Yes, we must discuss what happened on the ship as well as with the door,” Wesson said. “Still, the unknown power only prevented me from passing through the ward. It did not attack me, as it did you.”
“I do not believe it was attacking me,” Rezkin mused thoughtfully.
“Then what?” Tieran asked. “Rezkin, you almost died!”
“I believe it was testing me, and I prevailed. As you can see, the doors are now open. Let us get on with this.”
Chapter 13
Rezkin ordered Tam and Frisha to remain behind on the dock, to their disappointment. Kai insisted on accompanying his king, but Rezkin sent Striker Shezar to lead another unit. Reaylin was fuming when she learned she also had to stay behind. With the high percentage of skilled swordsmen and warriors in their company, the young woman’s skills as a healer were more important.
With the strikers in the lead, Rezkin donned his mask and entered the dark chasm beyond the monstrous stone doors. The torchlight carried a few dozen feet in every direction, but still they could not see the walls or ceiling. To the party’s right and left, torches appeared as the other units passed the thresholds. Far on the other side of the cavern, a fifth torch appeared from a gap in the side wall where the dry dock was located. Every door opened to the same massive chamber.
Kai waved his torch to signal the advance. Each of the five units methodically made its way into the depths of the hall. It was nearly a hundred yards in length and at least fifty in width. Evenly spaced columns rose from the smooth, polished floor into the eerie darkness above. Upon each column were carved fantastical scenes in intricate detail. Some were of terrible, bloody battles, others bore images of festivals with lavish feasts and joyous dancers, and still others held depictions of great, mythical beasts or tiny fae creatures.
A fresh breeze blew in from the open doors, sweeping around the columns to elicit a haunting call that echoed into the darkness that embraced them. The peaceful serenity induced by the stillness was suddenly broken by a shout from the team that had entered through the first door to the right. The cry clattered off the walls and floor and reverberated throughout the immense chamber before fading into the gloom. The others turned to join those who had sounded the call.
Rising from a recess in the far right-hand corner of the chamber was a grand staircase wide enough for at least fifteen people to stand abreast. The steps were carved of the same stone that made up the rest of the chamber and were slightly taller than was customary in Ashai. While Rezkin would have no problem scaling the blocks, the petite Reaylin and some of the small-men might find the ascent awkward.
“What do you think?” Shezar asked in a gruff voice that was quickly swallowed by the still air. “A warehouse?”
“Or a staging ground for troops,” Kai suggested as he stroked his beard, his eyes glinting in the firelight with visions of an army standing ready for battle in the darkness.
Keeping Wesson in his peripheral view so he would not lose him, Rezkin studied a shoulder-high pedestal that stood to one side of the stairs. The smooth stone twisted like the roots of a massive marglow tree that abruptly ended at a flat top, into which was embedded a metallic claw molded like the talons of a great raptor. The talons faced upward and were gripping a long, prismatic crystal about the length of Rezkin’s forearm.
“What is it?” he asked the mages.
Wesson, who was closest, leaned in to examine the beautiful structure. “It looks like a mage stone, but I do not see or sense any spells. Based on what you told us about the place, it has been a very long time since this was in use. Most likely, the spells or enchantments have long since dissipated.”
“Like the one on the door?” Rezkin mused.
Wesson shrugged and looked to the other mages. No one offered additional answers.
Rezkin reached out to touch the stone, but Kai halted his arm with a firm grip. Rezkin’s muscles clenched in alarm. He had not realized the striker was so close.
“My king, perhaps you should avoid touching anything. We would not want a repeat of what happened earlier.”
Rezkin raised a brow and remarked, “We would not be standing here if not for the earlier incident.”
The striker begrudgingly released his hold, and they all held their breaths as Rezkin’s fingers slid across the smooth surface. The crystal was flawless and perfectly translucent and … cold. When the chill began, Rezkin’s first instinct was to snatch his hand away, but this power did not attempt to seize him like the other. It was cool and inviting—like a shaded pond on a hot summer day.
He had the sense that the power wanted something from him, but he could not say what it was. He peered deeper into the crystal, but the torchlight was insufficient to expose the mystical object’s hidden secrets.
He opened his mouth to ask one of the mages to produce more light, but as soon as the thought formed, the crystal blazed to life. Pale blue tendrils of light snaked and twisted like lightning within the lattice. Everyone jumped back. As Rezkin blinked away the stars in his eyes, he saw that the crystal before him was no longer the only source of blue light in the room. The entire ceiling, which he could now see was at least forty feet high, was ignited with a soft topaz glow. Rings of glowing blue crystals wrapped around every pillar, and the walls were adorned with beautiful carvings and swirling mosaics of illuminated crystals.
“How did you do that?” Wesson exclaimed in wonder.
“I only thought to ask you to produce more light, and then this,” Rezkin said with a wave of his hand around the bright chamber.
“Then, it works on intent,” said another mage named Baelin Gale.
Baelin was an elemental mage whose affinities were wind and water. Waves of dark brown hair framed his face where they hung at the sides nearly merging with an equally wavy, silky beard.
Baelin suggested, “Perhaps it is enchanted so that anyone can activate it.”
“I do not sense even the slightest use of power,” observed Mage Ondrus, the only Master life mage in Rezkin’s company.
“Nor do I,” Wesson agreed.
The mages began chattering about various aspects of magery that sounded like intelligent gibberish to untrained ears.
Although he was much recovered, Rezkin was still attempting to regain his focus. He needed time to process what had happened earlier, especially if it was true that he had actually died. With his focus shattered, he had entirely too much to consider while standing in a foreign room illuminated by an unknown power in a mythical fortress that had been nearly forgotten by time. He did not like leaving the rest of his friends on the dock and ship, and he had no idea what lay at the top of the stairs.
“Enough,” he said, interrupting the increasingly heated debate regarding the nature of the power illuminating the chamber. “Drascon!”
“Yes, Sire,” the second lieutenant responded with a salute as he made his way to the front of the group.
People often underestimated Drascon’s intelligence due to his charming good looks, large stature, and quiet demeanor, but he had proven himself to be both observant and intuitive. Rezkin still did not know how far he could trust the man, but he would use him nonetheless.
“Your unit will maintain position here. Send a runner to inform the others of our progress.” Rezkin looked over the others and said, “Jimson, Shezar, and Leyton’s units will advance with my own to the next landing where Jimson’s will hold position. Shezar’s unit will cover the left, Leyton’s the right, and mine will go forward. Make no more than two turns before reporting back to Captain Jimson. Designate a runner. If you encounter any resistance, the runner will not engage. He will report back to the captain immediately. Any questions?”
Everyone shook their heads and then shuffled around to take up their respective positions. Rezkin could now observe most of the people at the same time, but recognizing any details about the individuals was still beyond him.
The troop ascended the stairs with weapons at the ready. The light from the chamber below struggled to reach beyond the lower half of the stairs, so the remainder of the climb was made by insufficient torchlight. Rezkin decided that he was a bit more comfortable with the poorer lighting conditions. Those around him could not see him any better than he could focus on them; and now that he did not have to concentrate on as many visual cues, he could focus on his other senses to greater effect. He only hoped that any inhabitants of the ancient citadel were at similar disadvantage.
At the top of the staircase was a wide corridor running to the left and right, and to one side was another crystal-topped pedestal Wesson placed his hand on the crystal but nothing happened. He focused his vimara into the foreign object and even searched for the trigger for the spell, but he found nothing that indicated the crystal held any power. The mage considered Rezkin’s explanation for how he had managed to light the crystal on the lower level and then concentrated his will on creating more light. When that failed, the four other mages surrounded the pillar, and their attempts were met with the same results.
“By the Maker,” Kai grumbled. “How many mages does it take to light a mage lamp?”
Deciding the mages could play with the crystals later, when there was less chance of being set upon or surrounded by unknown, hostile enemies, Rezkin slipped his hand over the crystal and willed it to light. In an instant, the entire corridor was flooded with glimmering blue luminescence. Swirling mosaics of topaz-blue crystals reflected off the smooth, polished stone walls in both directions. Some of the crystals glowed softly while others shimmered or sparkled, and these seemed to be organized in a purely aesthetic arrangement.
“Apparently, the answer is none,” Shezar said wryly.
The mages began muttering amongst themselves when Rezkin not so subtly reminded them that they were on a mission. If these people were to be his army, much training was in their futures. They would be lucky to survive invading an empty fortress. With a quick flick of his hand, Shezar’s unit moved down the corridor to their left. Rezkin’s unit accompanied Leyton’s in the opposite direction.
LeukCaptain Leyton Wuald was retired from the king’s army and had been employed as a guard for House Nirius for the past ten years. Although he originally had misgivings about the pompous Lord Rezkin he first met in Skutton, he could not deny the might of the infamous Dark Tidings. Ever since the dark warrior’s identity had been revealed, Lord Rezkin had been a completely different man. Leyton had to have faith that his wife and children were safe at Wellinven under the protection of the duke who, according to the last reports, still held his position against the king’s forces. The leukcaptain felt that his best bet at seeing his family again was to stay near Tieran Nirius, and the young lord was dedicated to King Rezkin.
The corridor was clean and free of dust, despite the countless ages that had presumably passed since anyone had last set foot in the citadel. Although the passage branched to the left several times, the two units continued forward. The corridor ended at an intersection that diverged to the left and right, and the passage was clean and illuminated just as the previous one had been. The king directed Leyton’s unit to the right while his own surveyed the left.
The former guardsman led his people down the passage with more than a little caution. Leyton was a decent swordsman and had held a position of authority while serving in the army, but he felt more confident with the quality of fighters currently at his back. Swordmaster Yserria Rey had been impressive during the King’s Tournament, surprising everyone who claimed she would fail due to her being both a woman and a commoner. Viscount Abertine of Sandea had competed in the fourth tier and the melee and had finished well. The man claimed to remain in the company of the refugees to show his support for the True King of Ashai, but Leyton suspected the lord was more interested in gathering intelligence.
Also on his team were Yerlin and Marlis Tomwell, brothers from a noble line so distanced from the great houses that they might as well have been commoners. The brothers had found other ways to set themselves apart, however. Sir Marlis had competed with the spear in the melee event and was an accomplished swordsman of the fifth tier, although he had not claimed a prize. Four years prior, he had been named a knight of the realm by King Bordran for several acts of bravery and accomplishment. Marlis’s older brother, Yerlin, was a life mage employed as a horse trainer for the knights of the realm and had set his hopes on becoming a master at the Mage Academy.
Additionally, Leyton had three of the Eastern Mountains men who claimed King Rezkin as their chieftain due to his mountain-man-style defeat of their leader during the tournament.
The final members of the unit were two king’s army soldiers, Sergeant Millins and Corporal Namm. Millins had apparently been in King Rezkin’s company for close to a month prior to the tournament, and Namm had spontaneously elected to assist the refugees in escaping the arena rather than fight against them.
The unit passed two small rooms to the right on their way down the corridor. Neither had a door, although piles of dust lay at the thresholds. Within the dust were perfectly preserved nails and hinges that looked as pristine as the day they had been forged. Along the walls stood metal racks of weapons and armor, some of them strange and completely foreign. Despite the thousands of years that had passed since these items had been stored, each metal article was polished and sharp, without a hint of rust. Many of them were missing handles and straps, however. Smaller piles of dust were strewn about beneath the armaments. It seemed that while the stone and metal were preserved, anything made of wood, leather, or fabric had long ago turned to dust.
Just past the storage rooms, the corridor narrowed, and the patterns of crystals on the walls abruptly changed to a geometric design that repeated at regular intervals every few paces. Each arrangement looked as if it would frame some item that had once hung from the wall but was now missing.
“Perhaps it is a decorative feature,” suggested Viscount Abertine.
Yserria looked at them curiously and mused, “They almost look like arrow slits.”
“Except that they are being solid rock,” said Grath Jaeg, one of the mountain men.
Mage Yerlin ran his fingers over the polished stone wall. In an instant, the stone within the frame vanished, and the mage was struck with a cool burst of sea breeze. The deep cobalt blue of the ocean and the sky’s lighter cornflower hue replaced the drab grey of the stone. The crystals that framed the opening no longer glowed blue but now radiated green.
“It is an arrow slit!” Yserria exclaimed. “Look there. It opens out of the cliff over the ocean.”
