by S A Edwards
“I can’t believe you all do this every three hundred years,” I said.
Siren shrugged. “It’s only three hundred years. We get plenty of time to rest between them.”
I eyed up the thick mist around us and crinkled my nose against the growing scent of smoke. “It’s getting hotter.”
“I know.” He glanced into the chasm. “And still no sign of the bottom.”
“Is that where the tree is?”
“No. That’s farther in. I don’t know what lies at the bottom.”
“Isn’t that where we’re going?”
“The steps stop soon,” he said. “Then, we’ll be heading back into the cliff. The only other way down is to fall.”
“Or fly.”
He blinked. “Well, yes. But I don’t much like the thought of descending any lower than the boundary. Something feels … wrong.”
I focused on his emotions again, and a sense of foreboding washed over me. “Do you think whoever made the steps know what’s at the bottom?”
“Maybe not. No knowledge of it appears to be in the Might.”
“Or maybe it’s written in that sealed book.”
He shot me a questioning glance.
“The one in the library,” I said. “Weren’t you ever curious about what’s in it?”
“I’ve never seen a sealed book in the library.”
“We passed it every day. It’s on that podium near the entrance.”
He shook his head and shrugged.
“With the metal binding,” I pressed. “And the great big padlock you can’t possibly miss. You must know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh, that’s why you asked me for a key?” he asked. “I had no idea what you were talking about.”
“Really? Have you never noticed it? I fiddled with it often enough.”
“Well that explains a lot. Your behaviour in there confused me. Fiddling with air. Though I am aware of many of the books there, I know not of not the one you’re describing.”
I gritted my teeth.
“Don’t feel frustrated.” He clamped his hand over my knee. “What you say is very interesting. I’ve never seen the book, and it may be that the other Ancients cannot see it either. But you can. Yet another mystery about you we must find the answer to.”
“So, you believe me?” A book he’d never noticed? One that can’t be missed? It wouldn’t be hard for him to think I’d imagined the whole thing.
“Why wouldn’t I? Besides, I think I’d know if you lied.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
21
Ipressed my back against the cliff face. “You say another mystery? What other mysteries are there about me?”
“The Gates are failing, aren’t they?” Siren said. “And the balance is off.”
“So?”
“So, why? How do you link to all that? A mystery.” He smiled.
“Oh. I suppose.” I peered back up the rough-cut steps, eager to return to the library. The sudden urge to get into the book and see if it held a way to save Charlie tugged on my desire.
“Then, there are your eyes,” he said.
“My eyes?”
“They’re golden.”
“Oh.” Strange that none of the Ancients had mentioned them since I’d arrived if they were as rare as people claimed. Back at the camp, there were plenty of comments about the colour. I shook off the memories. My encounter with Rickson’s fluff nearly killed me. Now, nothing about that time held pleasant memories. I shrugged. “The colour is nothing. I wore a crystal when I mastered my gifts. Once I had them all, the colour changed. They’ve never changed back.”
“Hmm.” Siren rubbed his chin. “No, I think there’s more to it than that. I just can’t quite remember …” A stab of frustration course through me. His emotions again? He shook his head. “We should keep going.”
I groaned inwardly and shouldered my pack.
The steps grew shallower and farther apart the lower we descended, and I tensed with every step, increasingly aware of the seemingly never-ending drop below.
The light grew dim in the thickening smoke. Not for the first time, gratitude that I was a Beast Mage welled. Without my enhanced sight, I wouldn’t see much, and I couldn’t call my flames since both hands were needed for the descent. My clothes probably weren’t fireproof, so raising flames over my body was out of the question since burning my outfit wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.
“We’re here,” Siren announced.
Hope sprung up. “At the tree?”
“At the bottom of the stairs.”
Disappointment mingled with my relief.
A narrow tunnel led back into the cliff, impossible to make out through the blackness.
Siren reached out. White flames ignited over his palm, sending shadows flickering and dancing over the crevices.
The heat from his fire washed over me, exceeding the temperature of my own. I thought my blue flames were the hottest in existence. Siren proved me wrong. I didn’t dare touch his fire for fear of being burned. “You mastered that quickly.”
“Ancients are fast learners.”
The tunnel twisted and wound for a while, and then it widened. Three pathways led off in different directions, each as similar as the next.
“Which way do we go?” I asked.
“This way.” Siren continued forward.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I can feel it. The power of the tree. It’s this way.”
After some time, he branched off down another passage. Every now and then, tunnels led off in the darkness, some leading downhill, others up.
“It’s like a maze down here.” My words echoed, and I shivered in an increasing chill, growing more concerned that my flames weren’t blocking the cold. There certainly was something about Ancient magic that exceeded even my own gifts. My lips tightened at thoughts of my vulnerability. I pressed closer to Siren and his flames. “It makes you wonder how the tunnels were made. Unless they were already here.” Although, they were carved too smoothly to have been made naturally.
“The one who dug these passages carried a gift of wielding the earth. I believe she is still alive, though no longer in this world,” he said. “The tunnels span over 100 eona. Some tunnels lead to dead ends and others follow a huge ring.”
My fingers trailed over the low ceiling. “Everything looks the same.”
“That’s why you couldn’t come here and survive without an Ancient.”
“I wonder why I can’t feel the tree’s power, too.”
We turned a corner, and I stopped.
A wall blocked the way forward, the only opening a gaping hole in the ground. Every fibre in my body screamed at me to turn back.
Siren peered down into the darkness. “And some lead to holes that drop into, well, nothing, I guess. I’ve never heard of anyone who’s returned from them.” He shrugged. “Except an Ancient, of course.”
My hands trembled. We were lost, trapped in a maze with no idea where the tree lay. “I thought you knew which way to go?”
“Worry not. This is the way.”
“But you just said –”
He took my hand, and his blue eyes pierced mine. “This is the way. This shaft leads straight to the cavern. All we have to do is jump.”
Fear locked my legs. “You can’t be serious.”
He cocked his head, his flames reflecting in his eyes. “I know this isn’t ideal, but the cavern needed to be somewhere an intruder wouldn’t just happen upon. Your first instinct when you see this is to turn back. I think that’s the tree’s way of protecting herself.”
“How do you know all of this? Your light didn’t touch this area when you were an egg.”
“When I birthed, I brought with me much knowledge of the Ancients. I knew more as an egg but it’s fading.”
I frowned into the shaft. “I don’t like this.”
“Do you trust me?”
It didn’t make sense, but I
did. Somehow, I knew he would never hurt me. We were a team. But even that was crazy. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
He flashed a knowing smile. “Then, we’ll do this together.” We edged closer to the hole. “Ready?”
“No.”
“Go.” He pushed me.
My stomach leapt into my throat, fighting against the freefall. Rock met my back, and I slid through the blackness. My hair whipped behind me, and cold air stung my cheeks and eyes. A bright light appeared ahead. I skidded to a stop.
The cavern panned before me. Smooth stones of different colours covered every inch of the ground except for a narrow path leading to another cliff. They glowed through the shadows, lighting the spacious surroundings.
Atop the cliff, a twisted tree grew on the ledge. Its roots extended from the sheer sides. Pink leaves flickered in a breeze, and a waterfall tumbled from the edge, cascading to a glittering pool.
A beam of light filtered through a hole in the cavern roof and spotlighted the tree, casting a magical appearance over the leaves.
Siren appeared from the shaft behind me. “Woah. That was fun.” He chuckled and dusted himself off.
“You pushed me,” I said.
“I got the feeling you weren’t going to jump.”
“I would have. Eventually.”
He smiled. “So, this is the cavern. It’s more beautiful than I imagined.”
“And probably dangerous, too,” I muttered.
His gaze shot to me. “Indeed. See these?” He nodded at the coloured stones.
“Yeah. They’re pretty.” I bent to see them better, but he grabbed my arm.
“They’re scales. One of these would enhance a Mage’s gift, sometimes more than they can control. But all of these, combined with you and your many gifts,” – he lowered his hand – “you’d blow up the Might.”
I giggled at the ridiculousness of his statement. It was hard to imagine any amount of power could destroy the Might. “Don’t touch the scales. Got it. But why are they here?”
“Good question.” He dug into his pack and produced the Lallana petal. “We cleanse.”
Silence fell while I mulled over his words. “Wait, so, you moult?”
He groaned. “When you put it like that it sounds so unspectacular. Just watch.” He popped the petal in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Nothing happened.
“What am I waiting for?”
“It takes some time. Go ahead to the Whisperleaf Tree. I’ll probably be starting by the time you’re finished.” He shifted toward the pool by the narrow path.
“You’re not coming with me?” I asked.
“No. This is something only you can do. I won’t be permitted to see her without being tested, and even then, I wouldn’t be given access whilst you are inside. Since I have no need to see her, the test would be pointless.”
“Who’s her?”
“The Tree. Now, go on. You’ve waited long enough for your answers.” He continued toward the pool.
I stared after him. “The tree is a her?”
He didn’t turn around again, and I assumed he hadn’t heard.
The path split a few steps before him and wound toward the cliff. Where he turned ahead of me toward the pool, I turned toward the cliff.
I reached out from the path until my fingers hovered over the scales, admiring their beauty. Their power tingled beneath my skin, so I pulled back in, unwilling to access the magic. There was no room for mistakes, and I’d made enough of them already. Making the Gates fail was one thing, but destroying the Might? Even if Siren wasn’t exaggerating, I’d never survive that, nor would I forgive myself. The Ancients had been so good to me.
I pushed on along the trail until it stopped.
The cliff towered above me, jagged and weathered with time.
I searched for Siren, but neither him nor the pool was visible beyond a mountain of scales ahead.
“There’s no path,” I whispered. “Which way do I go?”
The roots of the Whisperleaf Tree bulged out from the rock high above me, and leaves fluttered over the drop on the branches they clung to.
My mouth turned dry. I would have to climb. But if I fell from that height, there would be no surviving.
I ran my hand through my hair. Could I do this? Charlie waited for me. If the tree could give me the solution I needed to save him, I had to go despite my fear.
My pack dropped to the ground with a clunk.
I grasped a jutting out piece of rock and began to climb. Without the weight of my pack, I made good progress, but soon, my arms stung with the exertion and my palms grew sweaty. A knot grew in my chest at the gravity pulling me backward, willing me to fall.
The ground lay a long way below me, the scales a glittering mass of colour. The splash of the waterfall filled the air and cut over my heavy breathing, and my heart pounded.
“Don’t look down,” I whispered, and instead tried to remember the feeling Siren felt, the desire to fly, the freedom. It did little to ease the heavy stinging in my arms.
The handholds grew fewer and far between, forcing me to search between each bit of progress. Was this the test Prudens mentioned? It required me to survive the climb? Or just reach the top? Of course, from what I’d learned of this world, that would be too easy.
I climbed to the next foothold.
It snapped.
A cry of alarm escaped me. The rock bashed my side. Pain stabbed at my ribs. I dangled from my handhold with slippery palms, scrabbling blindly for a place to wedge my feet.
The hard surface ground along my fingers, fighting to break my hold.
My foot met a crevice, and I leaned my weight on it with a gasp of relief. Resting my head against the cool stone, I closed my eyes, fighting to control my trembling body.
Several minutes must have passed. My breaths shook, but I forced myself to push on, determined to reach the top. The jutting rocks led farther round the cliff, and at long last, my hands clutched the rim.
I clambered over and collapsed on bare rock. Dirt clung to my dry lips, and my thoughts turned to water. I groaned. The flasks remained with the pack at the bottom.
But that wasn’t my only option.
I pooled my focus on the waterfall, drawing threads to me in a small, twisting ball. No sense of contaminates reached me, so I gulped it down, welcoming the slight relief from my fatigue.
A river flowed up the slope past me toward where the tree stood majestic and tall. It was so much larger than it appeared from below. The trunk twisted and knotted like several trees combined into one, and the roots bulged from the ground in mounds, parting in the centre to create a path to the trunk.
Peering over the edge of the cliff, I saw no sign of Siren, although piles of scales covered the ground below to the far reaches of the giant cavern. Had his cleanse begun yet?
Staggering to stand, I shuffled forward toward the tree, straining against the slope.
This was it. I would finally learn how to rescue Charlie. Though how I’d find out remained a mystery.
I stepped between the roots. Pink sparks spat, and a flash of pain crackled against my chest.
I cried out and staggered back.
A tiny human-like creature with rosy, pointed wings hovered before me. Its grey skin and narrow eyes framed a wicked grin, and it jabbed a sharp-nailed finger at me. “What be your business by the tree? Speak truth, or your life ends with me.”
I rubbed my aching chest. “I’ve been sent by Prudens. He said I could gain the answers I need here.”
“True it be, her wisdom is best, but first you must pass my test.”
So, I was right. There was more than the cliff. “Are you not the one I need to speak to?”
The black-haired creature bobbed, and sparks crackled between his wings. “Of the Obrussa, I am Fraus, Guardian of her sacred house.” Behind him, more of the Obrussa hovered, peeking out from the folds of the branches. I doubted I could get past them unharmed.
“So
, I pass your test, and you’ll let me go to the tree?”
“One question I will ask of you. Beware, your answer must be true.”
I blinked. That sounded simple enough. “Okay. What’s your question?”
He dropped his hands by his side and flittered closer. “In Underworld you place your need. My question now, should he be freed?”
“Charlie. You’re talking about Charlie?”
Fraus waited in silence.
Was this a trick question? Charlie was only in the Underworld because of Zantos’ evil. Granted, Zantos was possessing his body, but Fraus didn’t ask about him. Only Charlie. “Of course, he should,” I said.
Fraus’ dark brow sank low over his black eyes. “Sad, it seems you think this so. Your feelings blind you. Time to go.” He raised a hand. Sparks shot from his palm, and blackness closed in.
22
Cold touched my flesh, and something hard dug into my back.
I opened my eyes, still shaking from the pain of Fraus’ sparks.
I lay in a small cavern with openings to well-lit tunnels on either side. Cavities in the walls held naked flames, though they carried no warmth.
Shivering, I called my own flames and allowed their heat to wash over me. Standing, I crept into the closest tunnel, drawn to a strange magic in the air.
Time passed in eerie silence. Had the Obrussa sent me back to the maze above the cavern? Was that the way he intended me to die? To wander alone through the 100-eona long passages until hunger or exhaustion claimed me?
My lips trembled, and I shook my head. This wasn’t the time for despair. I needed to think.
It would make sense if it weren’t for the heatless fires. No light accompanied us on our journey besides our own flames. How far through the tunnels had I been sent?
A lump rose in my throat, and I swallowed back tears. How had this happened? Had Fraus intended me to address the problem with Zantos and admit that as long as he possessed Charlie’s body, his release shouldn’t be so?
Realisation that I’d lost my chance to gain answers sank in, and tears streaked my cheeks. This couldn’t be it. I needed out. There must be a way out.
