Chapter Nine
Dungeon Keep Fortress
The next day long before the sun rose, we gathered around our campfire and ate breakfast. For the most part, all of us ate quietly as we mentally prepared for what we would face within the dungeon keep and its fortress. We had so little information about the dragon-harpy and her forces, and that put me and the others on edge. The necromancer didn't seem to mind the unknown or was it he was too preoccupied with staring at Jisei to worry one way or another.
Foi stood once we all had finished eating and spoke, “Let us move out. The sun shall appear within a few more hours.”
“Wait,” I said as I stopped half way through gathering everyone's plate. “We have to form the circle.”
Pleased I remembered, Foi nodded, and then he, Amabilidad, Jisei, Frieden, and me grabbed hands. I looked to each of them, imprinting their soul and the love I had for them to memory and smiled as I said, “Se xero. Den eiste monoi.” They each returned my smile and repeated the phrase back to me, then we each squeezed the hands we held and released.
Lyge approached me as I continued to clean up and asked as the others saddled their riding animals, “What was that all about?”
“It's something we do before we go into the fray,” I explained to him as I set the plates in the back of the covered wagon. “It's a phrase my people say and it means, I know you. You are not alone.”
“Unusual battle cry,” the necromancer commented.
“It's not a rallying cry; it's how we feel about each other. We're like a family... No, we are a family, and we're there for each other through loss and laughter.”
“You are an unusual group of people,” Lyge stated. “But I like unusual.”
I finished packing the covered wagon and saddled my own horse, then we headed down into the Brahaigne Valley, leaving the covered wagon behind. We traveled for about an hour and the sun started to peek over the horizon, we dismounted, and then we left our riding steeds tied to a dead tree while Frieden left Ort at a tree of his own. We carefully made our way on foot through the terrain of rocks, making sure not to draw any attention from those who might be looking for intruders.
We traveled on foot for another half hour and then Foi commanded, “Ayann and Amabilidad, scout ahead.”
We hurried ahead after Jisei cast a chameleon spell on our group; the archer and myself kept to the shadows of the large rocks. We ran for about ten minutes then we climbed a boulder, staying low and scanned the area ahead of us. Amabilidad used a hawk-eye spell on himself, and I used a wolf-hearing spell. He didn't see anything living, and I didn't hear anything beyond the dry wind blowing around the barren land.
Amabilidad stated as we started to climb down, “It's odd that we haven't run across any guards or scouts this close to the fortress. The dragon-harpy should have many. Where's the great army Duke Vindex spoke of?”
“Perhaps they're within the dungeon keep,” I replied. “Though I also find it odd we haven't seen any tracks or any other signs of life.” I dropped a few feet to the ground and ducked into the shadows, and he joined me as I said, “We should head back and tell Foi.”
“You should tell him what we found. My brother still sees me as the incompetent younger brother who can only bed every female we come across.”
“You're very competent, Amabi, as long as you stay away from the spirits.” We started back in a run as I said, “Your brother doesn't see the kindness I see in you.”
“Kindness? I'm not kind; self-centered and crude, yes, but no one can call me kind.”
“What about when you gave the bag of silver coins to that old widow who was about to lose her farm and home?”
He shrugged as he replied, “The coins were heavy; I gave them to her because I didn't want them weighing me down.”
“What about the orphanage you helped built?”
“I only wanted some place they could lock up those cute kids so they'd stop following me.”
“If you say so; I still say you're a kind man,” I told him and then some time later, we met up with the others. I told Foi what we discovered, and we proceeded to our destination as the map directed us.
We walked another twenty minutes, then Foi halted us, and he pointed ahead as he spoke, “Here is the entrance to the lava flow tunnel that shall take us to the catacombs. Let us see what we can see from here of the fortress while we are on the surface.” He climbed to the top of the rocky opening, and we joined him, then we peered over a huge ravine a few feet away; it had eons ago gone dry. “Look,” Foi whispered as he pointed. “There is the dragon-harpy's fortress or at least what remains of it.”
Two large circular towers rose from the bottom of the ravine, at least a hundred stories high. The first tower I imagined had once been connected to the surrounding land by a drawbridge, but the crossing had long ago been destroyed. The surface of the first tower had six bridges that joined underground entrances to a center platform; the whole thing reminded me of one of the wheels of our covered wagon. One of the six bridges was broken, and on the north side of the first tower stood some rubble. Behind the rubble and on the second circular tower was six levels of a fortress; it appeared to still be in use for I could see candle or torch light within its window openings.
Lyge commented, “Centuries ago there was a great battle here. Most of the surface structure was destroyed, but the dungeon keep below remains.” The necromancer started to climb back down as he said, “Come, we shouldn't tarry here long.”
We all climbed down, then Frieden went, peered into the hole in the ground, and stated, “The opening's small. I don't know if I'll fit.”
“You shall fit, my large friend–” Foi said. “–but it shall be cramped.”
I lit torches with Fotia Fire and handed them out to Foi, Amabilidad, and Frieden; I also took one for myself. Jisei and Lyge used their staffs to light their way. We traveled through the dark cramped lava tunnel, descending slowly into the cold earth. We traveled for an hour and a half, and then Frieden broke through a cobweb wall and stepped out into the large dark catacombs illuminated in the pale glow of lunar ruby-dust that grew in the surrounding walls. This area of the gray catacombs was somewhat circular with a spiraling staircase made of stone in its center that seemed to ascend into eternity. A half dozen larger tunnels exited the circular catacombs besides the one we came down in.
I moved toward the center and peered up into the blackness that swallowed the spiraling staircase. I saw a bit of light at the top and said, “It's a long way up there.” I glanced down and saw that the spiraling staircase ended on a crystal platform. Different colored crystals made up a pattern of a great gold dragon; it kind of reminded me of a pretty stained-glass window. I also noticed that I could see through the crystal platform and that the hole the spiraling staircase was built within continued down without it.
“Jisei, use a life detection spell,” Foi ordered.
“Yes, shidesha.” Jisei cast the spell and after a few moments, she said, “There is no life within a thousand feet of us.”
Foi stated, “We shall proceed while the priestess stays here. Jisei, I want you to cast the life detection spell every ten minutes. We do not need anyone sneaking up on you. You shall be alone here.”
“I know, shidesha, and I shall be careful.”
Amabilidad muttered, “I don't like it.”
“Don't like what?” I questioned.
“What I had mentioned earlier. I don't like it that we're the only ones here.”
Frieden stated, “You should be happy we don't have to face any of the dragon-harpy's army.”
Amabilidad said, “I'm not itching for a fight. I'm only cautious since we haven't come across even a rat. There's nothing alive down here. I'm beginning to think that there's nothing alive in this entire land.”
Jisei called forth a Hikari Crystal and once it materialized, it rose above us and lit the area in a bright green glow. She gave each of us a C
ompanion Wisp which I had already cast an observant-eye spell on, then all but the priestess headed into our assigned tunnel to find a support column to attach our pyroworm nit to. The tunnel I entered was dark and cobweb infested and the further in I went, the colder it got. As I traveled, I thought more and more about what the archer had said. Why had we not come across one of the dragon-harpy's soldiers? Her army was supposed to be vast. Had we entered a trap? Were hordes of dragon-soldiers going to spring upon us once we reached the columns?
Ayann #1 A Fantasy Action Adventure- Part A- Broken Sword In Dragon Dungeon Page 9
