Mandigal was sure that this was the right way. As he pushed aside the thick overgrowth, ignoring the scratches to his arms from the sharp bramble, he saw the small clearing he had been searching for. In front of him rose a mountain of rough stone. He scanned the area and found the cave. The opening was almost ten feet in height and jaggedly cut. Slowly stepping out, he heard two figures emerging from the bush to his right side. Normally he would have readied himself for a fight, but Mandigal was expecting these two.
"We thought you might not make it past all of the sentries," said Utith.
Mandigal greeted the long haired Thaldun Blade and then Luss who came after him, her golden hair wrapped in a bundle. "My powers are strong enough to mask my passage. As good as your brethren may be, the power of Gushkall runs strongly in my veins."
Utith knew that this was no self righteous boast and that Mandigal was simply stating the truth. "You mean to go through with this then?" he asked.
"Of course."
"You endanger our lives, Mandigal," said Luss. "If we are found, the Council will surely have us exiled or worse."
"Not only that, they can be rather unaccommodating," added Utith, motioning to the cave entrance. "Relationships have been especially bad of late."
"It is a risk that I must take and unfortunately I need you, Utith," replied Mandigal. "I give you the choice to stay here, Luss."
She shook her head resolutely. "I will not leave Utith. If things go poorly in there you will need my assistance."
Mandigal accepted her choice with a curt nod.
"Very well, let us be done with this before we are spotted," said Utith.
The three of them moved silently towards the cave, watching the tree lines around them for any sudden movements. This region of the Misty Forest was not safe for men. A snapping twig sent them into action, drawing their weapons, but their breaths returned to a calm rhythm as they spotted a spooked fawn hurrying into the distance.
"Great Nyrune, I thought that was going to be the end of us," mumbled Utith under his breath.
Mandigal was also feeling the stress. "Let us quicken our pace."
They hurried into the cave and Mandigal lit up the darkness with a dull red glow. The cave travelled widely into the mountain and they made their way side by side along the rough corridor, listening intently for any noise. It travelled in twists and turns without a hint of change until, within a few feet, the corridor opened up to a great cavern, littered with towering stalagmites and rock formations. The roof, almost eighty feet above, was spotted with dangling stalactites and shone in several spots where the thick chunks of quartz melded with the rock of the mountain. In one wall, on the far end of the cave, a long crack allowed just enough moonlight to sweep into the chamber.
To the left of them, dark water seeped out of a massive fissure in the wall, forming a deep pool amongst a group of crumbled stalagmites. Utith, though mesmerised, was not pleased to be here. He had visited this cavern before and knew of the dangers they were to face.
"Over there," whispered Luss. Mandigal turned his gaze to where she was pointing and raised his brow when he saw a section of the cavern that had been decorated with large ferns and leaves.
"They are watching us," said Utith calmly.
The others were brought back to reality and they scanned the rocky structures for signs of life. "How are you sure?" asked Mandigal.
"I can see many of them," replied Utith, his tone growing serious. "They have not identified us as enemies yet. If I can find the leader before one of the younger males decides that we are a threat, we may be able to pull this off."
Before Mandigal could reply, a cloud of rocks and dirt flew into the air as something heavy landed on the stone in front of them. He quickly wiped his eyes and then stepped back as he saw the beast before him. It stood ten feet tall, with shaggy grey fur covering its body, and a leathery black chest moving heavily under deep breaths. It's face was mostly taken up by a large mouth and nose, behind which intelligent dark and beady eyes sat, staring intently at the three intruders. What amazed Mandigal the most was the size of the creature's arms. Despite walking on two legs, the beast's monstrous arms reached to the floor with hands that resembled a man's, only four times the size.
Luss let out a moan and stepped behind Utith, feeling helpless before this master of the forest. She had seen the Kala before, but only from a distance, and those brief glimpses did not compare to what she now faced.
Instantly the remaining Kala left their hiding spots and came out into the open. Mandigal counted roughly fifty of them. Some were marked with black fur, some with grey, but none of them stood as tall or menacingly as the one before them.
The grey Kala raised his fists high, standing to its full height and pounded strongly on his chest. He then faced Utith and flared his nostrils.
"Gur norrooo bordoo," said Utith in the language of the Kala.
Mandigal's heart pounded without rest. This was why he had needed Utith's help. He was the only person that he could trust who knew some of the Kalas language.
The grey Kala moved back slightly and pounded his fists on the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth. He then moved his head to their height and spoke. "Gur ooon. Hruushh ooon."
The words that the Kala spoke rolled loudly off his tongue in a deep, guttural manner that echoed off the walls. Utith turned to Mandigal. "He is Hrush, current Bordoo of the Kala. He is their leader."
"Does he know that we are not here to harm them?" asked Mandigal cautiously.
"They would have killed us were it not so," replied Utith, keeping his eyes locked with Hrush's.
The Kala Bordoo watched them intently, his lower jaw jutting out to reveal his large lower teeth. Mandigal noticed that several of the larger Kala behind Hrush had inched their way forwards. "Ask him why they no longer leave the caves? Why they no longer protect the forest?"
Utith seemed to struggle to find the words, but finally he spoke, "Unn moor noog unn. Nyrune ooon ruh." Utith spread his hands out widely and pointed behind them to the cave exit. "Erroo umoo noog."
Hrush's leathery brow fell darkly upon his eyes and he once more pounded against his chest. "Gur erroo umoo graa. Nyrune ooon nup."
"He says that Nyrune is gone from the forest. He now protects his own," explained Utith.
"Does he not realise that if harm come to us, it will affect his race?" asked Luss.
"I am sure that he does. I did noticed something strange in the way that he answered," added Utith.
Mandigal was amazed that Utith could discern what the beast was saying, let alone its tone. "Ask him if he remembers when the Elders came here to talk."
"Huun moroo gur ooon dree," said Utith, his throat aching from the strain of the harsh language.
"Ghaar," replied Hrush loudly, shaking his head and waving his arms about violently.
"We must be careful. This seems to give him great displeasure," Utith warned.
"Ask him who spoke and what they spoke of," begged Mandigal. This was his last hope. He needed some evidence from this Kala in order to find out whether Bithi Oppos was a traitor.
"Umoo noog Hrush oood. Kuuun unn," said Utith.
Hrush raised his voice even higher and several of the other Kala seemed to stir at their leader's attitude. "Dree ooon an. Oppoos ooon. Kuno oom erroo hooku." The last word seemed to leave a stain of anger on the Bordoo's face.
"It was Bithi Oppos that spoke. The others do not know the language of the Kala. He accused the Kala of not playing their part in the forest. It obviously made Hrush very mad," said Utith.
Mandigal's mind itched for more information. He had what he needed. Proof that it was Bithi that caused the Kala to stop helping the Karmanians, but he wanted to know why. "Is there anything else?"
Utith was about to ask when Hrush spoke once more. "Dree ooon. Uund korro ummo uun. Moroo ruh graa."
Utith's confused look caught Mandigal's attention. "What is it?"
"He says that the pale one brought 'that whic
h should never be seen' into the cave. He has shattered the bond between Karmena and the Kala," answered Utith, failing to fully understand the Kala's words.
"Who is the pale one? What did he bring?" asked Luss.
"I assume that he is referring to Sielvu. And the thing that he speaks of could only be a mirror. The Kala fear their own reflections and deem mirrors to be greatly unholy."
Hrush banged his fists into the ground once more. "Gur ooon kreeck. Kreeck."
The other Kala began to run forwards, propelled by both their strong legs and arms. Utith turned and pushed the other two back into the corridor. "We need to get out of here!" he screamed.
Mandigal sent a ball of magic flying back into the cavern and averted his eyes from the blinding flash that it caused. This had not gone to plan at all. He had suspected Bithi most of all out of the Elders, but now the Bordoo had placed the blame with Sielvu. He was back where he started and was running out of options. He followed Utith and Luss out of the cave, the angry roars of the blinded Kala following them from the mouth of the cave.
Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One) Page 115
