“Agreed,” said General Ryan before addressing the room.
“I’ll have my men help in whatever way possible. We have increased our training exercises to ensure the men are prepared and fit for battle. We will continue to request that any man capable of fighting please step forward and volunteer for service. We have already had several dozen speak up and begin their training, however, we fear it is not enough. We will need every abled bodied man we can get if we are to survive the coming battle.” said General Ryan.
“What about the woman and children?” asked the King, concerned for the wellbeing of his people. “Heaven forbid if the demons make it through our defenses and into the valley, we can’t ensure the safety of our citizen’s if that happens” he said.
“He’s right” said Rex, “When the enemy finally comes, we will have all the women and children make their way through the Southern Tunnel, and once we are sure they are all safely through, we will block the entrance once again to prevent any pursuit. It will protect them from the enemy, even if it means locking us inside the valley without a means of escape.” said Rex, to which everyone agreed. It would be a necessary sacrifice, even if it meant their own demise – a sacrifice each of them was willing to make to ensure the safety of their families.
With everyone now aware of their task and ready to get to work, the war council set out to put their plans in motion, making sure they used every last minute to prepare for the coming siege, knowing that every moment they had was a blessing not to be wasted.
Chapter V
After trekking for what felt like hours through the unyielding darkness of the Southern Tunnel, David began to wonder if they would ever see the light of day again.
The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, twisting and turning before branching off in various directions every few hundred feet. It was proving to be a difficult task to track where they were and where they had already been, let alone which direction they were heading.
Fortunately for them, Holzer was a quick study with the map he had found and seemed to be confident in the direction he was leading them.
The only light they had to see by was the light of a few burning torches carried by Reingard and David, and that of Tyrius’ staff – which he had somehow magically illuminated to help provide a wider and less blinding light source for the travelers. Eventually the torches burned out, and all the light that remained was from Tyrius, and suddenly David was very thankful he had decided to come along.
They walked on in silence for miles into the depth of the mountains, sometimes traveling downward, other times they took passages that were rising. It was extremely difficult to determine how far they had come, or how much further they seemed to have. All they came to know was the eternal darkness that surrounded them just outside of the circular boundary of light illuminating from Tyrius’ staff.
As they walked along through the darkness with little else to look at, David took notice of the textures of the walls. The pathways had apparently been carved out of the mountain itself, hundreds of thousands of chisel marks etched in the rock wall, leaving a disorienting texture that was smooth in some areas, while mostly ridged and rough in others.
As he ran his fingers along the cool, moist stone, he could almost see the images of what must have been hundreds of workers, constantly chipping away at an impossible task for days, weeks, even months on end as they tunneled through the heart of the mountains, never knowing when or even if they would reach the other side.
He imagined the look on the workers faces when they first saw the thin shafts of light peeking through a small hole in the wall as they finally broke through to the other side, signaling the end of their journey had finally come, and the relief that would have flooded through the workers at such a sight. To see the light of day after having endured such infinite darkness would be enough to bring a grown man to tears – and David was eager for the moment when he, too, would see the light of day again.
After what felt like an eternity of hiking through the darkness, they finally decided to stop in a wide natural cavern so they could eat and rest. It seemed to stretch on forever in each direction, opening up into a large chamber filled with great hanging stalactites across the ceiling and enormous stalagmites protruding from the ground all around them. The sound of a steady but distant dripping followed by the distinct plop of impacted water indicated that they were near an underground pond or lake, so Tyrius headed off into the darkness to seek it out.
Erin had set up a small fire to heat up a pot of water and make some tea, while Reingard and Holzer passed around some dried meats and bread for everyone to take and fill their growling bellies.
They suspected the journey to take at least a day or two, maybe more, before they would reach the other side. The only problem was within the depths of the mountain, there were no indications of how much time had passed, and therefore, the party had no real way of measuring how far they had come or how far they still had to go other than markers left on the map and the growing emptiness in their bellies and aching of their limbs.
This cavern was one such marker. It indicated they were nearly halfway through the tunnel. Their next marker would be a large, horse shaped rock formation at which they would have to veer right before reaching their final downward trek through a long corridor that consisted of what was once a vital salt mine for the Southern Kingdom.
Holzer explained that the Southern Kingdom bordered the great South Sea and was littered with similar salt mines – a precious commodity that had become a stable of the once prosperous kingdom.
“What exactly happened to the Southern Kingdom after the war with the North?” asked David, curious to know more about the lands they were headed to.
“Well – we don’t know too much since they stopped all trading with Ravenfell nearly ten years ago. At first, we would try to send merchants through these tunnels to commence their trading in the old mining village that rested on the southern side of the mountains, but over time, these trips proved to be more difficult than the bounty was worth, and we shut down the trade route for good.” replied Reingard.
“What do you think caused the people to stop trading?” asked David.
“Not sure, really.” said Reingard. “The truth is, everyone was kind of wondering the same thing – considering the kingdom had fallen and all. You would have thought they would want to continue trading with us to keep up the supply chain, not shut us out. After all, many of the folk in Ravenfell had come from the Southern Kingdom and still had family who stayed behind, but that communication had eventually stopped as well, but not before the letters started becoming more and more hostile.”
“What do you mean, hostile?” asked Erin, helping herself to another small piece of meat.
“Well, people in the South, they started to blame us for their misfortunes, claiming if we hadn’t left, the kingdom would have been able to rebound after the wars. That kind of thinking seemed to spread like wildfires down there, and eventually it festered into a kind of hatred towards anyone who lived in Ravenfell or beyond.” said Reingard, “My own uncle, whom I had loved and held much respect for, was one of these people. He refused to leave his family farm after the war, and he became bitter with his old age.”
Reingard looked down as he finished, clearly still hurt by the past.
“I see…” said Erin, and feeling the topic was a sensitive one, she decided to change the subject.
“So, once we reach the end of the tunnel, what’s our next destination?” she asked.
Holzer looked down and examined the map closely before answering, “Well, if the village is still where the map indicates, we should be reaching the small mining outpost of Ashmire.
“It was formed during the First Age when the Southern Kingdom first started its expansion north towards the mountains. Once they discovered the rich mineral wealth within the rock, particularly the salt mines, they established Ashmire and it became a bustling little mining community. It prospered for generation
s, creating some of the wealthiest families within the Southern Kingdom, although most chose to leave the town for the capital city – leaving the mining businesses to be run and operated by the locals while they benefitted the most from the profits.”
“How do you know all of this?” asked David, fascinated by the sudden apparent knowledge of what he had previously misjudged as an uneducated foot soldier.
“I told you, my family is from the South. I know a lot about its history, although most of it is secondhand knowledge passed down by my pa” he answered.
As Holzer finished his explanation, Tyrius finally returned from his exploration and informed the others that there was indeed a large underground freshwater spring not far from their campsite. He led Reingard and Holzer to the waters and had them refill their canisters for the night before rejoining them by the fire and helping himself to some tea, bread, and meat.
When he was finished with his meal, he instructed the companions to rest for the night while he took first watch and they each began setting up their bedrolls.
It wasn’t hard for David to fall asleep – the darkness was deep and the silence was even deeper, broken only by the light crackling of the fire and the incessant drip of water from the cave ceiling as it splashed onto the surface of the lake in the distance. No evidence of any life, other than moss and the occasional insect or bat, had been seen or heard throughout their day’s journey through the darkness – and this thought was extremely comforting for David as he lay on his back with his eyes closed. It meant no threats would sneak up on them during the night, and he was completely okay with that.
***
David was roused sometime in the early morning, or at least he suspected that was the time, as he had no real idea of what time it actually was. He sat up and stretched before thanking Reingard for the watch and preparing for his hopefully uneventful shift.
As he sat in the dark, watching the embers of the fire slowly dwindle away, his eyes remained watchful towards the outer edges of the illuminated circle. Tyrius had set his staff in the middle of the camp, allowing it to provide a radius of soft mystical light for the others to see while on watch. David wondered what other spells Tyrius might know and told himself to remember to ask him during the coming march to see if he could teach him any potential tricks. With this thought came the sudden painful reminder that his powers had been inaccessible ever since the Defiant One had been released from his prison.
David began to wonder more about the sudden disappearance of his powers, and how it was connected to the return of the Mystic of Destruction. Were they even connected? If so, would he ever get his powers back, or were they gone for good? That thought sent a shiver of fear down his spine and the little hairs on his neck tingling. Without his powers, he wouldn’t be able to stop the coming invasion and the world of Hurea would be doomed.
He would be useless, like he had always been, and David was not ready for that feeling to return full-time, not after he had felt the incredible power of the orb and the confidence that came with it.
He decided in that moment, that no matter what happened to his powers, he would never let it determine his own sense of worth again. He knew he was more than just his connection to the orb – after all, the orb had chosen him for a reason before he had its power. He would instead focus his energy on improving his fighting ability, so that orb or not, he would be prepared to fight alongside his friends and able to protect the people he had come to care so much about. People like Erin.
He looked over to where Erin was sleeping and marveled at how peaceful she looked. He longed for a day when they could truly experience peace together without having to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. A day when they could look to the future with certainty, or as much certainty as anyone could in times of peace. He knew long life was not a sure thing, even without war and threats of extinction on the horizon.
As he dreamed of the possible future he and Erin could have together once the Defiant One was defeated, he noticed the others begin to wake.
Deciding it was time to get up and break camp, he went to fetch some water from the spring in the pot for tea while the others fought off their weariness and began preparing for the long hike ahead of them.
When he returned, everyone was up and enjoying a small helping of biscuits that were starting to slightly harden. Erin tossed him one after he set down the pot and Tyrius got the fire going once again to heat the water and prepare the tea.
When they had all had their share of biscuits and tea, they packed up the rest of their belongings and set off into the darkness, each longing for the moment when they finally reached the end of what they hoped would be the darkest part of the journey to the Birthplace of the World and their magical Crystal Caverns.
Chapter VI
Octavian Krauss stood before his army of demons and undead soldiers at the edge of the Outer Woods, looking out across the fields that were once filled with the green pastures and farmlands leading up to the capital city of Eldergate.
Instead, he now stood before a desolate, war-ravaged landscape leading up to a great canyon of sheer cliffs and unfathomable drops into darkness, broken only by a stone bridge that connected to the jutting rock that now supported the Royal Palace.
The bridge spanned hundreds of feet across the chasm that fell into the Dark Abyss – a land of darkness and doom that had been the prison of the Mystic of Destruction and his army of demons for over a thousand years.
Now that rift was open, giving him access to an army so vast and powerful that all of the free world would soon be trembling before him and his mighty army, making him the most powerful ruler in all of Hurea.
He stood before his army of several hundred thousand demons and undead – all clad for war and ready for their coming march across the Great Plains to the foothills of the Draconian Mountains.
He had been tasked by the Defiant One to personally see to the destruction of the resistance taking shelter within the mountain valley of Ravenfell. With the massive army before him, he knew victory was all but certain. With the barbarians and remaining loyalists finally out of his way, he would be one step closer to his ultimate victory of absolute control of the whole of Hurea – a victory he had been dreaming about ever since he discovered his true heritage.
All that would remain are the wretched Elves and Dwarves – two races that he aimed to extinguish once and for all. None would survive the coming age except for the race of Man – a race he knew well enough were far easier to control, and far less of a threat to his long-term rule.
With the others out of the way, he would move his armies to the Southern Lowlands of his people and bring to them the wealth of the Northern Kingdom coupled with the strength and power of his new army. His people would no longer suffer at the expense of the Northern Kingdom and would instead be free to live as they please – after all, the world would be under his control, and therefore his protection. Any who refused to comply would be eliminated or forced into work camps for the betterment of society. There they would stay until they changed their views or died – either way, he would win.
Octavian Krauss looked out across his army and rose his hand high into the air, releasing a powerful blast of energy high into the sky, exploding in a brilliant display of fire and sparks that fell towards the ground around them. The time had come, they would begin their march towards the mountain.
Immediately, his army began its grueling march down the Great Road towards the Great Plains beyond. He watched as the endless lines of demons and undead stretched on for miles and miles. The ground shook beneath their feet and the air was filled with the booming clatter of endless marching and chanting as they made their way through the corridor of trees near the edge of the Outer Woods and began their long journey along the Great Road towards the foothills of the Draconian Mountains.
A smile stretched across his face as he considered how the barbarians and loyalists would be trembling with fear as they witnessed the largest army o
n earth march across the plains before them.
This would be an enjoyable victory, he thought. But then again, when was victory anything but sweet?
***
Far across the Great Plains, over the rolling foothills, and up the mountain pass, two men from Eldergate were standing watch for the night and had just started playing their third hand in cards. The cool night air was crisp, and the cold was already starting to seep through their thick outer coats and into their bones, forcing them to continuously breathe into their hands to keep their fingers from going numb.
When the towers and other fortifications had been completed just days ago, Fredrick and Christopher had volunteered to keep watch during the night shifts, a shift that had proven far more difficult than they had imagined. They were no warriors, neither of them had even been in a fight in their whole lives, but they each wanted to do their part, and so they agreed that watch duty played a vital role that they could manage without any prior experience, and they were mostly happy to do it.
The nights were long and often uneventful, the only thing keeping them awake was the bitter cold and the awful realization that if they were to fail in their duties, all of their friends and family, let alone themselves, would be put at risk and potentially die: a weight they did not want on their shoulders.
So instead, they spent their nights playing cards and making bets as to whether or not anything eventful would happen that night. So far, nothing had ever happened, and because of this, they were much more surprised when something caught their attention in the far distance, forcing them to jump to their feet and rush to the edge of their watch tower at the northern edge of the mountain pass.
David Bishop and the Mystic of Creation Page 4