by B C Penling
He spiraled down…
Down…
Down…
Down to the mountain’s base where the peak’s shattered armor lay in a heap and where the waterfall fed the lake. It came upon them mercilessly.
With a splash, they impacted the water that was far shallower than Zen had hoped. A white light erupted before him, brighter than his flames. His surroundings were suddenly still and quiet. No wind rushed past his ears. His body grew numb and his mind faded. The light diminished slowly and darkness took its place; a deep, thick darkness like the murkiness of a tomb.
CHAPTER 19
BENEATH MOUNTAIN’S SHELL
The silhouette of the mountains stood tall against a backdrop of winking stars. The constellations were stuck in their perpetual voyage across the night sky; twinkling, unbothered by time. The moon had not yet risen but shown its hazy light along the horizon, teasing nocturnal travelers.
Lana. A distant voice whispered. Lana.
Her head felt like it was spinning. She slowly opened her eyes. Something thick, sticky and partially dried covered one of them and made it difficult to open it completely. She was almost prone but was halfway on her side, facing the cold, wet earth. Her legs were partially in water and her head was leaning against something hard. Her shoulders hurt terribly and her back was wracked in spasms.
She looked around in a heavy stupor. The world was difficult to perceive. It was dark, well past suns’ rests and there was dirt. Her face was near dirt. She dragged her arm painfully toward the ground near her chest. She pushed feebly and managed to roll onto her back. She was sore from head to toe.
Lana, are you alright? Caeda asked. She put her little hand on Lana’s forehead. You’ve been asleep for many hours.
My head hurts. My body hurts. Where are we?
We’re at the lake at the foot of the mountain. Zen leapt from the cliff to escape. It was a long way down and the water was shallow.
“Zen!” Lana gasped. It was as if a match was struck to light a lamp and illuminated the past events and current situation. She sat up, searching for him, hoping. In the low light of the slowly rising moon, she noticed that he was right beside her. Her head had rested in his hand.
“Zen?” she called. “Zen, are you alright?” There came no answer. Tears welled in her eyes. “Zen!” she cried.
“Rrrrrminds me of a youthful mistake,” he grumbled roughly. “Don’t let me do that again.”
Lana sobbed with relief. “I was worried you were…” Her voice caught in her throat.
“Dead?” Zen finished her sentence. “It’d take a spear through the heart to stop me, or even more, if it meant I could keep you safe.”
Lana crawled closer, clumsy and uncoordinated from the pain all over her body. She hugged his neck. “What do we do now? I don’t think any of us are in any condition to outrun them.”
“And I’ve run out of cliffs to throw us off from.” Zen lifted his head and nodded to the mountain. “There’s a cave over there. We can hide inside.”
“Won’t they find us in there, though?” Lana asked.
“Not if we seal the entrance,” he replied. “The mouth isn’t too large.”
With the short amount of time she felt they had, the cave sounded like the only feasible opportunity for survival. She stood unconfidently, her knees weak and threatening to buckle beneath her. Her head felt heavy and confused. She ambled forward in the direction of the cliff, sunrest from where they were. She treaded through shallow water, tripping over bits of rock that had fallen from above and made it to the lake. Caeda rode on her shoulder and guided her encouragingly to the mouth of the cave.
“Hold up,” Zen said. “Wait here.” He walked past them and examined the cave. “It’s really deep,” he said, peering into the darkness.
“Is this a good idea?” Lana asked.
“I don’t see any other option,” Zen replied. “At least here we’ll be concealed and stand a chance. If there’s anything bad in there, I’ll torch it. It’s as simple as that.” He smirked arrogantly at Lana but even in the moonlight she could see he was pained. Not even the night could hide that.
He walked forward. His wing had already been replaced in the sling after their spiral down toward earth. It looked dreadfully tweaked and hung awkwardly in the sail. Lana’s heart pinched painfully and her chest grew tight. Without healers, what was his fate? Was he to be grounded for the rest of his life? She was sickened by the thought that his wing could never go back to being splinted and properly secured. Had the fall been his last taste of flight?
Zen piled the rocks of the scree pile a little higher in front of the cave entrance and tossed some against the cliff to knock more down. He filled one half of the opening from ground to ceiling, leaving just enough room for him to fit through. He motioned for Lana to enter and followed her inside. He stopped in the entrance and turned sideways. He flapped his intact wing hard enough to stir the dirt outside.
“What are you doing?”
“Covering our tracks, of course,” Zen replied. “No way do I want them to follow footprints to the base of a mysterious pile of rocks that happened to swallow them.” He stopped flapping and told her to get far back into the cave and cover her mouth. “The dust will be bad for a while but it’s better than Warisai. I’ll come join you after I knock the ceiling down a little.”
Lana listened and moved deeper into the cave, a couple dragon lengths away from Zen. She watched him pick up a rock in his mouth and start chewing it. The grind of the stone on Zen’s teeth made Lana’s skin prickle. She cringed and plugged her ears. He chewed it a while; a curling, purple flame wisped up from his mouth, licking his face around his lips and glinting in his eyes.
He stopped chewing and drew back his head, inhaling deeply as he did. He exhaled forcefully. The bright explosion of purple light and the deafening sound that followed made Lana stumble backwards. She watched as the moonlight was choked by the ensuing dust cloud. Zen ran to her side and pulled her close to his chest with his hand.
Rocks rained down loudly and clattered echoingly off the cave walls. Lana buried her face inside her clothing to breathe easier as the dust enveloped them. The air was heavy with the potent smell of earth that tingled her nostrils. Only after the last of the rocks tumbled to a standstill was the dust allowed to start settling. Zen released Lana and lay down to rest.
“Zen, we won’t run out of air, will we?” Lana whispered.
“We shouldn’t. There’s a small opening at the top. You can see the night sky through it.”
Lana strained her eyes, searching the darkness.
“Turn around,” Zen said. “You’re glaring at me.”
“Oh, sorry,” Lana giggled and turned around.
It was total darkness except for a long, narrow gap near the top.
“See? Besides,” Zen continued, there’s a draft coming from the back of the cave. I think it helped clear out some of the dust.”
“Where do you think it’s coming from?”
“Not sure exactly,” Zen said, curiously. “It could be from an underground waterfall or maybe another opening to the cave system.”
I’m not sure if I want to know. Caeda chimed in. I heard strange things live in the deep, dark places of the world; things that shouldn’t be found.
CHAPTER 20
CAMP BESIDE SCREE
A cry pierced the peace of the outside world. Lana held her breath and listened. Through the small opening at the top of the rock pile, she heard a sword unsheathe. A series of sickening thuds followed. Lana imagined they were bodies landing on the ground, decapitated by their angry leader.
“Where are they?” a cruel voice roared sharply. “Dooley! You’re in charge! Form hunting parties, six to each group. Scour the mountains in every direction, immediately! Your orders are to kill the dragon but I want that elf alive!”
She knew it was Donovan.
“Get these corpses out of here! Move it!” The voice was less beastly but still sent
prickles down Lana’s back.
Zen, Lana and Caeda sat quietly within the protective cover of the caved in rocks that concealed the mouth of the cave. It had taken the Warisai from dusk until dawn to reach the base of the mountain and from dawn until dusk to reach the sealed entrance of the cave. They listened to every sound beyond the rocks. Shouts, rustling, grumbling…
“Trudged all this way for nothing,” a Warisai complained.
“And we no get elf to chew on,” another added.
“We no eat the elf, Scuzz, you heard him,” the first growled.
“Sweet, tender elf flesh,” Scuzz savored. “Hey Munt,” he addressed the first, “how’d he know if we eat it or not if he not see it? I’d start with its juicy eyes.”
“Enough, Scuzz, you make me hungry.” A third griped. “Wish we did have something to chew on. I’d be happy with bones about now.”
“We might eat dragon, Lump. Be hopeful they find it,” Scuzz said.
“Dragon bones don’t crunch like elf bones,” Lump replied. “Besides, dragon flesh is chewy.”
“But, tasty when roasted over fire,” Scuzz replied, smacking his lips together.
“Cannibal,” mumbled Munt.
“May be so, still like it,” Scuzz said defensively.
“Is not bad,” Lump agreed. “Prefer elf flesh, I do.”
“Then you’s a cannibal, too,” Munt accused.
“We’s all cannibals,” Scuzz laughed.
“This cannibal is going to sleep,” Lump replied. “So, quiet.”
They even eat dragons? Gross! Caeda shuddered. It’s like eating themselves, isn’t it?
Lana nodded. Her eyes were fixed on the weak light filtering from the space in the rocks. The idea of the Warisai finding them sickened her. If they did find them, they all knew Zen wasn't going to live long. What benefit to them is a dragon with a broken wing?
“What’s it to you if I want that elf alive?” The voice was farther from the cave and noticeably angered.
“Just wondering, brother,” came a reply.
“Wonder to yourself and stop asking questions that have answers that don’t pertain to you!” A loathing annoyance was evident in his voice. “I want her for me! She is my conquest. My token. My pet! Mine! Now go find her!”
Zen barred his teeth in the darkness. He will never have her. He vowed. I will run the rest of my life to keep her safe.
“Donovan sour tonight,” Scuzz mentioned.
“Yeah, very. He been sour lots lately. Try to keep on good side so not to lose heads,” Munt agreed.
The smell of campfire lofted into the cave. It wasn’t much, just a whiff now and then. With the ignition of fires to ward off the cool night air, conversation ignited again as well.
“Much warmer on Genetricis,” Munt said. “I hate cold.”
“That’s because the dragon’s blood still flows beneath the surface. That why it’s hotter,” Scuzz said matter-of-factly.
“Lies of lore,” Munt snapped.
“No, just what peoples say,” Scuzz replied.
“Ridicklus,” grumbled Munt. “Blood and dirt make mud.”
“They says his heart turned to stone,” Scuzz added.
“Then how could it move blood in the dirt, then. If it’s stone, it doesn’t work.” Munt pointed out. “Plus, stories say it was shattered to pieces after it turns to stone. If a heart is shattered it can move blood about as good as if it was stone, which it can’t move nothing.”
“He first dragon, you know,” Scuzz said.
“Yeah. Yeah.” Munt spit.
“So maybe it from magic.”
Munt barked a laught. “Magic! Maybe is you who needs to lose head next!” He smacked his leg, heckling Scuzz. “Where my sword?” He joked, continuing to torment the one Warisai.
“I says I sleep to forget hunger,” Lump snapped. “Quiet!”
The mocking withered away and they were able to pick up on another conversation slightly farther away than the three beside the cave.
“Always first watch,” grumbled one.
“Always, yeah,” agreed a second. “Elf party gone?
“Yeah,” the first said. “There no trail anywhere to follow.”
“You think she is a token of conquest, or something more?” the second one said.
The first one shushed him. “Tepn, you want to lose head?”
“Tell me, why that one elf? Can find another easy enough, I think,” Tepn replied. “Maybe she is more than just elf.”
“More? How she more? She just elf like all others. Tasty.”
“Don’t know. Was only thinking aloud,” Tepn said.
“How about you ask Chirk?” the first one teased. “You can ask his body and his head. You can ask them separate. One is here and one is there.”
“Quiet, Phurt,” Tepn hissed. “Is your fault if I lose my head. Stop drawing in attention.”
“Okay, okay,” Phurt replied. “Only teasing.”
It was a long night waiting for daybreak. They stayed awake all night listening to the Warisai snore and complain about taking watch when their turn came around. When Sunwake’s first light finally appeared, they broke camp noisily. They were gone long before midday but Lana and Zen didn’t dare talk. The search parties were still out there somewhere, heading in different directions, hunting for their tracks, and yearning to please their leader so they could keep their heads.
“Where do you think they’re going?” Lana whispered so softly that Zen understood more by reading her lips.
He shrugged and whispered as quietly as she did, “Port Eyzin, maybe?”
“Good,” Lana replied. “Let them go back to Genetricis and let’s hope they stay there.”
Her hand involuntarily stroked the tarnished ring in her pocket. After her fingertips began to tingle was when she realized she had a hold of it. Like a rush of heat, the feeling ascended her arm to her neck and touched her mind.
A vision of Port Eyzin flashed into her mind. The city was in ruins. The houses were aflame. Orderic’s stables were destroyed and so was the manor. The dock was skeletal in comparison to its previous glory. The sea was crimson from the blood of their harvest. A hint of what’s to come?
CHAPTER 21
SUMMONED ANGUISH
Inside the cave was disturbingly lonesome for Zen. Lana had squeezed out of the small opening at the top of the rock pile. Zen could see the pallor sky beyond and smell the cool, bitter wind as it whistled past the opening. Winter nipped the mountain range as a storm brewed close by; casting it into coldness even after the suns had heated the earth. Judging by the dulling light, he could guess the day was pushing into late evening.
Lana was parched and left to slake her thirst along with Caeda who promised to be a scout and lookout for Warisai. Images of them capturing her drifted in and out of his thoughts. He was stuck in the cave, bored beyond measure and worried out of his mind. Dwelling on demons did nothing for his anxiety and made his agitation worse.
He picked at the side of the cave with his talons which provided a mild relief to his uneasiness. He scraped it superficially, chipping away rocks and clumps of dirt. Surprisingly, it fell away with ease. Large black chunks landed with dull thumps upon the cave floor.
Boring.
The deeper his talons went, the more interesting the rock became. Multicolored stones presented themselves next. The boredom of picking at the wall ebbed as a glimmer popped up behind a large rock that fell away. It perked his interest and he sat up a bit.
Excavating the hole further revealed a large vein of gold as thick as his finger. It snaked its way into a quartz wall. The gold was cylindrical and smooth. The quartz appeared polished precisely; its turquoise hue vivid behind the ribbon of gold.
Zen scraped the thick cover of dark dirt and rock to reveal more gold. Above the vein was rosy quartz freckled with gold. Below it were cone-like triangles above more gold-flecked rose quartz. It puzzled Zen. Gold normally wasn’t found in that condition. It took forges and
molds to create such a sight.
A scraping sound announced the return of Lana as she slid through the gap. Zen turned to her and watched her navigate the rocks carefully in the low light inside the cave. In her hands were various materials for tools and from her belt hung a string of dead milmets, a type of rodent that lived in the Alvens and other high-elevation, mountainous areas.
“I was worried,” Zen said. “It took you much longer than I thought it should. Any sign of Warisai?”
“All went well,” she replied. “No new sign of them. It just took us a while to catch dinner. I realized how hungry I was after I drank water. Caeda had to chase these things through countless tunnels in the rocks.”
They’re the worst prey.
“Next time it hopefully won’t take so long.” She set the milmets on the ground and sat down on a rock.
“I was beginning to fear the worst. Took to digging at the wall and found this.” He thumbed at the ribbon of gold.
“I wonder if there’s more behind there.”
“There is,” he replied. “I keep picking away and it keeps revealing more. It’s quite odd.”
“Have you tried hitting it? It almost looks like this was covered up on purpose,” Lana said.
Zen frowned, considering the possibility. “It does resemble the mud around the lake.”
He lifted his tail off the cave floor and slammed it against the cave wall.
It jarred his body, causing his wing to pain him. “Probably shouldn’t have done it that hard,” he growled.
The wall where he hit had cracked in a multiple directions and a few pieces loosened and fell. He hit it again, lightly, and knocked down more chunks.
“It works,” he said, and made a fist. He punched around the spot in the wall where he had been picking. A large sheet toppled down, bringing a stretch of the ceiling with it. Lana caught a brief glimpse of gold before the dirt and rock landed on top of her.
The cave was quickly consumed in thick, sooty dust. Lana found herself on her hands and knees, gagging while trying to cough it out of her lungs. Every deep inhale failed because the dust choked her.
