Strangely, the cold had given way, and the day was brighter and warmer than it had been lately. The company took their few belongings with them and they hurried to arrive at the dock.
“We will sail down the Palehl River to its mouth in the Gaalean Sea and from there we will not stop until we touch the shores of Azmarath,” Dedric said to Prudence while a gigantic white ship with extended sails appeared on the horizon.
The Entheas was a very large ship, and had been carved by hand by elven builders in white ebony wood. It had two masts, off which hung sails as white as the rest of the boat. It also had six dormitories and a meeting hall, used not only to discuss important issues but also to share meals. Then there was also a kitchen, a gun room, a rowing room that would not be used that time, since the crew was very small, and a command room where the rudder was located.
The bow and stern of the ship bowed to great heights, and at each end of it were carved the elegant wings of a swan.
The Entheas was a majestic house ship that had the necessary facilities to make long trips. It was not a warship, since the elves were not a race that fought on the seas, nor were they good explorers. They used their ships simply to mobilize themselves to and from different points of the realms.
They settled down in the boat as they sped off down the River Palehl. It was a while before Prudence and Skuld spoke to each other again.
Skuld was still displeased with Prudence for having blamed Genuss, but Prudence was not calm anyway, and she had not abandoned the idea that Genuss was an infiltrator.
“I have my reasons to believe it,” she told Dedric after explaining everything that had happened.
“I’m afraid the situation is more complicated than I thought. With an informant inside the Company, it is very likely that we have already lost the runes.”
Prudence could never imagine she would have managed to stay beside Genuss when she expected her to put a dagger on her throat at any moment, yet the days crept by and they sailed near Azmarath. Those days were very exhausting since Prudence couldn’t sleep at night. She kept being woken by all the thoughts and memories she brought to life during the journey.
And so, after hours and hours of sailing between the haze and the icy water, they saw how the water opened into a magnificent bay, and how the figure of a palace emerged from the horizon.
The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight.
Azmarath was the first imperial city they would visit on their way. At his command there was no Lord, but a noble house and a dwarven king. Although its population consisted of inhabitants of all the races of the five kingdoms, Azmarath had always been in the hands of the dwarves.
The city was betting on the rocks that continued the mountain chain of the north. Although there, they were not of great height. The waters of the Gaalean Sea bathed its shores, which were protected by a great bay with walls that expanded onto the water, whose entrance was flanked by two gigantic sentinels of stone that rose to an imposing height. Within the bay, hundreds of ships were moored and others came and went, carrying out their activities.
A large market was betting near the port. The city rose in staggered form on the rock at different levels that were full of towers, balconies and waterfalls, and they accompanied the imposing facilities of palaces and other houses.
Azmarath was a very rich city, since the dwarves had been the greatest possessors of wealth in gold and noble metals, from immemorial times. They owned mansions and luxurious houses. Details of gold were scattered everywhere in all the buildings in the city.
But, as was also public knowledge, the dwarves were not beings who things could be easily negotiated with. They were rude and stubborn, and it was impossible to change their minds.
That was proven when entering the bay. After crossing the statues of the stone watchmen, the Entheas was stopped by a control boat.
"Who is the captain here?" asked one of the three dwarves who had boarded the ship. They looked very serious and did not seem at all friendly.
"I'm the one in charge," Dedric said.
"I guess you are not the captain then, but you are in charge? For our purposes is the same. On behalf of His Majesty, King Gurdan, we cannot allow this boat to enter our port if you do not have the necessary permits."
"This boat belongs to the Company of the Rose. We are traveling on a mission commissioned by the Council of the Five Kingdoms. This implies that, tacitly, your king, as an active member of the Council, has also entrusted us with this mission, for which we require that we be exempt from submitting the required permits."
The dwarf thought for a few minutes. He then turned to his guards and commanded, “The ship will be confiscated until its crew is brought before His Majesty to verify that what they say is true. Escort them to the Palace. The boat is now under our control.”
The palace was located in the highest levels of the hills and to get there they first had to cross the beach, where Prudence paused a moment and gathered a handful of sand and put it in her pocket. Then they had to ascend through the streets of the city. When they reached the gates of the palace, Prudence could see the peculiar reflection of the sunlight on the gold-plated walls, full of flower-shaped appliques that intertwined as if they were a vine. They crossed the hall with a large double staircase and were escorted to the throne room. There was the king, sitting on a gigantic throne too large for a man of his stature, on the top of a very tall staircase. With a gesture of his hand the king allowed his escorts to let the group pass. Then, once in front of him, everyone bowed to him on one knee. Prudence looked at the rest of her colleagues and copied the gesture, but she stumbled a bit because she was not sure how to do it.
One of the dwarves went ahead of the group and addressed the king.
“Your majesty, these travelers say they belong to the Company of the Rose and have come on a mission commissioned by the Council of the Five Kingdoms. Their boat, a ship called Entheas, has been confiscated for not having the mooring permits required by the laws of Azmarath.”
“It's okay. You can leave me alone with them,” said the king, after examining them for a few moments.
“But, your majesty—” protested the dwarf. Only one glance from the king was enough to make him realize that his reaction had been out of place. The dwarf retired promptly, fearing some punishment for his outburst.
The heavy doors to the throne room closed and the king turned to Dedric.
“Show me your marks,” exclaimed the king.
Dedric asked his permission and after the king nodded, he walked slowly up the steps, and rolled up the sleeve of his blouse to reveal the Company's mark on the inside of his wrist.
The king took Dedric's wrist and examined the mark. He tilted his mouth to one side and nodded silently.
“So, in fact, you are the members of the Company of the Rose. I am aware of your affairs. I'll let you go, but having you in the city is dangerous. Evil stalks you and I cannot risk the sake of my people. You are free to leave, and I will not interfere in your affairs while you are in my city, but I will take the Entheas as a guarantee of any disturbance or destruction that may be caused. You can claim it before you leave, if the order has not been altered. Now go,” the king said.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” they all exclaimed.
But when they were about to leave Prudence turned back to the king and approached the throne, to everyone's surprise.
“Your Majesty, I do not intend to disturb you, but since this is a matter of the Council, and this risky task entrusted to us is to safeguard the welfare of all kingdoms including yours, would you be so kind as to lend me your help with a tiny, small question?”
The King looked at her with wide eyes. For a moment Prudence thought he would never answer, because he looked stunned.
Finally, the king blinked, first once and then several times, and then cleared his throat. “In what way would I be useful, Miss..?”
“Miss Clarke.”
“Oh—” the King exclaimed wi
th surprise and his expression softened after that. “So it's you? I will be honored to contribute, Your Majesty,” said the king, and now it was Prudence who was astonished by the answer.
In spite of this, she continued. Taking the sand she had picked up from the beach, she dropped it on the floor in front of the king's feet, and with her finger drew a symbol on it that she remembered seeing on Killian's map.
The symbol had in its upper part what seemed a triangle, but not perfect. In its lower part, there was a wavy line as if they were waves of the sea. And on each side a small circle.
“If you could tell me what this symbol means, that would be of great help to all of us.”
The king looked closely at Prudence's drawing. He even lowered himself from his throne and approached it to take a closer look. Then he straightened and his face was at the same height as Prudence, who was on her knees.
"It is the cavern of the hidden sun. To get there you will have to go around the bay and head for the shallows, east of Azmarath. You should go in smaller boats.”
Now the king looked worried, even scared.
“But I must warn you, that throughout my reign, I have not heard that anyone has entered there and left alive to tell the story.”
“Unfortunately, we have no choice. We're headed there.”
CHAPTER 13
Genuss knocked on the door and after a few seconds an old woman with a worn, dirty, black-tipped hat peered out the nearest window to see who was calling. She opened the door as far as a small chain hanging from the other side let her and looked Genuss up and down.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
Genuss looked up at a rusty metal plaque above the door that contained the letters ‘L’ and ‘M’, which were dusty and barely readable.
"Lady Melisande," exclaimed Genuss. "You have met my father, Adnar Godfarr. He said I could turn to you if I ever needed... well, you know, the kind of help you provide."
The woman listened to Genuss’s words and thought for a moment. Something inside her seemed to be touched by what she heard.
"I am indebted to your father. I will lend you all the help you need in honor of his memory," said the old woman as she opened the door to let them in.
None of the members of the Company had been very clear about what Genuss was referring to, especially when she referred to the kind of help that the old woman provided, but the moment they put a foot inside the house, their doubt was cleared.
"What kind of weapons do you need? I have all kinds of weapons: bows, arrows, curved and straight swords, knives, daggers, crossbows, chains, spears, axes, shields. You name it."
There were weapons everywhere: on the walls, above the furniture, hanging from the ceiling, even in large piles on the floor.
"Take what you need," offered the old woman.
Judging by the smiles on their faces, for Genuss, Dedric, and Dunhill this was as amazing as a picnic. Prudence, on the other hand, did not want to touch anything for fear of hurting herself. A great hubbub was heard while each of them chose their weapons.
"Any particular weapons that you can recommend for me to use for killing beasts that may be hidden in a cave?"
"It depends," mused the old woman.
"Depends on what?" asked Dedric.
"From which cave you mean."
"Particularly one not far from here," he said.
The old woman let out a sigh, half in disbelief, half in laughter. "Boy, no matter how sharp the blade, there is no piece of steel that can help you in that place. Only great courage and a great deal of luck can be useful to you in there," she said, and they all fell silent after these words.
The morning passed in the twinkling of an eye after the brief visit to Lady Melisande's house. On the way to the port, Skuld bought a few potions from street vendors, which she thought she needed to carry.
Prudence waited her turn and boarded the boat with Dunhill, Evard and Nefyyd. She refused to share a boat with Genuss, since she did not want to have her near if fate decided that she would find what they had come for. As they were sailing to the shallows at the east of Azmarath, a warm drizzle sprinkled their faces.
Behind them, the sunlight faded as they advanced through the water and into the darkness of the cave. The silence was absolute, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of water being stirred by the oars.
Prudence watched over the bow of the boat, and her heart began to beat faster. Never in her life had she feared the darkness so much as at that moment. Then she looked in the opposite direction, and saw that there was nothing but water and darkness around them. There was no escape, not even a place to hide. So she took a deep breath and decided to face whatever was ahead.
Evard and Nefyyd enlisted their bows, for they were excellent archers, and continued their journey in a position of alertness. Prudence took the edge of the boat, looking for some balance in the undulating movement of the waters.
Prudence sought Skuld’s gaze, who had boarded the other boat in the company of Dedric and Genuss, but a thick layer of fog floating at the height of their heads made seeing anything difficult.
The roof of the cavern was set high, and from it large, sharp stalactites fell, and a beam of light streaming through the entrance to the cavern led the water to glow slightly. Otherwise, the cave was very dark and creepy.
Everything was serene and silent, which seemed suspicious and made Prudence think that maybe it was all just staged. From what Killian had warned her, there was no need to get into that subterranean cave if it were not a matter of life and death.
Dedric took a match and rubbed it over the rough and worn wood of the boat, causing it to light. With the flame, he lit a hand lamp.
For a considerable time they kept floating forward, and Prudence thought perhaps that what Killian had said about bearing a tragedy on his shoulders was simply an unhappy expression.
Sadly, it was not.
"Stop," Dedric whispered when there was little distance left before they would touch the shore. In front of them rose a wall of stone of a height that could not be distinguished. There were three pillars with different engravings and in the middle a groove was opened that looked very narrow, but which allowed the entry of at least one person. From the top of that wall hung two very thick chains of molten steel that plunged into the depths of the waters.
They all focused on these chains.
"Listen," Dunhill whispered and took Prudence by the wrist. The only thing that was heard for a moment was the breath in suspense of all the members of the Company. Then, from somewhere in the depths, a tremor came, light but relentless enough to blow the steel of the chains. Prudence clenched her jaws and stared fearfully over the edge of the boat into the dark waters, hoping to make out something, anything. Although she prayed that there was nothing there, in the depths of her heart she knew that this was not how things were going to end. She clutched at the sword Dedric had given her, though in fact her thoughts directed her deep into her being. Could she invoke again that power that had put her to the protection of the boggart?
The sound of the air being cut by the blade of drawn swords was heard, and of bows being tensed. Everyone waited for a second tremor, but nothing happened. For a moment Prudence thought the danger was gone, but then suddenly something gigantic emerged from the waters.
"Fire!" Dedric yelled, and Evard and Nefyyd let their arrows fly toward the body of what appeared to be some sort of large sea creature. Then the beast struck the waters, causing them to rise in waves of great height. And then, out of the drops of water that exploded in the air and into the dance of shadows behind her, Prudence saw it. Something inside the groove in the rock had begun to glow. But then she heard Skuld's screams and watched in horror as her companions’ boat was lifted by the air and Genuss and Dedric fell into the water. Skuld had managed to hold on to the edge of the boat, but the beast threw it on the stone wall. It was shattered, and Skuld was left unconscious on the side of the remains.
Then
, as the beast headed for the second boat to start its attack, Prudence did not think it over before jumping into the water. She was submerged while everything became a nightmare. The water was freezing and very dark, and the depth was much greater than she had thought.
Then something took Prudence's arm and she jumped, releasing the air she had taken underwater. Then she saw Dedric under the water, in the darkness, his enormous eyes horrified and saw that he was showing her to swim forward. Suddenly, Dedric's grip was ripped from Prudence's arm. Prudence lunged forward and tried to catch him, but it was too late. She could not see anything around her. Then she emerged from the waters for air, saw the slot toward which she had to go, and plunged back into the water.
The beast persisted in its attack, making its way through the water while Nefyyd and Evard fired their arrows. Dunhill took advantage of how near the beast was, and took hold of its arm. He climbed very skillfully to its neck, which was covered with nasty tentacles like its face, and then to its back, while the beast beat its arms and twisted, trying to throw Dunhill off. Then Dunhill managed to nail his sword in its eye, and the beast gave a growl of pain. The beast shrieked and Dunhill fell backward, hitting the hard deck of the boat. The beast bent over and headed toward Prudence, who by then had already reached the edge of the rock. It tried to hold on to her to get out of the water. Then Prudence watched the beast more and more closely, and observed that none of her companions could help her. She must do it alone. This is the tragedy that Killian spoke about, she thought hopelessly. But then she was able to tilt her body enough to climb to the rock and she threw herself with all her might into the groove, just before the beast's claw smashed into it. With her labored breathing, Prudence snuggled into the slot as the beast struggled to catch up. Its claw was too large to reach into the size of the cavity.
She looked up and saw in the dim light of the cavern a stairway at the end of the slot. She closed her eyes and tears began to flow from them, sliding over her face. She stood up and walked cautiously up the steps. She climbed up one of the steps that led to a stone altar, which stood on a fountain with water. Then Prudence could see that the light came from beneath the pedestal.
The Elven Tales: The Company of the Rose Page 10
