by R. E. Palmer
Toryn bent and dipped his hand in the water and felt its force. In no time, his fingers numbed, and the cold seeped up to his elbow. He withdrew his hand — it stung. Toryn turned as Hamar made his way down the bank. ‘The water feels strange, it’s—’ Hamar stumbled towards him. Toryn caught his arm and pulled him back. ‘Steady, we don’t want to be falling in the river and getting all wet and cold again.’ The old man tried to stand straight, but Toryn felt the strength leave Hamar’s body. He slumped against Toryn as he helped him away from the bank and lowered him onto the grassy slope.
Hamar groaned, bringing his hands to his face. He mumbled. ‘Sorry, Tor. Give me a moment.’
‘Was it the fish?’ Hamar shook his head. Toryn crouched opposite. ‘No, of course not, couldn’t be. We ate the same one.’ He lifted Hamar’s chin and checked his face. ‘Could be a chill from standing in that icy lake.’
Hamar shivered. ‘I can feel it in my bones. It’s not right. Shouldn’t be this cold in spring, even up here.’
Toryn stood and searched the valley ahead. ‘How far to the stone?’
Hamar straightened. Toryn could see it took a great effort. He pointed a shaky finger. ‘Around the bend ahead. Halfway up the hill there’s a rocky outcrop, and a narrow entrance into a cave. The stone’s inside.’
‘Narrow?’ Toryn laughed, trying to cheer his friend. ‘Will you get in? You must have been a lot slimmer back then.’
Hamar chuckled. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll squeeze through.’
Toryn held out his hand. ‘Ready to walk?’
Hamar waved it away. ‘No need. I’ll be fine.’ He pushed on his knees and Toryn was sure he heard his joints creak, but Hamar managed to stand. He swayed, took a step, lurched forward and grabbed hold of Toryn’s arm. ‘Get me to the stone, that’ll see me right.’
Toryn took the full weight of Hamar but held firm. ‘Come on, old boy. I’ll get you there.’ He peered along the path and hoped Hamar could find it, or even make it that far. He had not considered what he would do if Hamar became ill and unable to walk.
They made slow progress as Hamar needed to stop often to steady his head. The moon had long since set before they finally rounded the bend in the valley. Toryn clutched his stomach and nearly dropped Hamar.
‘You now? Got a chill?’
‘It’s my guts.’ Toryn grimaced. ‘They’re all churned up, and I’ve got the strangest taste in my mouth.’
Hamar tried to laugh. ‘Look at us. We’re a right couple of crocks. Can’t find that stone quick enough, eh.’ He took some of his weight from Toryn. ‘Not far. I can manage.’
Toryn grunted as he tried to straighten against what felt like a knife twisting in his stomach. They staggered along the path, but every step drained Toryn’s strength. He dropped his gaze to the floor as his eyes ached, and his skin prickled.
Hamar mumbled at his side. ‘Something don’t feel right. It’s the air, it ain’t right, ain’t right at all.’
Toryn too sensed a change. ‘What is that? Smells like something died.’
Hamar failed to hear him. He slurred his words. ‘Get to the stone, make it sing, that’ll make it right.’ He sprawled forward, bent double. ‘It ain’t natural, not right.’
Toryn yanked Hamar back to his feet. ‘Can you remember how to find it? You said it was in a cave.’
‘Make it sing, yes, we’ll make it sing, make everything right again.’
‘Hamar! Hamar?’
‘It’s wrong, all wrong... wrong, I tell you.’
Toryn stopped. A pile of rubble lay strewn across their path. His eyes followed the line of stones up the slope. He need not have worried about finding the concealed entrance to the cave. A short way up to his right, he could make out a dark opening in the hillside. He muttered to Hamar. ‘Don’t think you’ll have any problem squeezing through that gap. Looks like half the hillside has collapsed.’
Toryn swallowed hard as a low squeal issued from the exposed cavern. He forced his legs up the hill with Hamar at his side, but soon stopped to gain his breath. He turned to Hamar. ‘Can you feel that? The ground, it’s throbbing. And the noise. It’s setting my teeth on edge.’ But Hamar’s head stayed bowed as he continued to mutter to himself. First Toryn’s toes, then his shins and knees grew numb until he could barely feel the ground beneath his feet. Hamar lurched. Toryn could not hold him a moment longer. He helped him to the ground. ‘You rest here. I’ll come back for you when I’ve found a way to the stone.’
Toryn forced his heavy legs up the slope, but each step became harder, as if wading against a fast-flowing river. His head swirled and his vision blurred, but he finally reached the cave. He scrambled over the rubble piled-up in the entrance and stumbled inside. Toryn stopped. It should have been darker, but he could clearly see a tall shadow on the rear wall of the cave. The Singing Stone rose defiantly from the debris of the collapsed roof. But this stone did not sing — it wailed.
Toryn took a step and entered another world. The wail became a shriek, bursting his ears and almost cleaving his skull in two. He clasped his eyes shut against a harsh green light saturating the rocks. Toryn reeled, choking on the foul-tasting air clogging his nose and throat, before pitching forward to vomit. He cried out, snatching back his hands as his palms stung at the touch of the cave floor. Toryn clutched his pained hands to his ears, but nothing could shut out the cry from the stone. He kneeled back and dared to open his eyes. His heart sank. Three small rocks surrounded the tormented stone. They pulsed with the sickly green light, violating the cave. Jagged fingers of steaming fluid seeped from the rocks and groped at the base of the Singing Stone. Toryn gritted his teeth against the anguish of the stone and forced himself to his feet. Bowing his head as if laboring against a gale, he took a step towards it, convinced he could somehow end the torture. But with every agonizing step, the pulsating ground sapped his strength, filling his bones with the same poison he knew corrupted the ancient stone.
The three encircling rocks grew brighter, as if welcoming Toryn to their world. His resolve deserted him. He collapsed. The skin of this cheek burned against the floor, but he had no strength to pull himself free. With every pulse of the rock he felt his body weaken, knowing any moment his bones would crack and share the fate of the stone.
Two hands grasped his frail ankles and dragged him back, scrapping his skin across the rough ground. The screaming stopped. His bones welcomed the solid ground beneath before his world turned black.
Toryn brought his hands to his throbbing temples. He opened his eyes and stared at the flickering embers of a campfire. He turned to find he lay close to the cave, sheltered by the rubble from a stiff breeze whistling through the valley. He swallowed and groaned as the sides of his parched throat scraped together. ‘Ah, you’re awake.’ Hamar put down his pipe and held out his hand. ‘Here, thought you’d need a drink.’
Toryn sat and waited for his head to stop spinning. He croaked his thanks and drained the mug with three gulps. He checked Hamar. ‘You look a bit better.’
Hamar nodded. ‘And in better shape than you, it seems.’
Toryn rolled out his stiff shoulders. ‘Thanks, Hamar.’
Hamar frowned. ‘It was just a cup of water.’
‘No, I meant for pulling me out of that place.’
The lines on Hamar’s forehead deepened. ‘Pulling you out…? I didn’t pull you out of no cave.’ He nodded to a spot down the hill. ‘I woke up over there, about an hour ago. And judging by the moon, we’ve slept through an entire day and half the night.’
Toryn followed his gaze. ‘I thought I was done for, inside the cave. Someone dragged me out.’
‘Must have dreamed it. We were both in a bit of a state. Could have been the fish, or a chill we caught in the lake. I had strange ones too.’ He hooked his thumb to the cave. ‘And I was wrong about the stone. Had a quick look, but there’s no sign of one.’
Toryn took a deep breath, trying to clear his head. ‘No, you were right. The stone was t
here, last night, I’m sure I saw it.’ The anguished wail echoed in his head. Toryn climbed carefully to his feet. ‘It was under attack. Didn’t you hear the screams? Thought my ears would burst.’
‘Attack? Screams?’ Hamar grinned. ‘Have to say your dreams sound more dramatic than mine.’
‘Wait.’ Toryn held up his hands. ‘See. Scratches. And I have burns on my hands and face.’ He clenched his fists. ‘I can feel them.’ He held out a hand to Hamar. ‘Come, you need to see this.’
Hamar grumbled. ‘Alright, if it makes you happy, but then we eat.’
Toryn took a flaming stick from the fire. ‘This should do.’ He picked his way through the crumbled rocks and led Hamar into the cave. ‘The stone is over—’ He held the torch higher but could see no sign of it.
Hamar sighed. ‘See, empty. You must have dreamed it.’
Toryn kneeled by the small rock close to the entrance. ‘Look at this. It glowed last night, and don’t ask me how, but it damaged the stone.’ He raised the torch. ‘There’s two more over there.’
‘Them’s rocks. Must have fallen from the ceiling when half of it collapsed.’
‘But they’re placed in a triangle, all the same distance from each other, and from where the stone stood in the middle.’ He grabbed Hamar’s arm. ‘Careful, the ground burns inside those rocks.’
Hamar shrugged it off and took a step. ‘Feels fine to me.’ He stooped to examine one of the smaller stones. ‘Bring the light, lad.’ He ran his hand along the top. ‘You might have a point. Feels icy cold, and’ — he bent forward — ‘they’re not natural. Someone has hewn these rocks.’ Hamar directed Toryn’s hand with the torch. ‘And see here, there’s letters of sorts.’
Toryn squinted. ‘Don’t look like any words I know.’
Hamar groaned. ‘They won’t.’ He held his hand to his brow. ‘I’ve seen this writing before.’ He shuddered. ‘I won’t talk about it here, but you can be sure, these aren’t kind words.’ He backed away from the rock. ‘We should leave.’
Toryn turned to the center. ‘Wait, I don’t understand. Everything seems the same as I remember from last night except for the—’ He took a step. ‘Oh no, it can’t be.’ At the center, a trickle of water gurgled up from where the stone had stood. But it had disintegrated, reduced to a small mound of black dust, slowly turning into sludge at the edges as the water oozed across the floor.
Toryn crouched and scooped a handful. He held it up and let the powder slide through his numb fingers. Hamar stared at the falling dust. ‘Such a shame. What could have done this?’ His jaw dropped; his gaunt face carried every one of his seventy-one years. His voice trembled. ‘It’s a shame, a damn shame. I don’t know what they’re for, but I know the land will be worse off for its loss.’
‘Here, look at this.’ Toryn held out a piece of cloth. ‘See? Torn from my trousers. Must have been when you dragged me out.’
‘Then I guess it must have been me.’ Hamar glanced to the entrance. ‘We need to leave, Tor. The words on these rocks have power, the wrong sort of power.’ He rubbed his head. ‘They’re why we got all mixed up in our heads.’
Toryn crouched by a rock. ‘Any idea what these words mean?’
‘Don’t get too close’ — Hamar took Toryn’s arm — ‘this place isn’t safe. We should go. And no, I don’t know and don’t want to know what they mean.’
Toryn shuddered. An icy chill crawled up his spine as the rock seemed to whisper the words etched on its face. He stood. ‘I agree.’ He followed Hamar out of the cave.
Hamar grimaced at the fingers of sludge trickling from the cave, down the hill towards the river. ‘Word of this should be sent to the Archon, but I don’t know how.’ His legs buckled and he slid to the bank.
Toryn placed the dying torch on the cold rock and sat beside him. ‘How you feeling?’
He spoke through his fingers. ‘Tired, hungry and ancient.’ He dropped his hands. ‘Let’s move further up the valley, eat, then get as far away from this place as we can.’
13. an Audacious Plan
The lines of wisdom and experience on General Kragan’s face deepened to a level of doubt and disbelief. He gaped at the Archon, trying to form his question. The Archon did not allow him time. ‘Good. If the general of my armies did not know of my plan, I am encouraged.’ He placed his chin in his hand and observed the old map sitting on an easel at the head of the table. ‘I have long suspected the Golesh would launch an attack, and therefore have long planned a repost before they can gain a foothold north of the mountains. This has been kept secret until now, because, if this reaches the wrong ears, I will lose the element of surprise.’ He turned to the table. ‘And therefore not a word of this is to be spoken outside of this hall until the fleet has sailed.’
Elodi breathed out. She could not take her eyes off the map revealing the world beyond the Caerwal Mountains. Bardon stammered. ‘How is this possible? We’ve not built ships since you changed the seas.’
The Archon slid his hand across the map. ‘You are wrong, Broon.’ He turned to the easel. ‘Six years ago, I gave my permission to re-build the port of Caermund.’ His hand came to rest on an inlet on the east coast of Farrand. ‘Yes, you all know the stories. When I bent the waters, unpleasant creatures from the depths washed up on the shores at Caermund, which unfortunately led to a number of… incidents.’ He tapped his finger on the old parchment. ‘But once I’d sealed the area, I soon drove them back into the sea. And now, I am pleased to report, the finest fleet to sail in many a year awaits, eager to depart.’ He looked to the general. ‘And yes, that is where I assigned your men for special duties.’
General Kragan found his voice. ‘But, Archon, to send the bulk of our elite forces out to sea is’ — he stammered as he glanced around the table — ‘is surely—’
‘A bold stroke of genius the enemy will not suspect.’ The Archon ran his finger in a curve from Caermund, out to sea, and back to a bay in the south. ‘A fleet of forty-four ships will carry our finest soldiers, fastest horses, and light artillery to the old port at Umnavarek. From there they will strike forth into the Lost Realms ready to—’
‘But’ — Kragan held up his hand — ‘please forgive my interruption, Archon, but how can we possibly know what awaits us far to the south?’
The Archon took a breath. ‘Do you question my judgement, General?’ Kragan opened his mouth, but the Archon continued. ‘Because if you do, I’m sure I can appoint another who will be happy to take your place.’
Kragan stammered. ‘No, of course not, Archon, I am not questioning your judgement, I… need to know what I’d expect to encounter, so I can assemble an effective force for the task.’
The Archon held the general’s gaze for a moment longer. ‘Good, I shall proceed to explain my strategy, then you can decide on your appropriate force.’ He scanned the faces at the table. ‘Yes, I admit this is an audacious plan, but if we are to pre-empt the Golesh’s strike which, no doubt, will be fearsome, extreme and could ultimately result in our demise, we have to be bold.’ He held up his hand as Kragan moved to speak. ‘At this moment, I can predict with certainty, every foul creature with a weapon in its clawed hand, and hatred consuming its heart, will swarm to the gate. The enemy concentrates its malice purely on the pass and not on the coast. They desire our fertile lands, our riches, and are hungry for slaves. Trust me, Kragan, they will not be watching the ports for which they have no use.’ He turned to the Vice-Archon and nodded.
‘Thank you, Archon.’ She rose and stood at the other side of the map. ‘When the time is right, the Archon will lift his invocation and allow the ocean currents to flow naturally again. The fleet will take no more than two days to reach Umnavarek.’ She fixed her gaze on Kragan. ‘General, once the force has landed, the objective is to head west and strike onto Elmarand. As you know’ — she raised an eyebrow at Elodi — ‘or may not, Elmarand was our principal city before the Golesh drove our ancestors out of the Second Realm. We’ve no reason to believe t
hat has changed and can therefore assume Elmarand will still be of strategic importance to them. We cannot know exactly what to expect as the maps are centuries old, but I doubt the backward, war-mongering hordes have built anything superior to that of our forebears. I think we’ll find the walls of the once great city will be in a state of disrepair and provide little-to-no obstacle for our elite forces.’ She stood back. ‘General, that is the strategy, I will, of course, charge you with determining the tactics.’
Kragan pushed back his chair and cleared his throat. ‘It will be an honor, Archon, this is an audacious plan, but may I ask, what is to happen if… once we retake Elmarand?’
The Archon stood. ‘As stated, the enemy’s resources are converging on the gate. Your aim, Kragan, is to cause disruption, and cast fear in their hearts for once. Upon securing Elmarand, you shall proceed to take the surrounding primitive farms and livestock, after all, they also must eat. Take what livestock and crops you need to sustain your forces, then burn the rest. The Golesh will have no choice but to divert resources from the gate to regain control of their city and farmlands.’ The Archon folded his arms. ‘And when they’re finally defeated, we can free our people from the southern realms who, for too long, have suffered at the hands of this vile race.’
Kragan glanced at the Castellan. ‘And how long will our expeditionary force be expected to hold out against their greater numbers?’
The Archon’s mouth curled into a rare grin. ‘Rest assured, it won’t be for long.’ He pointed to the pass on the map. ’Using my gift of farsight, I shall observe events from the tower. When I see the smoke of your endeavors billowing high in the southern skies, I shall focus my energy and sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of the Golesh. It will take a great deal of effort on my behalf, so the Vice-Archon will manage day-to-day events here at the citadel. But once news of the incursion reaches their ranks, they will have to dispatch a sizeable force to deal with it.’ He rubbed his hands. ‘At that moment, my trebuchets shall rain destruction over the gate onto their war machines before they can be deployed against us.’ The Archon raised an eyebrow as Kragan drew breath. ‘Yes, General’ — he turned to the others at the table — ‘then my counter-strike will, in time, reclaim the Lost Realms. I will catch them unawares.’ His eyes flashed. ‘When I open the Caerwal Gate.’
