The Descendants Book One: The Broken Scroll

by Kurtis Smith

  Davin made note of where he was at short intervals so he could find his way back. He wasn’t in the mood to chase the boy halfway across the mountains.

  Teague stood for a moment, looking like he was trying to catch his breath. Davin waited for something else to happen. When nothing else did, he inched closer. His rustling must have spooked Teague. A sword was drawn. Its crisp silver sheen reflected the moonlight brightly on the spot where he stood. Davin could make out the blue hilt and recognized the sword as Egan’s. Davin had seen enough. It was time for Teague to explain.

  Teague was facing the other way when Davin came close enough to speak without yelling. “Where are you going?” Davin asked, irritably.

  Teague shivered. He obviously had not been prepared to encounter anyone. Davin stared at him with a look of hatred. He didn’t hate the boy, but he also wasn’t fond of him right now. Teague chose the wrong night to get on my bad side.

  Teague raised his finger, shakily, looking as if he was mustering the courage to stand up to Davin. “You-you can’t make me go back. I don’t want to face them.”

  “Face who,” Davin asked, and then it dawned on him, “those spirits in the mountains?”

  “Y-yes, and my father,” he sputtered. The King hadn’t even been on Davin’s mind.

  “Teague, you don’t have a choice. You have to face him eventually. He has gone mad. You understand what must happen.”

  “I don’t have to go,” Teague shot back, gaining more confidence now. “You and Egan have powers that will make him cower. He will be helpless against you.”

  Davin turned away, his temper flaring like a great fanged boar. He felt like punching Teague in the face again, but refrained. “You tried running before and it didn’t do you much good. With us you at least have a purpose and protection. Where will you go?”

  Teague shrugged, obviously not expecting that question. “Across the sea, to Isolanan, Montagone, or Vieliseen, where I won’t have to face these things.”

  “Your father will not stop with this kingdom. If he gains the power of my people, nowhere in the world will be safe, you know this.” Davin paused. “But if you decide to still run, you will probably die, and never deserve the title you were born to.”

  “I never said I deserved it,” Teague said, with unexpected anger.

  “But you could change that, if you stay with us.”

  As Davin watched, Teague’s face became filled with a terrible sadness. There was a fear and a shame that suddenly swallowed him whole. His mouth opened several times but no words came out. Dropped the sword, he sat down, placing his face in his hands and trembling.

  “You do what you want. I’ll be sure to inform the others of your cowardice if you don’t come back. Egan’s sword stays though.” He scooped out the sword and twirled it around in his hands for a few moments, thinking. Fighting against his anger he also said, “You may have my bow and quiver if you actually decide to run away.”

  Davin took the bow out of his pack and the quiver off his back. He watched Teague as he placed it on the ground next to him. Teague did not move once. There was no more he could do. It was up to Teague now.

  Ten minutes later he had reached the cave again. He was still in a bad mood, but the walk had calmed his fury. Entering the cave, he saw Egan lying by the fire. He was sipping out of a canteen and lost in a small book entitled The Great Wonders of the Known World: From Bottomless Pits to Deadly Swamp Mazes. Kayleigh was resting. She opened them as Davin approached. Egan put down the book and stared at Davin.

  “I refuse to believe it,” Davin fumbled out. “The Lord of Trials said he would take my powers.”

  Kayleigh gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Egan sat up straight, looking grim.

  “Do not fret too much. This will not be permanent, but the sooner you pass this trial the better off we’ll be. When did he say you would be tested next?” Egan remained calm despite the gravity of the issue.

  “Three days,” Davin said quickly.

  “We will most likely face the Auki before that. I suggest that, in the meantime, you find the answer it wants. Your delay is only going to make our task harder.”

  Davin wanted to scream out that he wasn’t purposefully trying to sabotage their plans. He hadn’t asked for anyone to test him.

  “How am I supposed to know what it wants? It’s too vague. Will you help me?” Davin pleaded.

  For a moment it looked as if Egan was going to give. “The Lord of Trial would know that you had help. You still have to discover this on your own.” Egan turned back to his book, concluding the conversation.

  He stomped out of the cave, not really mad at Egan, but mad at the situation he’d been placed in. Our group’s survival could be resting on me passing this test.

  He hadn’t even realized he’d drifted off to sleep until he awoke suddenly by a hand on his shoulder. Kayleigh peered down at him. He could make out her soft, piercing eyes and long wavy hair even in the dark. It seemed only a short time had passed, but his hands and feet were numb.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you. Were you planning on sleeping out here tonight?” she asked skeptically.

  “I wasn’t going to, no,” Davin answered, his heart speeding up. She looked like she had more to say. He waited for her, feeling still grumpy and impatient from earlier.

  “I admit, I somewhat enjoy this place.”

  Davin tilted his head and smirked at her. “Can’t say I exactly feel the same. Especially knowing what may be ahead.”

  She put her hand up in defense. “Trust me, I’m scared too. But it kind of makes you feel alive, doesn’t it? Being out here in the wilderness, doing this dangerous task.”

  “You find this exciting?”

  “Why not? It’s definitely better than just sitting in my father’s house reading all the time.”

  Davin laughed despite his poor mood. “You are a strange girl.”

  She grew silent, her face appearing at once distraught and pained. But it disappeared quickly enough that was hard to tell if it had really happened. She gave him a great big grin in its place.

  He decided to change the subject. “I caught Teague running away.”

  She stopped in her tracks and faced Davin again, nodding slightly. “So that is where he went,” she whispered to herself. “He came back, but didn’t say anything about it.”

  “Can’t say I haven’t wanted to leave myself,” Davin said wryly. She glared at him with a look that felt awkwardly long to Davin. Her dress shifted in a sudden breeze, showing Davin more of her legs than he ever seen. He blushed, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  “Everyone has to find their own motivation to do what they need to, especially,” she said as she left.

  Davin couldn’t believe how true that was. He may have selfish reasons to keep on this dangerous journey, but at least he was here. And selfish reasons or not, he was helping the people of the kingdom just the same. Wasn’t he? If they managed to take Deverell’s life would it not be a benefit to this land, regardless if the O’Hara continued searching for the scroll?

  ***

  About a half an hour later, he reentered the cave to go to sleep, less upset than he had been earlier. It was getting later and he would need all of his strength for what they might face tomorrow. Both Kayleigh and Egan were asleep for the night and he saw with his own eyes that Teague was indeed back.

  Not wanting to think about anything more tonight, he curled up by the dying fire and was out shortly as well.

  The following day of travel Davin felt very alone. Even though Egan hadn’t said anything to him about it, he looked as if he was bitter about Davin not passing his test. On top of that Kayleigh wasn’t speaking to him much today either. She must’ve still thought he wanted to be left alone. She didn’t look angry, just sad. And Teague was still lost in his head, looking very morose. He hadn’t said much to anyone in the last few days. But Davin wasn’t in the mood to talk to him either after their confrontation last night. Teague seemed
to be avoiding eye contact with him on purpose.

  The trek to the Chasm was full of tenuous cliffs and crevasses, and gaping gorges and mountain sides. All of which were incredible sights to behold, but their awe was overshadowed by the sheer difficulty of passage. None of the travelers were expert mountaineers.

  Rock and snow was the only thing in sight. Very little seemed to thrive in this desolate wilderness. It was slow going but, again, Egan kept them moving at a steady rate. The sun was setting when Egan spoke again. “We’re nearly there. You see how the mountains are topping off here,” Egan pointed out, stretching an arm over the length of the horizon. “Just another league or two.”

  Davin’s ears perked up as they came onto the flatter ground. It was as if they had suddenly crossed a sound barrier. His stomach dropped as he realized what it was he was hearing. There was screaming in the distance, much louder than ever before. A variety of different voices sounded, each as unnerving as the next.

  “What are those noises?” Teague asked.

  “Those are the Auki themselves. We can hear them clearly even during the quieter day times this close,” Egan said. Teague went whiter than normal.

  Davin noticed that the sun was falling behind the mountains to their west. He asked, “Are we going to cross tonight?”

  “Yes, I believe we will. Only at night can we actually see their physical presence. During the day we will only able to hear them.”

  “How do you know all this?” said Kayleigh, sounding more curious than disbelieving.

  “It is a long story and I shall tell you some time, but will you simply take my word for now?”

  “Of course, Egan. I feel I would not enjoy it anyway, considering where we are.”

  Egan nodded grimly. “You would be right about that.”

  The flatter region was definitely easier to walk on. Davin couldn’t believe a place like this existed on top of a mountain range. It wasn’t completely flat, but the mountain had leveled off enough that they could see clearly in all directions. The plateau ran on either side of them farther than they could see. And there was more gray rock coloring and dead brown trees showing here than snow, which seemed strange considering the elevation.

  Fog had started to roll in and it didn’t take long for the blanket of white to limit their sight. The closer they came to great canyon, the worse it became.

  Through the fog, a black emptiness finally came into view. This was it.

  The Chasm of the Auken Lands lay before them. The gap in the earth, that went leagues in both directions and several miles across, was no doubt an ominous sight. The fog was thick and heavy, though, and made them unable to see it in its entirety.

  The Chasm led down to an unseen bottom where light did not exist. Davin shivered as he took it in. It definitely gave a sense of foreboding.

  “There’s the bridge,” Egan stated. They all turned in the direction Egan was pointing and could just make it out in the fog. “This is the only bridge that still exists. I was nervous I had brought us to the wrong spot. It should be strong enough for all of us to go at once if I remember correctly.”

  They proceeded along the chasm ridge carefully and came to the bridge. It was rectangular, running about five feet wide and deep. Nothing seemed held it up but the end of the bridge being fused to the side of the chasm on both sides. They had no idea how the middle would hold up. And one of them falling to their death was one wrong step away.

  Davin’s began to grow nervous as Egan moved toward the beginning of the bridge. He heard Kayleigh take a deep breath. Their bravery would be tested in the next few moments. That was certain.

  Egan put a foot’s weight on it, and then the other. They all stared at Egan’s boldness. He was almost without fear, or he hid it well.

  “It looks like it’s safe.” Then he addressed Teague and Kayleigh, “You may still wait here, my lord and lady. I would not blame you if you didn’t want to come.”

  Teague looked down, hesitant. Kayleigh spoke up quickly. “My mind has not changed, Egan. I accept whatever this place holds.”

  Those words seemed to resolve her into moving onto the bridge. She moved without hesitation.

  Teague looked at her and took a deep breath. He seemed to be strengthening his resolve. “I did wish to stay back originally, but I do not feel much safer on this side alone. I will come.”

  “How was this built?” Davin asked in amazement.

  Surprisingly, Kayleigh was the one who answered first. “According to the Ancients’ texts, it used to be mountainous land like everything else here. But this giant crack in the earth was a consequence of one of the battles in the War of Purity. The Purists and the Corrupt Ones did this. Only the clash of that power in great quantity could cause damage like this. After the Purists realized what had been done, they constructed stone bridges rectify the problem.”

  “She’s a walking historical reference book,” Egan whispered loudly to Davin.

  Davin snorted. Kayleigh shrugged and said, “Beauty and intelligence, I’m not complaining.”

  Neither am I, Davin thought.

  Egan laughed and said nothing more. He started out over the bridge. The others followed him, with Davin taking up the rear. It took nearly half an hour to cross. Davin kept looking below him against his will. Every time, it made his heart race to know that only a thin, rock bridge lay between him and eternal darkness.

  As they edged out onto the other side, the wind picked up torrentially. It was like it had been waiting for them before it started. Everyone tried to stay warm, pulling their clothes and snow cloaks closer. It didn’t help much, the wind was too cold. Davin felt his hands and feet starting to go numb within a minute.

  “Is this going to be with us the entire way?” Davin asked through chattering teeth.

  “Most likely,” Egan replied. “Hold strong, I think we have been noticed.” Davin didn’t like the sound of that. And telling by the looks on Kayleigh and Teague’s faces neither did they.

  Snow had started falling as well. Carried by the intense wind, the snowflakes stung as they were batted back and forth. Still, the four of them carried on. Luckily, there was only one path to follow. They continued on an upward slant for quite some time.

  Slowly and softly at first, voices began to sound around them, mere whispers on the air. The travelers whipped their heads all around maddeningly. It felt as if the voices were coming from everywhere and nowhere. And then they increased in number. Davin and the others attempted to block their ears to keep the words out. It was no use.

  Then, high pitched rasps came across the air like sharp knives, filling their minds with ringing. Davin felt like the words weren’t just being heard, but being absorbed into his very body. He felt vulnerable and helpless, like the Auki could do anything to him and he could not fight it. Nausea and weakness attacked him. He nearly collapsed, but forced himself to continue. He wouldn’t let them get the best of him.

  The spirits continued to cast their strange spell. And if their purpose was to make them want to leave, it succeeded. None of them had expected this torture.

  Davin took a glance behind him, tempted to flee.

  “We need to rest!” Kayleigh tried to yell over the wind, snow and voices. “I can’t carry on like this!”

  Egan yelled back. “They have taken your mind. Your feelings are not real. Do not listen to your body!”

  Still, the sudden blizzard whipped around them.

  As they continued through the deep snow the feeling continued. They would have been frozen solid if they hadn’t kept moving, so Egan forced them onward against their will. All Davin wanted to do was lay down and die. In fact, he welcomed the idea.

  “Why do you come? Do you seek death?” the voices said, drilling the words into their minds.

  The Auki repeated their taunts, harsher each time. Davin quickly became sick of it. But he used to this irritation to keep going. He let it build up inside him and strengthen his will to fight if needed. The spirits would not be
at him.

  As if prompted by Davin’s previous thought, one of the creatures the group had been dreading finally materialized. It was a horrifying sight. It was a short, dwarfish looking, floating creature, cloaked in a tattered robe. The skeletal face was human-like but with elongated features that gave the bone structure a stretched appearance. Even more disturbingly, a yellowish, decaying flesh still hung loosely from its sickly body. The arms and legs were thin and frail and it held a spear twice its size in one of its hands.

  The four travelers stopped at this sight. Kayleigh put her hand over her mouth and looked away. Teague fell to his knees in a sort of bow of respect. Davin waited, still as a statue.

  Slowly, more began to appear around them in a circle. The first one that had arrived spoke, “We know your intentions. You came here seeking treasure and will pay with your lives.”

  The Auki surrounding the travelers began to wail loudly in unison. A ringing filled Davin’s ears again and he suddenly felt like he was going to faint. They began to close in on the trespassers.

  “Run! I will try to hold them off for a moment,” Egan yelled.

  Davin and the others took off as fast as they could along the icy mountainside. The first spirit charged at Egan, spear pointed at his heart. Egan pulled forth his sword and made a wide overhead arc, trying to turn the spear’s point. The sword missed its mark. Egan ducked just in time and rolled underneath the Auki. It flew past him harmlessly.

  But he didn’t have time to rest. The Auki corrected its mistake quickly. Egan took off after the others.

  The Auki let out broken wailing that sounded like language. Egan risked a glance back and saw that more had appeared behind him. They kept up the chase as Egan reached the others. The spirits chased the group of four them as they ran, still screaming in their terrible language.

  Three spears were thrown from behind. One was deflected away by Egan, another by Davin. The third missed and bounced off the ice around them.

  Egan called out to the others, “They will not give up chasing us. We can’t run forever!”