by T J Trapp
Alec released the obscuring field and fingered his medallion. Focus. The locks on the door shifted slightly, and he pushed on the door. It reluctantly slid open. “Let's get inside before someone sees us,” he said.
Once they were both inside, Alec pushed the door closed. Focus. “I locked it.” He pushed on the door, and it would not move. “They will have a hard time opening that door now.”
“Mother is underneath us,” Erin interjected, not interested in the state of the door.
Erin led the way into the building. The building was made of stone; the cold stone floor was slightly mossy with age. A trickle of water ran through a trough cut into the stone floor on one side of the room. Small slit windows provided the only light; leaving a pattern of small strips of light against the dark walls. “This must have been the processing room for the old mine,” whispered Alec.
They carefully crossed the dark room, then in a far corner came to a shaft cut straight down into the rock. A crude ladder was attached to the side of the shaft, and a large hopper and aging hoist were positioned overhead.
“Mother is down there,” Erin exclaimed. She slid into the opening and started down the ladder into the black maw of the shaft.
Alec pulled a light globe from his backpack and focused dark energy into it; the glow from the globe dimly illuminated the ladder and barely lit the bottom of the shaft.
“There is a passage cut into the rocky hillside down here,” she said. “Bring your light down.”
Alec descended the ladder and joined Erin at the bottom. Water dripped from the rocks leaving a cold, wet and slick floor. “This passageway must have been cut along a vein of ore as they mined,” Alec mused. “That’s probably why it is neither straight nor level.”
They followed the passage. There were several small rooms and side shafts cut into the passage, some used for storage of old mine equipment or newer treasures, and some empty. At each of these, Erin stopped and sensed, then continued moving down the main passage. They came to a door on the side of the passage.
“Mother is behind the door, I can sense her.”
Erin pushed on the door with her shoulder, and it opened. The opened door released a rod that clanged into a metal plate; the sound echoed through the chambers for a long time.
“I think I set off an alarm,” said Erin. “They will know we are here. You should give the signal to the riders.”
Alec focused. A red flare burst in the air above the clearing where Ferd was stationed, making a loud bang! The sound was audible to them, even deep in the mine.
“You can’t do anything without making a show, can you,” Erin joked, then ran ahead through the dark passage. After a few turns in the old mine shaft, they came to a small cavern; a natural crack in the rock allowed a faint sliver of light into the chamber.
Queen Therin was chained to a metal ring embedded in the cavern wall.
“Mother!” Erin ran to her mother and hugged her.
“Erin! Daughter!” the Queen said, in a barely-audible voice.
“My Queen,” said Alec as he grabbed her hand.
Queen Therin was very weak, slipping in and out of consciousness, but very much alive. Alec started pushing a little dark energy into her. The Queen’s breathing improved, and her face regained a little color. Then Alec noticed the chains holding her in place.
“Hold still, and I will remove the chains.”
Focus. The chains split into pieces and fell to the floor. The Queen looked relieved.
“My children! I am so glad to see you! Thank goodness; I had given up hope of ever being rescued. They left me chained here in the dark and the cold. Occasionally they come and give me some food.” Alec rubbed her arms where the chains had bound her, gradually restoring feeling to her limbs.
Erin just held her mother without saying anything, letting her tears wash over them both.
Then, a loud clattering reverberated through the halls and chambers of the mine.
“That’s not good! Let’s get Mother out of here,” Erin said with conviction.
“I fear that I am too weak to walk,” the Queen said.
“We can carry you,” Erin said, and Alec hoisted the frail woman onto his back. With the help of the light globe they retraced their steps through the mine’s passageways back to towards the entry shaft. Alec was about to address the issue of how they would get the Queen back up the ladder, when it became obvious that it was no longer an issue. The last few arns of the passageway were filled with dirt and rocks spilling from the shaft.
“They must have released that hopper above the shaft, and filled it with rock,” Alec said. “They think they have sealed off the exit and buried us in here!” He gently placed Queen Therin on the mine floor and eyed the pile of rubble. “Those rocks will take a while for me to remove but they shouldn’t prevent us from escaping.”
The Queen tugged on his trouser leg. “I am getting wet,” she said, and her voice trembled as she started to shiver.
Alec looked down. The previously-damp floor was now covered with water, and the water was rapidly rising. Erin quickly helped her mother to her feet.
“They have filled in the entrance, and I think they are flooding the tunnel,” said Alec, stating the obvious.
Alec could feel the concentrations of dark energy around him. “I think they have opened a sluice gate in the mill pond and are draining it into the mine. Help me Erin – let’s see if we can stop the water flow.”
Erin put her hands on Alec’s arm and helped him feel the rightness. The already cold water became noticeably colder, and then the flow stopped.
“I think we have temporarily solved that problem,” Alec said. “Now we need to tackle the next one.”
The water had reached almost waist deep, and Queen Therin was shivering noticeably. “What did you do?” the Queen asked.
“We froze the water at a narrow point in the mine shaft,” Alec explained. “It will stop the flow of water for a time, until the ice dam melts.”
“We need to get Mother out of this water,” Erin said, with real concern. “She won’t be able to withstand this cold for long.”
Focus. Alec converted a few of the rocks filling the vertical shaft to air, and they blew out of the way. With a significant effort, he created a small opening all the way up the shaft. Then the rocks in the shaft shifted and fell into the opening he had created. “Hmmpf,” he muttered to himself. “I thought more of the rock would move.” He tried again with the same effect. “I need a better plan. At this rate, it will take a day or so to remove all of those rocks. “
“Mother is not doing well,” said Erin. “We need to do something to get her out of this water.”
Alec looked at the queen. She was shivering uncontrollably and was getting whiter and whiter, her breath coming in short ragged gasps.
Focus. Alec moved enough of the rocks to create a small dry platform above the level of the water. Erin pulled her mother onto it. Then Alec heated several rocks around the edge of the platform, warming the place where the Queen lay.
“Listen,” Alec said. The sound of falling water increased. “I think our ice dam just failed.”
“It’s too bad that you can’t just whisk us out of here like we did to get here,” quipped Erin.
“It sure is,” answered Alec, and then he thought, What an idiot. Of course I can.
Alec edged off the dry shelf and back into the water. He created a small stone platform submerged in the rising water. “Join me here,” he said, and Erin hugged her mother close as the two slid into the waist-deep water. The Queen winced as she reentered the icy water. Erin held her upright, standing as close to Alec as they could.
Alec fumbled around in his backpack, unable to see the contents in the murky darkness; then he could feel what he needed. He grabbed the hex rod and held it in front of him.
Focus, and the world went black. The light returned, now the brightness of sunlight, and the icy water crashed off the platform onto the grass of the forest c
learing. They were standing near the grotto, where he had ported the riders. The Queen blinked and then covered her eyes to shield them, unaccustomed to sunlight after her time in captivity, still shivering from her immersion in the cold water, and uncertain as to how she had left the mine.
“I sense only our riders Let’s join them,” said Erin.
They hailed their riders. In the distance. Alec could see several of the riders trying to knock down the door to the mine building.
Ferd quickly ran back to Erin and reported. “We have killed or driven off the local guardsmen, and we now control the compound. Several of them escaped, including the man who seems to be Petra’s personal guard. I worry she have more things planned.”
“You have done well,” the Queen said looking at Ferd from beneath her hand.
For the first time, Ferd looked at the soaking-wet, shivering woman huddled next to Erin. He gasped with joy as he recognized the figure.
“My Queen! Your Highness! We were told you were dead.” Ferd broke all protocol by enveloping the Queen in a great bear-hug.
“And well she might yet be if we don’t get her something warm and dry,” said Erin. “Find me some blankets and dry clothes. She fell into icy water, is freezing cold, and hasn’t eaten for days. We need some food and hot broth as well.” Ferd helped them carry the Queen into the grotto residence.
The riders went scurrying around trying to find suitable things, delighted at the news that their beloved Queen Therin had been found alive. Soon they had a roaring fire warming the great room, and two of the riders quickly carried the Queen to a chair by the hearth. Another rider brought warm blankets, and Erin helped her mother discard her wet rags and helped warm her with her own body heat while someone else came with dry clothes. Brun had apparently kept the grotto well-stocked, and finding food was not a problem.
Alec grasped his medallion and pushed dark energy into the Queen. Soon, with warmth, dry clothing, and nourishment, her condition stabilized, but she was still at risk and very weak. Erin helped Alec sense the rightness of his healing.
“How are we going to get Mother back to our camp by Freeland City?” Erin asked him in a low voice, hoping that the dozing Queen wouldn’t hear.
“Our original plan was to port home. Now that won’t work because I reset the other end of the portal to the mine shaft. I don’t think there are enough trogus here for all of us to ride home. I could go with a few riders and reset the portal when I got back at our base, but I’m not sure your mother will make it through the night without me continuing to strengthen her.”
“Mother is most important! You need to stay here and help her,” said Erin. Alec nodded in agreement, his eyes never leaving Queen Therin’s pale face.
Erin turned to Ferd. “We may have to spend the night here. I don’t think that Mother can travel in her current state, and we can’t use the portal to return to our base. We had to use the portal to escape the trap they set for us in the mine, and now the other end is deep in the mine shaft. But we may need to deploy some riders. How many trogus do we have?”
“We captured ten. There were more, but Queen Amelia’s riders escaped on them,” Ferd reported. “By now Hank would have returned to camp with the mounts you rode in on.”
“Then send four of our riders back to our base. Have them return with a large force tomorrow, including a carriage for the Queen. We want to return Queen Therin to her royal Residence in style.”
“Will do, Princess. We should be able to return with force before midday tomorrow.”
“That will give Mother the night to recover. I don’t like the idea of having to spend a night here, but that is probably the best plan. We will expect you then,” replied Erin.
Erin curled up under the blankets with her mother, continuing to warm her through the night with her body heat. Alec spent the night focusing dark energy and strengthening the Queen. Early in the evening, he was concerned that she might not survive, but by late in the night she was showing much more strength. When the morning light filtered over the hill, the Queen was moving about on her own.
✽✽✽
A rider came running into the great room as they ate breakfast. “Princess, we have a problem. Our scouts have detected intruders massing at the entrance to the canyon. They appear to be Queen Amelia’s riders.”
“How long before they are here?”
“Probably within the first half of the morning.”
“How many are they?”
“We think there are over a hundred riders and that is not the worst of it. We have sighted a dragon in the sky!” Erin and Alec looked at each other.
We haven’t had a dragon in generations, and now we have two in one week! Erin thought. But I guess it is possible that it is the same dragon, and that we are seeing her twice.
They left the grotto hall; Erin efficiently organized the defense. The area was built to be held by a small force, and Erin took advantage of its features. The Queen remained in the building with Ferd and a few riders.
Erin deployed the rest of the riders around the opening where the path went through the gap between the two hills. The riders quickly found the prepared defensive positions on the hillside. They would be outnumbered, but Erin was convinced that between their defensive position, Alec’s abilities, and her riders’ better skills and training, they had a good chance to holdout until additional riders arrived from her base camp.
She kissed her mother’s forehead, then left the grotto to be with her riders.
37 – The Queen Returns
Amelia’s scouts rode up the path to the grotto and stopped at the edge of the woods waiting for the main force to arrive. Soon a team of twenty of Amelia’s riders rode up. The riders looked scraggly and poorly disciplined. Erin sensed they were more bullies than soldiers; they seemed confident that mounted men with swords could beat any dismounted people, no matter how skilled they were at fighting. Erin could sense that the leader thought this was his chance for glory.
Without any hesitation, the leader spurred his trogus forward along the path. The rest of his riders came storming behind him. The slapping sound of trogus paws echoed and reverberated through the trees. Erin signaled for her riders to wait.
The first of the trogus entered the narrow gap with the others not far behind. Erin motioned, and the heavy gate slid closed, blocking the way out of the narrows.
Now, she thought to Alec.
Focus! A gray fog enveloped everything in the narrow passageway, and shapes became indistinguishable in the mist. Positioned above on the edge of the rocky bluff, Erin’s riders threw rocks and spears down on Amelia’s riders. The riders, blind in the fog, collided and their trogus snarled and fought with each other. As the mist blew away the carnage in the gap was apparent.
“Report,” requested Erin.
“No lost riders. Two are injured but can still fight. We think we got fifteen of Amelia’s riders. The last five fled before we could dispatch them. What arrogant fools! They tried to attack on trogus through that narrow gap against trained opponents. I wish we had fog like that more often. It made it impossible for them to see us and we could hear their thrashing.”
“Listen,” one of Erin’s scouts signaled; and they could hear the sounds of a large group approaching. Soon they could see them coming through the trees and across the meadow, more or less following the path to the grotto. As they funneled into the narrow gap the front riders could see the carnage before them and stopped, reluctant to approach within spear-throw range. With the front riders stopped, the other riders bunched up behind them in an unruly mass, with trogus braying and men shouting.
A carriage was in the middle of the Amelia’s riders. The carriage driver whipped the drungs, and with reluctance, the drungs pushed their way through the mass of milling trogus. The trogus growled at the drungs but the carriage driver’s whip made a space through the throng of animals and men. The carriage stopped in the middle of the path when it reached the front riders, near the side of the b
luff. Two figures stepped out of the carriage. Alec immediately recognized them both: Amelia and Pequa.
A herald whistled the royal introduction. A chair was brought out and placed in the shade of the trees near the clearing, and Amelia sat down, Pequa close by her side. Servants scurried to put an awning over Amelia’s chair. Next, a servant brought a cup and a basket of food for Amelia.
Pequa stood in anticipation, staring out at the clearing and then up at the sky.
She looks like she’s waiting for something, thought Alec. Erin began to look around, trying to sense what Pequa was waiting for.
After a long moment of suspense, the sky darkened. The riders and servants began to scatter, running into the cover of the trees or milling about at the edge of the clearing. And then, there it was.
The dragon! thought Alec. He could feel the draw of dark energy as the large beast landed on the path in front of Pequa. The dragon landed precisely, belying her size, appearing to hover for a moment before she touched the ground with her legs. She gave one final flap with her wings as she looked around with a curious expression. The final flap stirred up dust and blew up a minor whirlwind, sending a gust towards Amelia’s chair and upsetting her basket.
Amelia looked up angrily. “Off with its head,” she shouted. “How dare the ugly brute disturb my breakfast.”
Pequa was obviously annoyed with Amelia. “Oh, shut up, we have important things to do.”
Amelia looked at Pequa with astonishment. “Who do you think you are! How can you think to speak to me with such insolence! I put up with your snarly cur behavior because you have been useful to me, but now this … insult! … is too much. Come and bow down and beg my forgiveness.” Amelia popped a small fruit into her mouth. “If you beg enough, I will have you beaten and not beheaded,” she said, through her mouthful of fruit.
Petra stepped forward to Amelia’s chair and slapped her. “Foolish girl! I am tired of you!” Pequa pointed towards the grotto and the place where Erin was concealed. “She is my real concern! As soon as I finish her off, I will teach you your place.”
