by Jay Swanson
“What on earth is this?” Alisia came up behind him.
“I have no idea.”
“Should we follow the path?”
“It did lead us to it,” he said. “Maybe we should.”
They were slow to turn from the river. There was something safe about it that called to Ardin. Something reassuring that the forests didn't provide. He felt as though only horrible things happened in forests any more. With a vague sense of dread, they made their way up the path, losing it for moments only to stumble upon it again in the canopy-diffused moonlight.
Ardin didn't know what lay ahead. He had enjoyed White Shores so much that it hurt to leave it behind. However short their stay had been, he wished there had been more time to spend with Caspian. And now they were looking for another Mage, one who may not even be alive. Not to mention the possibility that they didn't know where his allegiances and temper lay.
They trekked on like that for some time in the dark, neither saying much beyond the occasional warning of tree roots or loss and rediscovery of the stone path. Ardin could barely keep his eyes open but Alisia kept them moving forward with what felt like an undying determination. He wished he was as driven and disciplined as she was sometimes, even if it meant gallivanting up mountains in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.
And then she stopped.
He almost didn't notice it right away, his head down, searching for the path as it ran along the low brush and debris. It startled him enough that he almost shouted. She was frozen, like a hunting dog scenting its quarry for the first time. Pointing the way with her wide eyes, she looked unsure of what was out there but certain something lay in wait. He followed her gaze, then looked back.
“Someone's here,” she whispered before he could ask. “Someone powerful.”
Ardin looked back around, scanning the area but unable to see beyond a handful of trees in the distance in any direction. He felt frustrated for a moment, but then thought back on how he had healed his face.
He closed his eyes, and imagined there was some sort of magic user nearby. He tried to keep images out of his head, clear his mind's eye, seeking just the source of the power and not trying to put a face to it.
He could see the trees in his mind, they came easily enough. His consciousness roved between them, his imagination working in conjunction with some awareness outside himself. Where it came from or whether he could trust it was beyond him, but he followed it as it began to take on a mind of its own.
And then he was there. At first all he could see was a broiling ball of energy, floating between two trees. Contained, controlled, like a powder keg under pressure. Ardin tried to see who it was, focusing in. A tall, dark figure in a full cloak from head to toe materialized in his mind, standing in the trees not fifty feet further on. His face was hidden from Ardin, who felt a shock of fear strike his chest with the discovery.
Whether or not it was real, Ardin wasn't moving. Alisia was right, whoever this man was he was very powerful. Ardin could feel it now, and could understand her fear in a new way that only amplified his own.
The figure looked up suddenly, as if straight at him. He could sense Ardin's presence. Ardin didn't know how he knew this but it made him so uncomfortable he jerked his head back to open his eyes.
“He's along the path,” he whispered. “He's–”
The figure appeared in front of them, barely ten paces away. He loomed over them in the darkness, studying them. Before Ardin or Alisia could think to defend themselves he extended one arm towards them. Instantly they found themselves wrapped in invisible chains, arms constricted to their sides, trapped.
THIRTY
“WHO ARE YOU?” a voice emanated from the figure like rancid honey. His black cloak against the deep night of the forest made him nearly invisible.
Ardin's throat caught, but he forced his way through it.
“Vitalis, Ardin Vitalis.” He found himself wishing his voice wouldn't quake so violently. His heart was flying, he felt utterly naked.
“Not you,” the voice rebuked him.
“My name is Alisia,” Alisia offered. Her voice sounded so calm compared to his own. “Who are you?”
“Where did you come from?”
They stayed silent.
“I saw the sails that brought you here. Boats like that are rare. Very rare indeed.” He seemed to be studying them again. “A friend of mine once made those as a hobby; they took a very long time. He only ever completed two or three, I believe. None still exist, to my knowledge. Where did you come from?”
“White Shores,” Ardin said, hoping to appease their captor.
“That's forbidden land,” said the voice. “How did you come to it?”
“We stowed away.” He felt compelled to answer now.
The figure never moved, yet his presence increasingly imposed itself on them. Ardin worried the wrong answer could lead to terrible consequences.
“They turned out to be smugglers, we didn't mean to go to Grandia.”
“The Shade – is it still following you?”
“What?”
“The Shadow King. He was tracking you for some time. Is he still?”
“No.” The question confused Ardin. “I mean, maybe. I don't know, we didn't know he was chasing us.”
“Yet you threaten to bring him to me.”
The figure paused a long while; whether he was sizing up the truth in them or simply mulling over what to do when he was done with them, Ardin couldn't be sure. He prayed silently under his breath.
Finally he let them loose as he stepped closer.
“My name is Tertian,” he said. “I'm sorry for such a rough introduction but these are troubled times. And though I can see Caspian sent you to me, I fear you remain in danger. I've hidden your boat, but now I must hide you.”
ARDIN'S FEET WERE screaming at him as they continued to climb through the foothills towards the peaks of the Northern Range. They had spent the last day walking, taking little time to rest and even less to eat. He was beginning to seriously rethink his taste in footwear.
Their mysterious host, Tertian, had hardly said two words to them since they had set out. He seemed overly cautious, almost paranoid, stopping regularly to inspect the landscape. When Ardin asked what he was doing so far from his home, he said only that he had been 'watching for someone.' It left Ardin unsettled, feeling hunted, but the Mage never stopped for long and never seemed close to panic.
They climbed through the trees, getting occasional views of the rolling foothills behind them as they began to walk through the valleys between the growing peaks of the Range. Finally they came to a narrow ravine that ran up from the valley and twisted into the base of one particularly large peak. The rocks became more difficult to walk through, though the Mage seemed to know exactly where to set his feet. To Ardin's growing frustration, he hardly ever slowed.
The walls of the ravine began to close in, growing more and more narrow as it felt like they were getting deeper into the mountain. Ardin was on the verge of bursting at the ridiculousness of what was going on when suddenly they came to a wall at the end of the twisting pathway. The Mage stopped, raised his hands, and muttered something Ardin couldn't make out. In response, the mountain opened up, two large doors grinding slowly inward and revealing a long hallway beyond.
Tertian started walking through before the doors finished opening, leaving Ardin and Alisia to follow at their discretion. Alisia went first, followed tentatively by Ardin, whose skepticism remained unabated. They stepped into a wash of light made up of blues, whites, and purples. The hallway was illuminated by torches, but in place of fire bright blue and green smoke-filled orbs floated over the black shafts that rested along the walls. They seemed to grow and shift in color and intensity before dimming again. Rhythmic; like living things.
Arches were carved into the rock, giving the appearance of being in a palace. They certainly may have been, Ardin thought to himself. Finally they came to a wide set of stairs, orn
ate banisters running up the sides with globes at their ends. Everything appeared carved straight out of the mountain. It stole Ardin's breath away.
Alisia was left in awe; she had heard of such places but had never seen one. Supposedly her mother and father had carved out a home from a mountain similar to this. They were rumored to be expansive palaces built in the root of the mountains to provide a solitude that the Magi lacked when helping to govern mankind. She wondered where it could be.
Tertian led them up the broad stairway. A small creek trickled by as they ascended the mountain. It ran along both sides of the stair, fed by some spring deep in the stone. They left the mystical torches behind as they climbed, and soon Ardin could see sunlight creeping in from somewhere above. The stairs seemed to go on forever. Broad and long, they worked their way deeper into the mountain before connecting with an expansive hall at the top.
Thick pillars ran the length and breadth of the room, spaced out well enough for it to feel open. Not so much, however, that they didn't give the sense that they were keeping the whole mountain from toppling into the hall. A fire blazed in an enormous hearth to their left, and to their right, sunlight streamed through tall windows covered in an intricate latticework.
Ardin walked towards the windows as if in a trance, navigating the exotic wood and stone furniture that filled the room thoughtlessly. Outside he could see a lake in the middle of a valley. It was smooth as glass, reflecting the peaks beyond so clearly that for a brief moment he wasn't sure if he had somehow gotten turned upside down.
“I recognize that!” he said suddenly. “I stopped here briefly when I was trying to get to you.”
He turned to Alisia, who had been inspecting a deep wooden couch covered in red cushions.
“This is where I felt you were in trouble,” he said, turning back to the lake.
It looked so pretty through the diamond shaped holes in the latticework. He found himself lost in the landscape as he peered out from the mountain.
“I remember seeing something in the mountains, thinking it looked like doors or windows. This must be it.”
She took his hand silently and smiled. He smiled back, happy in the moment as the sun began to set behind them. The shadow of the mountain stretched out slowly to engulf the unsuspecting waters below.
“I'm glad you came,” she said after a moment.
“Me too.”
They stood there a while longer before Tertian walked over to join them, holding a jingling glass of something rich and golden. To Ardin's disappointment, Alisia released her grip on his hand the Mage he approached.
“Beautiful isn't it?”
“Yes.” Alisia turned to him. “How many places are there like this?”
“There are a few that remain,” he said. “The humans destroyed as many as they could find, afraid the Magi would somehow return to haunt them if they didn't. They were well hidden, but few were hidden well enough.”
He took a long sip from the glass as they stood watching the shadow of the mountain grow.
“This is nothing though.”
“Really?” Ardin turned in disbelief.
“Really.” Tertian smiled for the first time, at least so far as Ardin could remember.
He seemed so serious, so stoic compared to Caspian. He seemed a fair bit younger too, his short black hair as dark and vibrant as his eyes. Ardin couldn't pin their color down; perhaps it was just a trick of the light. He had changed into a deep maroon cloak; thick, trimmed with gold lace.
“Follow me.” And with that the Mage turned and walked farther into the hall.
The whole place seemed magical. The smooth pillars were surrounded by more black torches, though they weren't lit yet. He wondered how anyone reached high enough to light them before reminding himself that he was in the home of a Mage. He probably had some tricks up his sleeve.
They came to the end of the hall where a smaller door took them out onto a balcony that ran around the face of the mountain. It was covered and had a low railing that came up to Ardin's waist. The whole thing was carved to look like flowering plants, amazing him to no end. Below was a different valley, and from here Ardin was convinced he could hear the ocean.
“That sound you hear,” Tertian said over his shoulder as he kept walking. “It's the ocean.”
They continued around the face of the mountain until they came to a long, covered bridge that ran out to a smaller peak jutting out from their own. The bridge must have been half a mile long and had no supports or suspension holding it in place. It simply ran out to the little peak where it looked like a small castle tower had been carved out of its crest. Ardin paused for a moment at the start of the bridge, half in awe at what he was seeing and half from fear of the bridge collapsing.
Tertian didn't slow, but kept walking until he reached the castle where he waited for Ardin and Alisia to catch up. The path they stepped onto was wide enough for two trucks to pass each other with ease. The low barrier and banister continued in both directions as the path sloped around the mountain. Both directions seemed to lead to stairs that would take one to the small castle carved from the mountain's peak. It rose only a few stories above them, retaining the appearance of the mountain from a distance. Winding stairs and small rooms were visible through the broad windows in the rock.
Tertian walked up the road which narrowed as it passed the stairs, and continued on around to the other side. Above them another balcony style path opened up from inside the castle.
Tertian walked to the edge and looked over, beckoning Ardin and Alisia to do the same. They obeyed, and placing their hands on the top of the barrier, leaned out and looked below. The ocean was crashing against the base of the mountain, which was so far below them it dizzied Ardin at first. He hadn't understood how high they had climbed from sea level, but this brought it all into perspective. His legs ached in response.
An inlet had formed through two distant peaks, allowing the ocean to have its way with the valley below and bringing the ring of mountain peaks to life with the chaos of the sea.
“It's unbelievable,” Alisia said quietly, as if breaking the rhythm of the waves with the sound of her voice was an act of sacrilege.
“We made these places as an escape from our duties,” Tertian said as he stared out at the ocean below.
The inlet broadened below them before narrowing to make its way between the distant peaks.
“We took a great amount of pleasure in simply carving these homes from the mountains, making our place without disturbing anything. Making them even more accessible, if not more beautiful, without disrupting the order of things. They became our hiding places during the Purge, our refuges. In spite of the change in their purpose they remain beautiful.”
Ardin glanced at the Mage, the sadness in his voice mingling with his baleful expression as he stared into the past.
“Your mother and father sacrificed so much to make this all possible,” he said to Alisia without looking at her. “They were incredible people, wonderful people.”
“How did you escape?” Alisia asked.
“I don't know,” he said. “They never found the entrance to this place, and after having escaped narrowly a few times before, I didn't dare risk discovery. Khrone's filthy Ghosts were adept killers. I'd never seen anything or anyone work with such efficiency.”
“My mother...”
“Your mother was captured defending a group of young Magi like yourself, ones that the old Guard couldn't hide.” He shook his head. “She could have done so much more good in her lifetime. She was an artist, she made this place with her own hands. One day she saw this peak out here and wanted to see what was happening beyond it. It ate at her to hear the ocean but remain unable to see it.”
He smiled at the memory.
“So, instead of building a path down along the saddle connecting this peak to my home she built this bridge. 'I'm not wasting my time hiking through mountains when all I want is to relax,' she would say. I wasn't going to argue; this
place has been a wonderful addition.”
The view from here as the sun set between the peaks to the west made Ardin think of better days. It gave him hope for the days ahead. Lush forests grew on the banks of the inlet, running up the bases of the bordering peaks until they failed to find footholds. He thought he could live and die happy here. Alisia must have been thinking the same thing as she squeezed his hand briefly before letting it drop again.
“You'll be safe here.” The Mage finally turned to them. “I don't have much to offer, but safety is one thing I can give. No one can find this place, or at least no one has. I very much doubt that will change. As for you, Ardin, I gain the sense that you could use some training in your new skills.”
“How did you–”
“I can see right through you, boy, like you saw me the other night. You're carrying great power, greater power than may exist in our world any longer. I suspect only the Demon holds more than is contained within you now.”
Ardin looked down at his chest as if the power Tertian talked about would appear, bursting forth to reveal itself. It didn't. He looked back up, brow furrowed, hands still resting on his chest.
“You still don't believe it.” Tertian smiled again. “But you will. As for you, Alisia, I'm sure there's plenty for you to learn, but Ardin requires a different kind of mentorship than you.”
“That's for sure,” she smiled as she nudged Ardin playfully with her elbow.
Tertian turned to leave. “I'll prepare something for you to eat. Feel free to come back down whenever you're ready.”
He left them standing there; staring out at their own personal sea as they breathed in the fresh air. Alisia put her hand back on Ardin's as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“Ardin.” She didn't open her eyes as he looked at her. “Whatever happens... wherever you go after this; even if we have to part ways, promise me something.”
“Ok.” He gave her fingers a squeeze as they curled over his knuckles.
“Promise me you'll meet me here again.” She looked over at him now, eyes pleading yet content. “Promise me we can stop running... that we can be free. Just promise me that you'll meet me here.”
