“Because there’s no more magic in them to sustain their glow. Whatever that fog was, it eats magic.”
But what did it do with that magic once it ate it? I wish I knew because it would be very handy right now if we stumbled upon a pool of magic or something I can drain so I can get a few rune-lights going. Nulthir clasped his hands together to keep from touching the other runes written on his skin. None would help in this situation.
Bang, bang, bang, crash—that thing had broken through something—a wall hopefully, not the ceiling. Nulthir pulled Iraine down with him. Please, not another monster—one supernatural entity on the loose is enough.
“Everyone take cover!"
“From what?” Iraine shot him an aggrieved glare.
“Monsters!” Thing One broadcasted.
“Can you see what it is, and what it's doing?”
Staying low, Nulthir retreated as more rocks fell. They were closer and louder than before. They kicked up a dust cloud, and it rolled over them, choking him. Nulthir coughed as he waited for Thing One’s reply. Please, let that adorable amalgamation’s dark-adjusted eyes see something I can't. You owe me one, Fate.
“Ye-es, it has many arms.”
“Many arms? What does that mean?” Lurston or maybe Yazi shouted. Between the dust and the dim light of the symbols glowing on some of his fellow Guards, it was hard to tell who'd spoken.
“Just what he said. Look there.” Iraine pointed to a blur sliding through the shadows, but Nulthir couldn't make out anything more about it than its snaky shape.
“They're pulling down the wall to get to the Shining One! Go, friend Nulthir, go to the Shining One.”
“Where is he?”
Iraine gripped his shoulder. “I see him. He’s there.” She pointed at something to their right, and Nulthir spotted a glimmer of light off in the distance. She patted his shoulder as she stepped out of cover holding out her glowing arms. Numerous religious icons glowed on them, but their light was just barely enough to illuminate her face. One of those things swiveled around and lunged at her, but she dodged.
“Follow me. Lead the way Thing One.”
“Yes, go to the Shining One.” Thing One screeched and swooped down on the dark blur targeting Iraine with his claws extended. He raked them across the snaky appendages pummeling what must be a wall, and they twisted about to swat him. Somehow, they'd sensed his presence. Perhaps they, too, had eyes.
Thing One flew in a wide loop to draw some of those ‘arms’ away from the rock Iraine had just scaled. She vanished at its apex, and darkness swallowed her.
“Go, now, while it's distracted.”
“Won't it just follow us if it's really after that Shining One?”
“That’s the general idea. Now go,” Nulthir shoved Anthanen toward the light, and what he hoped was a hole in the wall. Thing One's heroics left them an opening and bought them time to reposition. If Anthanen survived, he'd probably quit the Guards. And I wouldn't blame him if he did. He picked a hell of a week to sign on with us.
Nulthir dodged one of the creature's many arms and vaulted over another one that shot by at ankle-height. How many arms did this monster have? It seemed to have a limitless supply. Where was the rest of its body?
Thing One made another pass as something heavy slammed Nulthir to the ground. Footsteps approached while he struggled to free himself. “Keep going. Get out of here. I’ll join you later.”
“But captain—”
“That’s an order lieutenant.”
“Will you bring me up on charges if I decline?”
Agalthar grunted and thrust his hands under the object pinning Nulthir. Between his prying and Nulthir’s squirming, Nulthir finally extricated himself.
“Thanks, now get out of here.” Nulthir shoved Agalthar toward the rockpile.
“What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m more durable than I look.” Nulthir waved to his friend to go then called to Thing One and headed back into the fray. He didn’t check to see if his friend had followed his orders this time.
His rune-light wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the rock pile underfoot with its fading light until he bent to pick up a head-sized stone. When he rose, its light fell on the dark blur just inches away to his right. The thing was swiveling about in search of Thing One until his rune-light fell on it, revealing a slimy gray tube as wide as his leg. That tube ended in a grabby leaf-shaped thing covered with suckers and chitinous hooks.
Nulthir ducked as it swung around then he smashed a rock into it. Another arm slammed into his back, and he tumbled through the hole that creature had made. It was just big enough to accommodate him, and he hit the ground hard on the other side. He gained his feet in time to avoid Draya, who’d leaped through after him followed by Yazi, Gare and Lurston.
Thing One shot passed them. “Hurry, the Shining One’s hurt.”
“Now you tell me.” Nulthir clenched his fists. Just what he needed, a wounded ‘Shining One’—whatever that was—to carry around with him down here. Because monsters and evil mind-enslaving creatures aren’t enough.
“Where are the others?”
“Over here,” Huwain called from just ahead. “There's another tunnel up ahead.” Indeed, a soft glow radiated from around that bend. It was the cross glowing on Huwain's heart.
Nulthir gave the cavern one last glance then ran to catch up to his men as rocks rained down on the place he'd just been standing. Those tentacles must have pulled down the wrong stones, or maybe they were the right ones since a wall of rubble now separated them from a monster and a whole lot of innocent people. Damn you, Fate.
Nulthir turned his back on it because there was nothing more he could do for them except get his men and women out of there alive. Gare stopped him.
“What if that creature follows us?”
“Better us than that crowd of innocent people.” Nulthir patted his subordinate’s back and gave him a push to get him moving. A rumble shook the rock pile dislodging some of the smaller stones.
“Looks like you’ll get your wish, Captain.”
“Then let’s lead this thing on a merry chase. There's got to be some open ground we can lure it onto.”
“Then the shooting begins,” Yazi patted the crossbow strapped to his back as he and Nulthir jogged to catch up with the others. It was time to find this 'Shining One’ and get some answers.
Rocks and Ripples Redux
“Where are we going?”
Ran regarded Sarn from where he rested in his arms.
“To find out which tunnels are passable then we’ll see what our options are.”
Hopefully, we’re not trapped with that tentacular horror show again. If they were, he’d need one hell of a plan to keep them safe. One thing at a time. I can't access my head map anymore.
Or can I? Sarn skidded to a halt. Pebbles ricocheted into the shadows announcing his presence, but he ignored them. How did I know to turn right instead of left back there? Is my map part of my mind or my magic?
Sarn wavered. Part of him wanted to find out and to finally answer the one question that had haunted him all his life. Am I human? Is my son?
Instances where he'd gone above and beyond what any Ranger could do flashed through his mind. Like his thirty-mile run through a maze of killer trees, or the cave-in he survived at thirteen, or that thousand-foot fall he'd limped away from with just a bad sprain. And those were just a few of the highlights that rushed past. There were many, many more, and they all asked the same question:
How much of that was magic, and how much was me? And more importantly, what did Ran inherit from me? Now was his chance to get a definitive answer if he dared.
Ran rested his head on Sarn’s shoulder, breaking the deadlock. I must find out for my son’s sake. But there was no way back from that. Once he found out, it could change everything.
“Papa, are you okay? You’re just standing around staring at rocks.”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m
just trying to decide something that’ll affect you.”
Or would it? No matter what I discover, Ran is still my son and my guiding light. Nothing can change that. So why was he still standing there balking while a creature the size of a fortress destroyed parts of his home?
“What are you deciding?”
“Whether I really want to know how much of what I do is because of the magic, and how much is because I’m not like other people.”
Ran said something, but all Sarn could hear was Inari's voice.
“You’re not a freak. You’re just unique,” she’d said a month or so ago.
It felt like so much longer, and the words felt strange in Sarn’s mouth as he repeated them without meaning to. Ran shifted in his arms.
“You say that like being unique is a bad thing. Is it?”
“I've always thought so. I wanted to be like everyone else, not different from them.”
“Is that what ‘unique’ means?”
“I think so.”
The dull thud of falling rocks echoed in the shadowed gloom of the tunnel. Which way was it coming from? Sarn listened hard but he couldn't tell, not with his hearing diminished in one ear. There were too many miles of naked stones for those echoes to bounce off.
“I've never had a chance to discover just how much of my ‘uniqueness’ is magical and how much isn’t, but we're about to find out.”
Because their lives now depended on those skills, and Sarn had a feeling he'd need every lesson Nolo and the other Rangers had ever taught him. I hope they’ll be enough to get us both out of here alive. Forget the whole human/non-human conundrum. Survival must be his sole focus right now.
“Okay, I like being unique. But can we be unique somewhere else? I don’t like it here.”
Nor was this a safe place to have an identity crisis. The wall to their left shook to emphasize that. The Ægeldar had either found them or they hadn’t gotten far enough away from its extra-long tentacles. Time to fix that.
Cracks proliferated across the wall outracing Sarn. A black fog pushed through them and coalesced on the ground.
“The magic-eater is back,” Ran said into his collar.
“Yes, it is. That’s not a good sign.”
As Sarn rushed around a bend, Ran shifted so neither his little body nor the bear he hugged blocked their only light source. The crystal pendant glowed white, soothing his son, and it reminded Sarn of what he’d lost. Without his eyes drenching everything in green light, this tunnel had a pronounced magenta tint, and it was a whole lot darker than he was used to. In fact, everything was, making him feel like he was stumbling through a half-remembered dreamscape.
The more Sarn thought about it, the more it seemed part of his map might still be there because something was nudging him along. Ahead, a tentacle wrapped around a stalactite and tugged. Its wide base cracked, but the stalactite didn’t fall. Sarn stuck close to the opposite wall and gave it a wide berth just in case.
He checked the way ahead. It was clear for the next hundred paces, so he closed his eyes and flipped that familiar mental switch to engage his head map. He tripped over something but kept his eyes closed fearing the worst. What if it’s not there? What if I'm truly walking blind now?
But he wasn't. Something tugged his foot a little too the left to avoid an obstacle he couldn't see. And this direction felt right like he was on course. He almost hadn't noticed because the feeling was so normal.
“How’re you s’posed to see monsters with your eyes closed?” Ran asked.
“That’s why I have you. You’re my spotter. If you see any, shout.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I know. I'm just tired and worried we'll get lost down here without my map.”
“It’s gone?”
Sarn nodded and opened his eyes. White lines traced familiar routes over his field of view. No icons appeared just a handful of symbols marking places like his cave, the staircases he often used, the pools where he'd taught his son to swim, the Foundlings’ cave, and so on. Everything his magic had ever mapped appeared in all its detailed glory, but it was static now without his magic feeding it a constant stream of information.
“It’s back, isn't it? You have that look.”
“What look?”
Ran just smiled. Sarn let that subject go as he zoomed in on an area of his map that looked like a match for their current location. He'd kept careful track of the turns they'd taken and approximated the distance. Unfortunately, he couldn't know for certain if his guess was correct since his map didn't update to display his whereabouts or—oh Fates, no.
“Miren.”
“What about Uncle Miren? Is he here?” Ran looked around until a loud bang startled him.
“I keep forgetting about him. He must have descended to the Lower Quarters by now. And I have no way to find him without magic.”
Sarn stepped over a pile of refuse, and an overripe apple rolled out. He felt like that apple without his magic—soft and easily harmed. At least I still have my map and a rough idea of where we are. It was a start and something he could build on, but not right now.
“Can we find Uncle Miren later?” Ran asked in a small voice almost drowned out by the padding of many feet.
Those echoes grew louder with every breath. Sarn squeezed his eyes tight shut until he remembered they no longer glowed, just his pendant. Sarn opened his eyes. His map was still there, sitting right below the level of thought where it’d always lived. But it didn’t have any information about the crowd nor did it prove anything conclusively, so the question lingered in the back of his mind—am I human?
Echoes of screams drowned out his paranoia. He could sort out his humanity later. In his arms, Ran cringed.
“I know you don't like darkness. I don't like it either, but I need you to cover the light.”
“So they don't take it away?”
Ran touched the crystal, but he couldn't bring himself to cover it.
“Yeah. Light's a commodity down here—one worth fighting for. Let's not tempt them, okay? Scared people don’t act rationally.”
Dangerous Talks
[Inside the Enchanted Forest]
No, you’re going the wrong way! Snake Woman dug her claws into the rock hiding her. For some reason, it muted the black lumir crystal’s influence. Maybe because they were both essentially rocks? It didn’t matter because she must keep up with those orange-robed fools.
Where are you going? How can I get you to go in the opposite direction? Snake Woman scanned the understory for another boulder. Shayari had tons of them, so she spotted a likely candidate and dove behind it. Gray tendrils wrapped around the tree standing beside her hiding spot, and its enchantments withered away. She hunkered down as that same shadow scraped at the non-magical rock and skittered away, searching for more magic.
Oh, no you don’t. I’m not some tasty snack. She dragged a blanket over her. Overlapping metal discs polished to a high sheen were sewn into the fabric. All magics were light-based and reflective. Hopefully, so was black lumir.
Just breathe, suffocation isn’t part of the plan, Snake Woman told herself as magic’s antithesis rolled over the mirrored-blanket. It should reflect those magic-nullifying rays. If it didn’t, she’d be in serious trouble because she was made of magic. It was the glue holding her conglomerate body together.
What if that black crystal severs all those bonds in one fell swoop? Can I survive that? Snake Woman fought down the panic squeezing her chest.
Voices heartened her. Were those lunatics taking a break? Box that devils’ rock up so I can see what you’re doing.
“You know, there’s an easier way than this unless you enjoy crawling around on your belly.”
“Who are you?”
But she already knew before the question had popped out of her mouth—the Adversary. Who else would be following the devil’s rocks but the devil or one of his prized henchmen? Her fangs clicked into place, and she gathered her legs under her, ready to sp
ring. She was no one’s goon.
“But you’re still locked out.”
He shrugged. “So? I can still whisper, and that’s all I’m doing now, whispering. There's no harm in listening.”
Snake Woman pushed back the blanket. Indeed, the shadows draining the magic from the ground and everything around them bent away from the hooded man in billowing black robes. Or was that an illusion? After all, he was the Father of Lies.
“What plans?”
“Never mind. Yonder Seeker is supposed to take her rock and go away from Mount Eredren, not toward it. There's enough black lumir loose under there. I don't need anymore.”
“If I chose to listen, what would you whisper? Would you ask me to lure her away?”
As if I could, I don't have anything she wants. But that cleric had something Snake Woman wanted. Do I want it badly enough to make common cause with the devil?
Every fiber of her being screamed at Snake Woman to run away, but she remained crouched with the reflective blanket draped over her back. Going against Vanya had been ill-advised. Going against the Adversary was suicidal. And she valued her hide. But she’d never passed up an opportunity to get what she wanted.
Snake Woman shifted the blanket. She unfastened a row of hooks to reveal a hole in its middle just large enough to poke her head through, so she could wear the whole mirrored-affair poncho-style, giving her greater range of movement. It left her head exposed, but she needed to see to stay on course and plan.
“For everything, there’s a price. What would you give for the advice I offer?”
And there it was. The one thing even a demon-made construct like her feared—the devil’s bargain. Do I dare deal with the Adversary? Do I even have a choice?
“How about this,” he said, seeing her apprehension. “I’ll trade you. One piece of information for one favor I can call in later. I promise you’ll like the favor. It’s something you already want to do.”
Snake Woman cocked her head to one side in thought. Her knees were cramping from all the crawling and creeping she’d been doing since she'd recompiled herself.
Curse Breaker: Sundered Page 3
