Hollow Road

by Dan Fitzgerald

  “There are things I cannot tell you, not now, but this community has come under threat, and if we do not deal with it, we cannot remain here. And we must, we must remain here, in this castle, on this mountain, if we are to survive, and to thrive. In the passages underneath the keep, and there are many, lurk a group of creatures that have taken control of a precious resource we rely upon for our very survival. We led an assault on the creatures, and lost ten of our best warriors in the process. Melka and Karul are at odds as to how to proceed, with Karul reluctant to risk more lives but Melka hot for battle, as is his nature. But even Melka knows we do not have the weaponry or the magic to take on these foes without help. Only Karul’s spear can penetrate the creatures’ hides; the rest of our spears have stone tips, which do not punch through easily. And our arrows are hardly sufficient to take down a mountain goat. Luez has a fine steel sword and the knowledge of its use, but beyond that...” Her voice trailed off.

  “And you think I can help?” Carl asked. He was willing to do anything she asked, but her words gave him little hope of success.

  “You killed the Ka-lar,” she said in a reverent tone. “And you bested Roubay and his group without casualty.”

  “Sinnie killed the Ka-lar,” Carl said. “Finn and I helped, but it was she who ended its existence. And she took out most of the...Roubay and his group.”

  “Precisely,” Ujenn said. “And she has a proper bow, and steel-pointed arrows, and Finn...I can sense his power, which is greater than he knows. If you can convince them, I can persuade Karul to let Melka and Luez join you, and put an end to this menace once and for all.”

  Carl pulled back a little, pulling Ujenn’s hand from his face and kissing it. “Yes,” he said in Maer. He pulled her hand back to his face, pressing her forehead to his once again, chasing away the darkness inside him. “We will help. Now, tell me more about these creatures.”

  SINNIE GAVE CARL AN odd look, with the hint of a smile visible in the lamplight. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”

  Carl gave her a playful tap on the knee. “It’s not like that. Not at the moment anyway. There’s something else, something much more important.”

  Finn sat up straight from his pile of reeds. “Well this I must hear,” he said.

  “The Maer are under threat from beneath the keep, some kind of powerful creatures that have taken control of something they need to survive. She didn’t give me all the details, but I promised I would help. I hope you will join me, but if you don’t want to, I will understand.”

  “They want our help to, what, kill these creatures?” Sinnie asked, her face somber.

  Carl nodded. “Look, I know we were cleared by the Parzek, but I still feel terrible for what happened, and for them. If I had just gotten to the cave before Nicolas, or prepared him better—”

  “Nicolas did what he did, not you,” Finn said. “In fact, you are the only one of us who did no harm to the noncombatants or the children.”

  “Be that as it may, I’ve decided to help,” Carl replied. “It just feels like the right thing to do.”

  Sinnie fixed her eyes on Carl’s for a long moment, as if she were studying him, assessing his motives. He knew what she thought, that he just wanted to fight, and she might have been right, but he didn’t care.

  “I’m in,” Sinnie said unexpectedly. “I’ve got too much of their blood on my hands. If it’s as important as you say, I couldn’t just go back, knowing I could have helped.”

  “Okay,” Finn said, rubbing his face. “I’m not letting you two have all the fun. Besides, it would be lonely riding all the way back to Brocland by myself.”

  “Karul and the council await us,” Carl said, his face grim. “They will fill us in on the details, and we will set forth in the morning.”

  UJENN LED THEM THROUGH the sleeping quarters, where Maer were quietly telling their children stories, playing dice, or sleeping. The room to which they were led had tall, uneven walls on three sides but was open to the sky. A hearty fire burned in the center, around which were set a number of tree stumps, with worked surfaces for more comfortable seating. Around the fire sat Karul, Luez, Melka, and Fabaris, with three stumps left for Carl, Finnie, and Sinn. The Maer leaders looked somber and majestic in the hot orange light, which cast dancing shadows on the dark walls above.

  Karul held a rod in his hand, a length of wood polished so it shone in the firelight. An ingot of copper or gold was affixed to the end, its rich orange hue enhanced by the flames. He stood, holding the rod in front of him.

  Karul spoke, and Luez translated directly into accented but correct Islish. “You have been invited to the council as honored guests. We thank you for joining us,” Carl shook his head, a smile creeping onto his lips. She wore human armor and a human sword, so it should have been no surprise she had learned their language. “We apologize for the secrecy we must maintain on certain matters bearing on Maer security, and we hope you will understand that we have no intent to deceive.”

  Carl nodded, along with Finn and Sinnie, as Luez translated for the Maer.

  Fabaris gestured for the rod, and Karul passed it to him. “You have been exonerated through the Parzek, but the tragic events of recent weeks will remain part of our shared history. Let none of us forget what happened, nor the names of those who passed on.” All heads bowed for a moment after translation, then Fabaris passed the rod back to Karul.

  “You owe us nothing, yet you have agreed to help us rid this castle of the scourge we call mashtorul, which until recently was known only in legend. These creatures, whom we believe to number four, have taken control of the tunnels beneath the keep, where we harvest the fungus that sustains us. For hunt, fish, and garden though we may, in this rocky land it is all we can do to survive. Without the fungus, almost all our energy goes into producing food, and still it is barely enough. This is why we are here, in this castle, on this mountain.” He paused while Luez translated, then continued. “When the mashtorul arrived, they killed three of our harvesters, and we barricaded the door with heavy rocks. We then organized a raiding party of fifteen Maer to exterminate them, but their hides are thick and our spears would hardly penetrate. They killed ten of our warriors, and hardly took a scratch. But we did learn something from the encounter.” He passed the rod to Luez, who translated, then spoke herself, in Islish.

  “Their hides are tough, yes, but not impenetrable. A good blade will pierce them, if the blow is strong and true. The one spear that seemed to get through was thrust up under the arm, so we think their hide is thinner there. The eyes and mouth would be another obvious target, and they did seem to shy away from fire. I think it interferes with their vision. Beyond that, each one is as strong as three Maer or more, and they need no weapons to crush your skull with one blow or tear through your flesh with their claws. Though they move slowly by nature, they are capable of rapid strikes, and can sprint faster than a man over short distances. They have a low center of gravity and long arms, so they are difficult to knock over.” She stopped for a moment and spoke a sentence or two to the leaders in Maer. Carl was impressed with the level of detail of her tactical assessment. She would be a great asset in this fight.

  Fabaris held out his hand for the rod, then spoke as he held it. “No more than two from the council shall join in the raid. Since neither Ujenn nor myself have combat training, and we cannot risk losing our leader, should things go south, Melka and Luez will lead the sortie. If there are no objections, of course.” Carl had figured out the gist of what Fabaris said by the time Luez translated it. Somehow his communications with Ujenn had given him a jump-start in understanding Maer, though he still had not uttered more than the word for ‘yes’.

  “It looks like Melka and Carl will get their mortal combat after all,” Karul commented without waiting for the rod, which was then passed to him. “I will lend you my two best dogs, to help sniff them out and, if necessary, to drag the wounded out of combat, as they have been trained to do.” Carl nodded, remembering
the mastiff-like dogs that had accompanied Melka and Fabaris when they first came down from the mountain. “I would send additional Maer, but I fear they would just get in the way without adding much to the combat.”

  “And I,” said Ujenn, taking the rod from Karul, “can offer a boon to any willing to accept it. An inspiration, if you like, deep in your mind, that you can call upon in your time of need.”

  Once they had heard the translation, Carl, Finn, and Sinnie looked at each other, agreement in their eyes. Carl waited for Sinnie, but she blinked him on. He stood, holding out his hand for the rod, which Ujenn passed to him, her eyes incandescent over their dark depths.

  “We accept,” Carl said in Maer. Even if his pronunciation was as bad as he suspected, the council seemed to understand. He continued in Islish: “We have a blade to spare if Melka wishes to use it.”

  “He shall have my spear,” Karul said. “It is a weapon of the ancients, like yours, and he will be more comfortable using it.”

  “Then I will leave you with my steel sword, which I have little use of at the moment. And should things not go as we hope, you will not be without a blade.”

  Karul nodded upon hearing the translation. “Thank you.” He looked into the fire for a while, turning the rod in his fingers. “There is one other thing, which Fabaris can better speak to than I.” He passed the rod to Fabaris, who stood and retrieved a cylindrical object from a basket. He held it at his side, so Carl couldn’t get a good look at it, but its color was that of tarnished bronze.

  “You must have found, on one of the Maer, a map of Brocland and the surrounding hills and valleys, which you no doubt used to help find your way back here.” Carl nodded. “That map was a kind of deed, stating that the territory contained therein was subject to the jurisdiction of the bearer, under Maer law. It was never intended as Roubay used it, as a pretext for attacking defenseless villages. It was merely a statement of fact, that the land including the village now known as Brocland once was, and once again shall be, under Maer jurisdiction, as it was taken by illegitimate force over a thousand years ago. We have many, but not all, of the documents needed to prove our case, and when in time we obtain the rest of the documents, we intend to present them to the Realm, or whoever claims dominion over those lands in the future, so that we may come to a reasonable agreement on how to best resolve the disputed territories.” It took Luez a while to translate; she had to ask Fabaris for several clarifications, but they got the message. Carl reached for the rod.

  “I do not pretend to speak for the Realm,” Carl said, “but I think it highly unlikely they would give any legitimacy to your claims, however many ancient documents you might produce.”

  Fabaris nodded as he listened to Luez’s explanation, taking the rod back. “Perhaps you are right. We will have to let them judge the merits of our case when the time comes. In the meantime, should you succeed in helping us get rid of the mashtorul, we are prepared to grant you and your village permanent dominion over Brocland and all territories within five miles of it. This,” he said, holding up a dull bronze cylinder covered in thousands of tiny points, “will make a map, which when duly signed and notarized will spell out our agreement, which will be valid in perpetuity to all law-abiding Maer.”

  Karul stood up as Luez translated, then walked over to Carl, Sinnie, and Finn.

  “Do we have a deal?” he said, extending his hand.

  “Yes,” Carl said in Maer, “We have a deal.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Sinnie tried not to flinch as Ujenn placed her palm on Sinnie’s forehead. Ujenn’s smile was disarming, but Sinnie had a hard time letting her guard down entirely.

  “I know you cannot fully trust me.” Ujenn’s voice resonated in Islish of a clarity Sinnie had rarely heard. “You think I have put a charm on Carl, and that I may put a charm on you, to get what I want, what my people need.”

  “Pretty much exactly that,” Sinnie admitted. “Did you read my mind?”

  “No, I can only do that if you let me. The Sabrit does not allow it. That’s the council of Maer mages, whom all of us follow. Karul wanted me to use such a power in the Parzek, but again, it is not allowed.”

  “I guess that would rule out planting insidious suggestions in my mind in the guise of an unspecified boon as well, right?”

  Ujenn laughed. “You and I shall be friends, Sinnie. And no, that would not be allowed either. And I would not do that to you.”

  Sinnie relaxed a little at Ujenn’s words. “So what is it you’re going to do to me again? How does this ‘boon’ work?”

  “Close your eyes,” Ujenn instructed, and Sinnie complied. She had agreed to go face deadly trolls beneath the castle, so at this point, there was no sense fighting it. “I am going to give you a spark of my energy, which will embed itself within you until you call upon it. Not with your voice, but with your mind, or your heart if you prefer to think of it that way. It can help you gain extra focus, or rally from fatigue, or otherwise enhance any ability you already possess, for a short time. The spark will be with you until you sleep again, at which point it will fade away. Are you ready?”

  Sinnie nodded. Her mind was calm and clear, and she sensed that she could trust Ujenn, that the sorceress could help her. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “Very good. You will feel a warmth in your forehead, then it will pass into your mind, which may try to defend itself at first. I cannot give this boon without your consent. Just relax, let it find its way to a cozy place inside, where it will wait and be ready when you call upon it. I begin...now.”

  Sinnie’s forehead grew warm, then cooled as the warmth shifted inside her, relaxing her brain like a nice hot bath. She sank into the feeling, letting it wash over her, explore her mind, finally nestling in and becoming still. Ujenn’s face sank a bit when she removed her hand, and she eased back onto her bed, supporting herself with both arms.

  “Carl,” she said, followed by something in Maer, ending in “Carl.” Sinnie nodded and made her way through the dark hallways to the fire.

  “Your turn, chief,” she said to Carl. “She’s pretty worn out, but I bet she’ll still be able to find the spark for you.” She said it without malice; she could sense the good in Ujenn, and she could see why Carl was drawn to her. Carl seemed to take no offense, his eyes already fixed on the exit, into which he quickly disappeared.

  When he returned about ten minutes later, his face was equal parts tranquil and determined. All the party had been granted a boon, except Luez, who had politely declined. They had eaten, prepared their gear, and fed and watered the dogs, who seemed to sense that something exciting and deadly serious was afoot. Their ears and noses were on high alert, and they watched Karul for instruction. He looked around at the company assembled and nodded.

  “It is time,” he said in heavily accented Islish, as if he had memorized the line. Melka took the dogs’ leashes and said something in Maer, and the dogs stood up, their ears perked and tails wagging slightly. Luez followed, gesturing to Carl to come next, then Finn, then Sinnie. She fell into line as they made their way past the living quarters into the back part of the keep, where they passed a spacious kitchen and several rooms with curtains covering the doorways, until at last they came to a large pile of rocks guarded by two Maer, looking equal parts bored and nervous.

  “We will need to move these rocks to get to the door,” Luez said, “and they will be replaced after we go in. It takes several minutes to move them, so there will be no quick escape.” Everyone pitched in, and the stones were moved in short order. The door beneath was made up of a series of half-timbers lashed together and took two Maer to lift open.

  “They might want to get a few more Maer to stand guard until we come back, just in case we are in a bit of a hurry,” Carl pointed out. Luez nodded and barked some orders to one of the guards, who gave a military nod and dashed off into the keep. Luez lit a torch, which crackled into life before settling down to a weak but steady flame.

  “Have y
our lantern ready,” she told Finn, “and I’ll have a second torch at hand. We won’t sneak up on them regardless, but we don’t want to come in blazing until we need more light.” Finn held up the lantern and gave a little salute. Luez drew her sword, a short but sinister-looking steel blade, and Melka gripped his spear with the bladed bronze tip, the one like Carl’s Ka-lar sword, which the Maer seemed to call ‘blade of the ancients.’ Finn took a few slow, deep breaths, and Sinnie checked her bow and reached back to her arrows, sliding her quiver a bit higher on her shoulder for easier access. Carl already had his Ka-lar sword in his right hand and his shield on his left arm, and his smile seemed less bloodthirsty than before.

  The dogs led, silent but attentive, down a twisting staircase that seemed never-ending. The sound of rocks being piled on top of the door as they wound their way down added to Sinnie’s growing sense of dread. She could have been on her way back to Brocland, breathing in the fresh mountain air instead of the musty, fetid smell that rose up from the depths below the keep. After descending several hundred stairs, they emerged into a rough passageway, where a faint current of air seemed to flow from the right.

  “This passage,” Luez said in a low voice, pointing to the right, “leads down for a long way before being walled off. We think it once led out the side of the mountain, but it seems to have been closed long ago. The mashtorul must have found another way in, but we do not know how. There are a few natural side passages, which we have not fully explored, but the mashtorul have only been seen down this way.” She pointed to the left and said a few words to Melka, who urged the dogs forward. The passage continued on level for a while before it began a slight downward grade. At the point where it began descending, they passed several heaps of moldering wood, which might at one point have been some kind of cart. The timbers that had once braced the walls and ceilings of the passage were similarly decayed, and Sinnie marveled that the whole place had not simply collapsed over the centuries. Other than a few cave crickets, which hopped frantically away from their light, a deep stillness reigned in the damp darkness. Though they all walked as softly as they could, their footfalls would surely be heard from far away.