"But there were lowlands," Igrid said. "Surely they would have been flooded."
"Not necessarily," Rian said then, joining them in their huddle. "I've seen dry areas in the middle of swamps before. It all depends on what kind of soil is there. Plus, if these Alvar built the ruins, they would have altered the terrain to stay dry, right? It wouldn't be any good having your temples flooded."
Igrid supposed that was true. The Alvar were master engineers, from what she had heard, and there was always the possibility that they had actually built the swamp themselves as some kind of cover for their structures.
"This all makes sense now," she said. "It's all part of their complex, this whole swamp. What a better way to keep intruders out than surrounding their cities with swamp?"
"That does make sense," Morrigan said. "It's what I would do."
Rian and Igrid both looked at her skeptically. Morrigan smiled and shrugged.
"Come on," Igrid said, rolling up the map with a grin. "We'll just follow the tracker here. She knows where she's going, evidently."
"Wait," Rian said, holding out her hand to keep them back. "Did you hear that?"
They stood, staring off onto the road ahead. There were small shuffling sounds and cracking twigs on either side. Something was moving through the brush slowly and methodically. Igrid's hand went to her blade. She pulled it out partway, glancing at the blade. It was not glowing, telling her that the danger wasn't great or inherently evil. It was likely just an animal.
Suddenly there was a growl, and the movement stopped. Igrid's heart began racing. Though whatever was nearby was likely mundane, it could still be dangerous. A bear isn't evil, but it is still dangerous.
Trolls were animals as well.
"Troll, I think," Morrigan said.
Rian sniffed the air, nodding her head. "I can smell it."
Igrid looked at her then. "You know what they smell like?"
"Of course," Rian replied. "I've seen many of them. They all smell the same."
"Have you fought them before?"
"Plenty of times."
Rian drew her blade and began creeping forward cautiously. She held her hand out to tell Igrid and Morrigan to stay behind.
"What are you doing?" Igrid asked.
"Stay back," Rian whispered. "It's time to prove myself right?"
Igrid sighed, glancing at Morrigan, who shrugged. They crouched again and watched Rian head down the trail. Igrid drew her bow and nocked an arrow, just in case. The growling continued, and Rian stopped when it grew to a loud gurgle. The troll had spotted her.
"I hope she knows what she's doing," Morrigan whispered.
"We'll soon find out."
The brush exploded outward as the troll burst through. It sailed through the air, howling as it landed roughly on the ground, its claws swiping the air. Rian rolled out of the way, rising quickly and doing a sideways flip toward the creature. Her katana sliced a diagonal wound in the troll's chest, and her foot came up in a spinning kick right as she landed from her flip. The troll shrugged off the kick and charged, swiping both claws at head level.
Rian ducked and flipped forward again, changing direction at the last second and spinning low, slicing into the creature's thigh. It howled in pain, spinning and swiping its claws, its teeth gnashing menacingly.
"Impressive," Igrid said.
Rian held her hands out at her sides, backing away in a daring taunt. The growling troll stalked toward her, its open maw dripping with saliva. Its gray-green fur was covered in blood, and its eyes were red with rage. Rian smiled, cocking her head. The troll charged suddenly, and Rian leapt up and to the side, flipping her blade in her hand and thrusting it into the troll's shoulder.
She withdrew and landed beside it, backing away as it thrashed its arms around. It staggered forward, its growling becoming a desperate gurgle. Then, as Rian turned to walk back to the other women, it toppled forward and crashed into the ground with a dull thud.
Igrid and Morrigan stood. Rian returned, sheathing her blade with a grin.
"That was fun," the rogue said.
"Nice work," Igrid said. "I thought for sure it would gobble you up."
"They're not too smart," Rian said. "They're powerful, but they're slow."
"And they smell bad, too," Morrigan said.
"They're carrion eaters," Rian explained. "They eat mostly rotten flesh, shite and slime. But if they're hungry enough they'll hunt."
"They're dangerous either way," Igrid said. "That one was territorial."
"Right," Rian said. "If there's one, then there are likely more."
"Let's be more careful," Igrid said. "Spread out and keep your eyes on either side of the trail."
As the day wore on, the three women began to notice the vague shapes of stones beneath the dirt road. The stones were white like the ruins, and were arranged in a diagonal pattern. Most of them were eroded and cracked, with tiny plants growing up between them, or were covered in moss. The road was ancient indeed, and the presence of the stones told them they were approaching another major ruin.
They were not quite far enough south to have reached the temple already, but there were signs of previous worship in the area. Off to the sides of the road, nestled within the trees, were cracked and vine-covered statues. Some of them were of male warriors, others were of female figures, possibly healers or magicians of some type. Their presence seemed comforting to all three women, and they looked upon them as a good sign.
"Do they look like Alvar?" Rian asked.
"I think so," Morrigan replied. "It's hard to tell when their heads are missing."
"They have to be," Igrid said. "They look much older than any human ruins, and that stone…"
Rian bent down to scrape the dirt off of a few of the blocks. She poked around it with her dagger, shrugging, and stood up again.
"It doesn't even look workable," she said. "It's too hard."
"Not workable by human hands, maybe," Igrid said. "This is a good sign. The more ruins we see, the closer we know we're getting to our destination."
"Do you know what the temple looks like?" Rian asked.
Igrid shook her head. "No. But Menelith said we would know it when we saw it. That's all he would say."
"He doesn't sound very helpful," Rian said.
Morrigan chuckled. "I'm sure he has his reasons," she said. "He can't do all the work for us."
The road began to slope downward again, with signs of stone steps sticking out of the dirt. Some of the blocks were loose where they were exposed by the wind and rain, and the trio had to skirt around them lest they slip and go tumbling down the trail. The steepness grew the farther down they went, and they began to hear the sounds of frogs and other aquatic life.
"The swamp starts again," Igrid said. "I can smell it."
"I hope the trail is high enough we don't have to swim it," Morrigan said. "Trolls can swim, too."
"Look," Rian said, pointing off toward their right.
A stone structure was half submerged in the swamp a ways down. Like the other ruins, it was of cracked white stone, obviously Alvar in origin. It looked to be a gazebo of some type, with the stone benches partially visible. That told them the swamp wasn't very deep in this area, but they would still have to be careful.
"I wonder what that was," Morrigan said.
They stopped at the edge of the swamp, each of them dipping their toes in to judge the depth. When they were satisfied they wouldn't go plunging into deep, murky water, they continued on. The frogs were much louder than before, and it was hard to hear anything else. It actually gave Igrid an idea.
"We should spear some frogs," she said. "Just in case. We can eat them if we get hungry enough."
She pulled a few arrows out, giving one to each of her friends. They spread out, watching the lily pads and sunken logs for any movement. Rian skewered one, sliding it up the shaft of the arrow to keep it safe, and crouched down again to seek out more. Igrid found one on a log and speared it quickly. Mo
rrigan didn't seem to be having any luck.
"I'm not even sure I want to eat one of these," Rian said. "I've never had one before."
"They're good," Igrid said, grinning. "You just eat the legs. The rest is not so good."
There was a sudden splash, and Rian disappeared beneath the surface. Igrid and Morrigan rushed over to position, drawing their swords and spreading out. Rian appeared once again, spitting mud and cursing as she surfaced.
"Well, that was a hole," she said, making her way back to shallow water. "I lost my arrow."
"Are you okay," Igrid asked. She could hear Morrigan snicker.
"I'm fine," Rian replied, shaking off. "Just a bit wet now."
"Let's keep going and find some dry ground. We can start a fire and warm up."
The road climbed upward again eventually, ending in a flat, wide area where the white stone blocks were fully exposed. Broken pillars surrounded it, at least twelve of them, and it appeared to have once been fully covered above. Only the remains of stone joists and arches were there at the edges, and broken stone littered the platform.
"I wonder what this was," Morrigan said, looking around at the broken columns.
Igrid scanned the broken stone on the platform, seeing that many of the pieces looked like they would fit together in some kind of overhead grid of stone. There was likely no actual roof, only the skeletal structure of stone beams, probably a trellis where vines and other plants could climb up or hang down.
"It looks like a hanging garden," Igrid said. "These are pots, or they used to be. It was open to the sky."
"It looks like a good place to get dry," Rian said. "I'll find some wood."
"We should be safe here for a while," Igrid said, unstrapping her gear.
She dropped her pack near the center of the circle and sat down on one of the larger stones. There was a strange feeling in the air, one that she could not place. It felt like happiness and sadness at the same time; a forlorn or wistful feeling. Good things once happened in this place, she knew, but then a tragedy of some unknown origin had occurred. It was a faint sensation, lost through the ages, but there nonetheless.
She closed her eyes as the other two women foraged for wood. She focused on her breathing, letting the outside world slowly fade away around her. She did not know why she was doing this, but she felt compelled for some reason. She would simply allow it to happen, as whatever was happening was likely important.
She began to hear voices in her head. They were musical voices, those of men, women and children. There was singing, laughing, chatting, and even the sound of what seemed like prayer. This was a joyous place, she realized, one where the Alvar could gather and casually converse, entertain their children and relax after a day's worship.
She concentrated on the voices. She did not understand the words they were speaking, but the accompanying laughter told her they were friendly and mirthful words. One person, a male, was telling a story, and the children were laughing. A ways away, a women spoke to a small group. Her voice was soft yet commanding, and the other women seemed to be asking questions.
She was a teacher of some kind.
Igrid could only imagine what words she was speaking, or what story the male was telling. She found herself immersed in their world, feeling at peace, feeling at one with them. But then, there was a heavy rumbling that came from the south. She could feel the Alvar' fear, and could sense the giant fireball that had appeared in the sky, shining through the trees as brightly as the sun itself.
Igrid began to grow cold. She was freezing. The warmth of the sun faded as darkness spread over the sky. It was not a magical darkness, one of ill will or evil, but a mundane occurrence. Something had fallen from the sky and crashed into the ground, throwing rock and dust into the sky so thickly that it blotted out the sun.
What was happening?
As she sought for answers, the voices slowly faded, replaced by an eerie silence that felt as thick as swamp water. It was a great nothing. No happiness, no sadness, nothing. The Alvar were gone, their cities had fallen to ruin, and all of the beautiful flora had died out. There was nothing but dead forest for years and years. Only the skeletal remains of a lush wellspring, and the growing swamp that swallowed up everything.
"Igrid," she heard Morrigan say.
She opened her eyes, seeing the Highlander standing nearby with a bundle of sticks. There was concern on her face, and a sense of sympathy in her eyes. Igrid had not realized it, but her own face was covered in tears. She reached up and wiped them away, looking at Morrigan as the woman sat down next to her.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I had a vision," Igrid replied. "A vision of the past, when the Alvar lived here. They were happy and content, but then something fell from the sky and blotted out the sun. Their demise was slow and full of sorrow. The anguish was great. They had lost their home, this place, and fled."
"The mines," Morrigan said. "The rock that formed the mines in the south. Remember the story?"
Igrid nodded. "I do. Skulgrid told me a few days before the battle."
"That's what it was," Morrigan said. "That's why this place went to ruin."
"I'm guessing that's why the Alvar left the island in the first place. They went to other lands, giving rise to all of the legends of their kind. Now they're back, and with a purpose that has nothing to do with us."
Rian returned, dropping an armful of sticks and small logs. She went to work on building a fire as the other two watched in silence. Rian seemed to notice and looked at them curiously, one brow cocked.
"Something going on here?" she asked.
Igrid slid down to the ground, sighing and laying her head back on the stone.
"There was a vision," she said. "We've had many since this all began. They all seem to be connected to the past, when the Alvar worshipped the Great Mother."
"I'm guessing that was a long time ago."
"Thousands of years," Morrigan said. "Before the mines were created."
Rian nodded. "I've heard of the mines. You mean the ones in the southern part of the island?"
"Yes," Igrid said. "It was what caused the Alvar to leave this island."
"I've never heard any stories about them," Rian said. "At least not any of them on this island. The stories I've heard said the giant rock that fell from the sky had magical metal in it, and the people would later use it to forge magical weapons."
"The Alvar did, yes," Morrigan said. "And some men. But they stopped for some reason. Who knows why?"
"Well," Rian said, plopping to the ground to start the fire with her stones. "That has nothing to do with us. We're off to the temple, right? That's what we should concentrate on."
"You'll tell us if you have visions?" Igrid asked.
"I will," Rian replied. "If I have any, you'll be the first two to know."
As the fire sparked into life, the three of them scooted closer to help it get going. They arranged the smaller sticks in the center of the pile, leaning in to blow air into it. Soon, the fire grew, and its warmth spread through them like a much needed rest—which they would soon get as they dried their clothes.
They began stripping off their garments, arranging them close to the fire. Rian's were the worst, her having fallen in the swamp, but Morrigan and Igrid shared any extra garments they had.
"This leather will probably shrink," Igrid said.
"It's already shrunken," Rian said. "The woman who owned them before me was a bit larger."
Igrid smiled. "So you stole them?"
"No," Rian replied. "I inherited them. She was a member of my troop. She was killed when I was around fifteen or so. She taught me everything and kept me safe from the men."
"What was her name?" Morrigan asked.
"Teria the Gecko," Rian said with a smile. "She could climb anything, and so can I."
A sudden shuffling broke their peace, and dark figures burst from the woods around them. Before they could reach for their weapons, the sound of bows being draw
n stopped them cold. Surprised and terrified, they froze, watching as four figures stepped into the light of the fire.
Ronin.
"Oh no," Rian said. "They found me."
Chapter Fifteen
Lilit padded silently through the catacombs that Malthor had described. There, she knew, the effigy of Kathorgo would provide her with a direct link to the entity that had created her, and she would be able to lay her eyes upon him at last. Though her memory was clouded, she distinctly remembered her origin, unlike some of her sisters. They were all created to be sacrificed for the eternal imprisonment of Theia, but she had saved them at the last minute.
But then she had abandoned them.
Lilit's rage grew stronger as she neared the stone door at the end of the corridor. From what she saw, it was exactly what Malthor had described. Thick stone, with a carving upon it that was familiar to her. It was a carving of Kingu himself, whose avatar within was known as Kathorgo.
Why, she didn't know.
She placed her hands upon the stone door, her rage building to the point of release. But when her fingers felt the warmth of the stone, it seemed to melt away to a more tolerable level. She felt a strange sense of contentment, as if she were coming home for the first time in a thousand years.
And truly she was.
"Damn you," she whispered, pulling her hands away.
The door shifted, scraping against the floor as it slowly opened. Lilit stepped back, glaring into the dark chamber within. Several glowing orbs came to life, giving the chamber a strange cast that sent chills up her spine. She had no idea why she suddenly felt afraid, but she did. Malthor had not been afraid, why should she?
Come to me, Lilit.
As more orbs flared into life, a large statue was revealed in the chamber's center. It was larger than man-sized, with a helmet that bore large horns that curved forward like a bull's. Red eyes glowed within, and Lilit could sense a growing presence.
Come to me, child. Come to your father.
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