The Emperor's Shadow War (Tales of Alus Book 2)

by Donald Wigboldy

  He let go of the reins and sat down hard, but moved no further. "Damn!" he cried in annoyance. "I think that we are going to have to find a different route down people. This rock seems too unstable." The pebbles that he had disturbed formed a small rush until ten feet lower where a ledge held up progress preventing a full avalanche.

  "Lieutenant," Sergeant Lane spoke firmly and just loud enough to make his voice heard over the last of the rustling stone, "we're going to have to make it soon. The enemy just showed up."

  Leaving his mount to Valenia, who was immediately behind him, Dante scrambled back up the rise to look. There on the mountain that they had been on only a day before, a swarm of dark creatures were making their way down the path trying to overtake his band. "Damn," he cursed under his breath. Turning to Gannon, the lieutenant asked desperately, "Do you have any suggestions?"

  There was fear buried deep within his eyes, if one was inclined to search as Dante did, but the man shrugged and answered nonchalantly, "Run?"

  Anger started to rear up in him at the seer, but there was no time for such things. In an act of reckless desperation, Dante moved back to the slope on which he had just fallen. Turning to Valenia, he said, "I'll go first. Alone. Stay here until I check where you can come down safely."

  The woman was horrified. "You could get yourself killed," she started, but he gave her a face that reminded her that he had been told that he couldn't be killed and should have died already more than once.

  Being careful even as he pushed for quickness, the man knew that time was against them now and the race was his to be won, if he was brave enough. Nearly leaping down the shattered scarp, Dante left his life to fate. At one point, he tripped and feared that he would be testing Gannon's theory sooner than expected, but the gods must have been watching over him as the man’s boots found a brief plateau to slow him and to regain his feet in a run.

  He stopped soon afterward and looked back up to where the others still watched him nervously. The angle was good. From there, Dante could make out an easier path just off to the side of where they waited. Rubbing at the bruises that he had just drawn from the mountainside, the man wished that he had seen as much before his tumble. He watched briefly as they followed his directions and began leading the horses down carefully. Looking down at the remaining rock separating him from the brief valley between the two mountains, Dante pushed off for yet another scramble down the slippery rock. The occasional hardy shrub offered brief handholds as he descended and his hands, protected by his leather gloves, made use of several of them along the way. The man was enjoying himself way too much on these scrambling runs, Dante thought ruefully. He hated to admit as much in the face of such grave circumstances as the dark band pursuing them and the strange lair ahead, but it was true. One day, should he survive the upcoming battles, he would have to come back and brave the tallest and steepest of these mountains. Certe had nothing like these great collections of rock, but now that the man was facing them he knew that he would have to return to face there challenges again.

  In his dreaming thoughts, his foot tripped over a stout slab of rock, and Dante was sent sprawling. He slid dozens of feet and even with the sounds of his tumbling filling his hearing, the lieutenant could hear the shouts of alarm from those still above. As he rolled to a stop, the soldier felt new pains, but couldn't refrain from laughing. Standing back up a little shakily, the lieutenant gazed up at the heights to those that followed.

  There was a great distance now separating them, but was sure that he could see Valenia's face looking down on him in anger. Making a large shrug as if to say that he couldn't help himself, Dante turned to the last hundred feet or so between him and the valley. Hundreds of feet had been descended in minutes. It was amazing what one could do when there was so little fear of death, he thought.

  Eventually he attained the small valley floor, where a scrawny grove of trees and shrubs sat ready to brave any possible avalanches now or in the future, and Dante thought of starting the climb towards the scar-like opening. He looked back to see the others nearly a quarter of the way down. Misery had taken wing and surprised him by swooping in on him, nearly taking his head. "Hey!" was his cry of annoyance. The raven found a branch just above him in a small white pine and stared at Dante as if the bird too was angry at the stunt that the man had pulled. "Sorry, I didn't know that you cared so much," Dante complained sarcastically.

  It was hard to wait for them, after such an adrenaline filled descent. The lieutenant kept looking wistfully to the cavern halfway up the slope and then to the height of the sun and from there to the still descending soldiers. Dante stood up from the fallen trunk he had sat upon, which proved the danger the grove faced from the rocky slopes above did exist, and paced towards the next slope before them. Trying to talk himself into waiting, the addiction of the climb and the finding of this unknown ring simply kept calling to him in a way that he couldn’t quite explain.

  He could have sworn that he heard Valenia's voice calling to stop what he was thinking, but it was his quest, wasn't it? The small voice of unreason kept working on him to forsake caution and the others. Wanting to go up and get this strangeness over with, nearly overrode his sense of caution, Dante wished that he could climb to his heart's content.

  Nearly scolding himself out loud only seconds later, Dante told himself this was no time to be thinking so selfishly. The world was at stake and this was no time to be considering doing something stupid enough to cause him to fail in his nearly fulfilled efforts to gain the seers' artifact. Dante went back and sat down again to watch as the band began the last leg of its journey, but he could not keep his foot from tapping impatiently.

  While it had taken him minutes to rush down the side of the mountain, it had taken the rest of the company hours to achieve the valley. The horses, though rugged, were hardly as sure footed as those creatures born to the mountains and had to be led carefully. It wasn't the first time that he had wondered why Gannon hadn’t done as he had wanted by refusing his idea of leaving the mounts behind. On the other hand, Dante wouldn't have wanted to leave them as food for the enemy coming from behind either, but surely they were beginning to slow them down now as well.

  He arose and met them at the final slope and took the reins of his mount once more. When Gannon arrived near the end of the line of climbers, Dante was immediately in front of him with questions upon his tongue. "What do we have to look forward to in there Gannon? You have told us almost nothing of what we face here. If you know what awaits us, then I would have you tell me before I stumble upon a surprise. I need to know before the enemy finds us."

  The seer did not look appreciative at the questioning. He took a moment, before answering, "I know little more than you, lieutenant. The cavern above us belongs to a dragon, though I have no idea whether the creature still lives or even if it is home. If it is home, there is probably little that we can do to retrieve the ring, except hope to sneak in while it sleeps. Take shields to protect yourself as much as you possibly may and have hope that the gods remain with you."

  "Do you know the outcome of this, seer?" he demanded.

  The man stared at him unwilling to answer.

  Sighing, Dante had the others gather their weapons. Most would not come within the cavern with him, but the opening would present the best possible defense at this time from their pursuers though there would be no escape once they committed to its defense. The party had begun its climb even as they all began to take hesitant looks to the slope behind them. They knew that the enemy was charging hard and all were afraid for their lives.

  They were nearly to the opening, when Gannon finally spoke. "The enemy will not attack until nightfall," he stated ominously. "You must have the artifact by then, Dante, or we will be trapped and forced to fight. Use your instincts inside there and take only what you feel in your heart is necessary. It will take your heart to find that which we need, not your mind or your sight. Be careful," the seer charged and stopped to watch the sun on its decli
ne. "And hurry."

  Dante led Valenia and the others up the mountainside to the "scar" as they were all beginning to refer to the dragon's cave. Valenia stayed close on his heals as did his men Riad and Erphen. These four would enter the cave fully while the others awaited their return and that of the enemy's as well if it came to that.

  The trip was over now, Dante kept thinking. The goal was nearly attained though he still had almost no idea of what it was that they were looking for inside. He tried only one more time to get another dreg of information from Gannon, but the seer had said his piece and either couldn't or wouldn't explain further.

  Dante looked into the darkness hiding just within the scar and a chill ran the length of his spine. "Well, Valenia, are you ready for this?"

  The woman shrugged. "As ready as I can be, I suppose. I just wish that Gannon would have been willing to tell us what this ring looks like. Can you guess why he's sending us blindly into what he calls a dragon cave?"

  Shaking his head, Dante replied, "I have no idea. He seems to be leaving a lot to luck and destiny. That we can actually find the exact item, unless it is the only ring within, would seem unlikely." He halted a moment as torches treated with resin for longer life were lit. "I don't even know, if we need to use stealth or not. I would have thought that a dragon would guard its cave zealously, but the seer gave no warnings in that regard either."

  Valenia nodded as he presented her with a torch. "I know," she replied quietly. "These torches will alert the beast as well, don't you think?"

  Noticing that Riad and Erphen beginning to appear nervous, Dante stated, "We'll be cautious. Riad, Erphen, if we spot the dragon, we leave quietly and quickly. I don't want anyone waking the creature, since we know nothing of its capabilities. Don't have any fear, men, we've survived everything else that the Emperor has thrown at us so far. How bad could a measly dragon be?" he laughed, but his voice sounded hollow even in his own ears. "Come on, life's an adventure!"

  The four of them nodded to their comrades preparing their weapons at the cavern mouth. The enemy still had yet to make an appearance over the rise, but everyone knew that it could only be a matter of time now.

  Not wanting to drag out this quest any longer, Dante screwed up his courage and started inside.

  The torches were soon the only light available to their eyes. Dante looked upward towards the ceiling high above them. He could not see the actual stone support of the cavern it was so high above them, but dozens of pointed stone spears seemed to hang suspended above them threatening to make the next step the last. The sight of so many stalactites caused him to wonder just what they faced, as if the darkness shrouded ceiling was but one more mystery for him to solve. The small band wound their way through the entry cavern. Stalagmites presented themselves often, but were easy obstacles to overcome as they navigated through the enormous room.

  At the far side of the cavern, they found that the space tapered down significantly and soon it became a corridor where the flames of the torches were just capable of showing each wall from where they walked in the center. The four people looked to either side and occasionally a smaller side passage would be spotted on their way forward. No creatures jumped out at them, but still it seemed to those traveling the tunnel that things continued to lurk just beyond the firelight.

  Dante wondered if perhaps they ought to check one of the smaller corridors. After all, they did not know how large the creature that they searched for actually was. A ring should be small enough for any of the passages to possess, of course, but how large was the owner and where such a creature would have hidden something so important that a seer had sent them to fetch it.

  He looked to Valenia, who looked at him appearing unsure in turn. The lieutenant decided that forward was as good as any way, after a couple moments. It was also the easiest and largest to follow. If the dragon or the ring was not in this corridor, then they would simply have to check the others on their way out. He pointed with his head and continued on the same path.

  None of them noticed just when the noise was heard first. The first time Dante picked out the sound, he thought it to be a passing wind above them. Looking upwards, Dante saw that there was no opening to the sky. The sound wasn't repeated immediately and he began to shrug it off as his imagination when nearly ten minutes later, they heard the sound of rushing wind pass through the corridor once more.

  The four of them froze where they stood. `The dragon!' everyone thought as one. Poised where each had taken their last step, the quartet stood as still as statues. Several minutes passed, and still the sound hadn't been repeated. Dante and the others began to feel foolish in their caution.

  "Sir, maybe it's some phenomenon like the Sacred Springs?" Erphen suggested quietly. He referred to a group of three hot springs that lay in the Calimer Hills. They were said to erupt regularly and always in succession of one another from the center of the heated lake that was the source of the Triune River. "Maybe the winds are another hot spring or steam geyser?"

  "Perhaps Erphen, but let's stay alert in case you're proven wrong," Dante whispered back.

  They proceeded forward again, but every cord of muscle in each of them was tense with fear of the unknown. The wind was heard again and again as regular as clockwork. Dante counted in his mind between gusts.

  "Nine hundred and fifteen beats," Riad breathed after one of the winds could be heard again. "Over fifteen minutes if I counted properly."

  Dante nodded. Could any creature pause between breaths so long? It almost had to be a natural phenomenon, but there was that last piece of doubt from not knowing that kept him counting off beats himself between each wind.

  The corridor walls began to change after awhile. Instead of the dull gray of the stone near the entry and as the corridor had first been, now sparkles seemed to shimmer here and there. The corridor had collapsed in a little closer now, but it still remained enormous. Dante stopped at one point to examine some of the sparkling stone at his feet. There were many examples to choose from now.

  The stone was covered in various colored striations that seemed to run through an entire stone. Dante thought that the stone was unusual, but he had seen rocks even more unusual in the river bed of the Triune and even in some of the smaller streams. If he wasn't worried about the possibility of a dragon being near, he wouldn't have second guessed the stone’s existence. After all, the man could hardly say that he knew much of caves, especially ones this enormous.

  Standing back up, the four resumed their trek inside. They finally found another larger cavern strange in the way its rippling walls barred their forward progress further. The winds seemed to come from the opposite side of the tall wall, but a glimmer caught first Riad's eye and then the others. Near the base of the wall at one end lay golden coins and a few sparkling jewels left scattered haphazardly. As they followed the wall, they found shields and armor added here and there as well. Most were gold or silver, the pure richness of the materials and the craftsmanship to be seen in their finished product left the four awed.

  Swords, chests (some opened revealing riches and others closed, but assumed filled), necklaces, more armor, gold bars, mirrors (in diamond, silver, gold and bronze frames), engraved scepters with jewels studding them on their ends or dotting their lengths, and so much more lay strewn about and piled high up the walls. The riches dazzled them in their brilliance and the four knew that they had found the dragon's treasure trove.

  Again the winds sounded from beyond the strange rounded wall, and Dante wondered at the source. "Look for the ring," he whispered though the man could see no sign of the dragon, "Valenia and I will keep moving around this wall. It seems to keep curving. Maybe we will find out the source of the winds or discover what has become of this dragon that Gannon warned us about. Be careful and don't take anything until I approve it."

  The men nodded and began searching quietly about. The piles were so high he feared, as they continued to find even more, that they would never find what they were looking fo
r in a years’ time let alone the minutes they had to search. He suddenly noticed that the wall was beginning to taper down as they moved alongside of it. Pointing it out without saying a word to Valenia as they walked quietly, she understood his meaning well enough. He also noticed strange spike formations near the crest of the obstruction now. The sight of such an unusual layer of stratum disturbed him. A thought began to try and wriggle into his consciousness and the searcher fought to ignore it. Dante didn't want to acknowledge the fears that were beginning to rear their heads defiantly at the back of his mind.

  Suddenly, a pair of twisted spikes appeared before them to block their path ahead. Dante could see that they would be easily passable, but they were no longer his true concern, but merely pointed out the problem which turned his blood to ice. Atop of the higher spike rested a strange fan-like structure nearly as wide as he was tall with ribs as thick as his knee. Knowing that, should he dare to look, a second matching structure would be revealed beneath the lower spike, which was in reality merely one twisted horn on a dragon hundreds of feet long.

  Valenia let out a small gasp beside him and grabbed hold of his arm. He pried her fingers gently from his arm and nodded to her. Signaling the woman to wait, Dante moved forward determinedly. Having come this far, the man would see the face of fear before he would flee from the cave. Besides, Dante thought, if it were him guarding his most important treasures, he would be sure that they lay before him where they could be watched over by him.

  The man stepped over the lower horn carefully, making sure not to touch the barrier even slightly. He couldn't know how sensitive the beast would be and was surprised that it was not already awake, though praying that he would never see such a monster awake and angry, was also in his mind. A beast as large as this could eat him in a single gulp, the man figured out fearfully.