by P R Glazier
Chapter 53. In the Eye of the Storm
JDC had changed the blast protection state from the windows which were now transparent so that they could view the landscape below and around them. They flew over the mists below. Nar’Allia was scanning the ground trying to locate where Alonso and the easterners were, she greatly feared for them. Soon they could see the battle that raged, he changed the controls and directed the Leviathan to fly upon an intercept course. As soon as they were above the battle he dropped downwards at the point where the two opposing sides met. The soldiers were forced to part as the hull of the machine came down. The battle stopped in awe of the sight. Several compartments opened in the underside of the machine and metal soldiers quickly deployed themselves in a long line between the opposing forces but did not attack. “I have programmed them to play a defensive role only, so do not fear Narny. It should keep them apart until we have finished our business.”
“Thank you JDC,” Nar’Allia smiled.
But then JDC shouted and pointed ahead. There a few kilometres away a bright column of light seemed to shoot upwards from the mists below. He immediately set a course for this column of light. When they got nearer they could see a widening gulf was opening in the mists, they could see through the mist to the ground below. But this ground was not moorland or heather, this was, well it looked like a city and to their utter surprise it looked like a T’Iea city. Nar’Allia stared at architecture she recognised from books on the subject. They flew right over the place and looking down they saw something that amazed them. A wide causeway stretched across a deep, wide hole in the earth’s surface. The hole appeared to be filled with the same substance as the shroud when seen from below. The causeway spanned this hole. In the centre of the causeway directly above the hole was a wide platform, figures could be seen upon this platform. One was sitting looking up at them, Nar’Allia felt sure it was Amndo.
Nar’Allia immediately understood that they were flying directly over the Rift. “JDC, take us down, take us down. Look there is Amndo.” She pointed.
But JDC had obviously already seen for he was guiding the craft down through the continually widening hole in the shroud. Nar’Allia also saw two other figures, flashes of power surged between them, there was a battle going on. The figures were battling using arcane energy as weapons. Only two people could be doing this, one she knew immediately to be Deanola, the other, she guessed was some dark elven mage, perhaps the caretaker of the Rift. But another figure took her attention. This figure was pure white in looks and stood upon a great block of jet black stone in the centre of the wide platform over the rift, this figure, another mage perhaps seemed to be directing a beam of white energy that was destroying the shroud. She could not see any defining features of this figure, what seemed to be a bright white light emanated from the figure this light obscured everything except the shape, it was a however recognisably a female shape.