The Shadows of Starpoint Mountain

by Bill Albert

  “Absolutely nothing,” Marassa said in amazement.

  Jakobus pulled a small stick only three inches in length from a pouch on his belt. He held it up to his torch and there was an explosion of light as the smaller torch lit up. He held it over the empty frame and let it drop into nothing.

  They all watched as the torch fell into the darkness and kept on falling. The light from the torch was amazingly bright but there was no reflection from anything. Its straight course didn’t alter either by contacting anything or the force of wind. It just fell.

  After a full two minutes of watching Gallif closed the door.

  “What’s down there?” Blinks asked.

  “Nothing,” Marassa said obviously impressed. “I’ve heard of that type of casting before, but I’ve never seen it.”

  “Is it a path to other planes?” Jakobus asked.

  “No.” Marassa shook her head. “The best way I can describe it is as a jump casting, but the exit takes up the same place as the entrance. The belief is you just keep travelling the same space over and over again. The mental strength to cast something like that is unheard of.”

  “Then who could have done this?” Luvin asked.

  “A dragon,” she answered, and they all fell silent at the thought.

  Gallif took a deep breath and looked back down the small cave and the larger one ahead of them. She found some comfort in the fact that the path was constantly changing as they travelled and rounded them up to continue on.

  They marched side by side for a while until the walls opened up into a huge cavern. Their relief was tempered when they realized how much the area resembled a graveyard. There were thirty-six systematically place mounds divided by a path down the middle. Each mound was seven feet long and four feet wide and had a foot-high stone at one end. Also spaced evenly along the walls were bright burning torches.

  They walked far enough up the path to examine the first row of mounds. The dirt looked fresh, slightly damp, and was perfectly smooth. They got as close as they could to look at them.

  “That stone has got something written on it,” Luvin said and they all looked to where he was pointing. There was a series of carvings on top of the stone but, filled in by a thin layer of dust, it was difficult to read them.

  Marassa examined them closely and then said, “They look dwarven.”

  They stood aside as Jakobus made his way to the stone. He looked at it from several angles and then nodded. “Yes, it’s dwarven, but a dialect that we never use outside of the Under City near Lake Uaren. He reached forward to ever so lightly brush the dust away from the carvings. Too late Marassa realized what he was doing and called a warning to stop him. Jakobus’ fingers barely touched the stone when all of the torches on the walls went out. Suddenly the mound near Jakobus burst open and a glowing skeleton came screaming out of the ground. They drew their weapons and looked for a way to circle the skeleton when all thirty-six mounds exploded with screaming skeletons.

  Gallif, flame sword in hand, struck the nearest skeleton as fast as she could. She swung wide and up hoping to have enough strength to destroy it in one blow. Her angle was too sharp. It stepped sideways and she missed. She took a step forward to strike again before it could hit her.

  Though it seemed a thousand years ago Gallif clearly remembered fighting skeletons like this before after she had left Atrexia heading north. Like those before these had an unearthly white glow to them. The bones themselves were transparent and gave the impression they weren’t actually there but she had no doubt the bone handled axes they bore could do considerable damage. The difference was these skeletons were screaming. The noise wasn’t too loud to be unbearable, but it was distracting.

  Gallif tried for a second attack but the blade was deflected by a counterstrike and she missed. She stepped forward and swung the sword in a complete turn back, down and up again. This time it worked, and she separated the skeleton’s left arm at the elbow. To her surprise the skeleton reeled back as if reacting in pain. Then the entire body shattered as if it were made of glass and disappeared.

  Gallif was confused but had no time for questions as another skeleton came at her swinging its bone axe with great force. She tried to divert it with her own weapon, failed to make solid contact, but managed to deflect its path. They both moved as fast as they could, and the flame sword and the bone axe collided in the air. She tried to break the stalemate, but the skeleton was very strong and closed the gap between them.

  There was a flash of light as a hammer passed by her and crushed the skeleton’s rib cage. Its hands tried to cover the wound, just like a real person would protect themselves, as it fell to the ground and disappeared.

  Gallif stood in place for several seconds before she realized the screaming had stopped. She looked around to see that all the skeletons were gone, and her travelling companions were watching her.

  Luvin was nearest her and asked, “Why didn’t you use the frost sword?”

  She looked down at her empty left hand but couldn’t think of an answer. She shook her head and ran her fingers through her ragged red hair, surprised at how her thoughts suddenly became clear. “Is everyone okay?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Marassa said as she approached Gallif. In her hand was a wand with a green gem on the handle but she pocketed it under her blurred robes before Gallif could see any more. “No one was injured,” Marassa continued. “Actually, no one was hurt at all.”

  She glanced at them all and each of them confirmed that it was true. Even Acrufix gave a slight nod of his face hiding behind the helmet

  “That just doesn’t seem right,” Gallif said. Blinks looked at her in shock and started to speak but she continued and cut him off. “Doesn’t it seem odd that nobody got hurt at all? That many skeletons and no one even got a glancing blow.”

  “An illusion,” Jakobus speculated.

  She walked over to one of the broken mounds and knelt down to run her fingers through the yellow dirt. She picked up small stones that had been mixed into the pile, played with them between her fingers, and then threw them aside. She shook her head and stood.

  “I suppose it could have been a warning,” Marassa said as she looked at some of the notes, she’d been keeping to herself. “Several bits of survivor’s stories talk about things like this. They thought they were warnings.”

  “Very effective warnings at that,” Luvin said.

  “Only if they manage to keep you from going forward,” Jakobus pointed out.

  “I imagine it’ll get worse,” Gallif said glaring at Luvin. “If it’s too much for you then can go back to the opening and wait.”

  “I didn’t.” Luvin started to shout back but stopped himself short. He took a deep breath, faced her, and then started again. “I didn’t mean that. It’s not too much for me to follow you into a mountain, but you seem to have forgotten that.”

  They stared at each other. Luvin tried to read her face but she gave no signs of what she was thinking or doing.

  “We’d better get moving,” she said to break the moment and they quickly started walking.

  They continued north and found a small junction with a tunnel heading off east and west from the one they were in. One was very small, and it would have been a tight fit for anyone. The opposite was wider and more accessible but Gallif decided to continue on. Over a very short distance they crossed from the yellow to the red strand of the Rainbow Mountains. Gallif took a handful of each color and was relieved that, despite the color change, it was still perfectly natural soil.

  Only a hundred steps further along the tunnel opened into a huge cavern. It was larger than any they had seen so far. In front of them several dark colored stones had been set in the floor. It was a large mix of light and dark colored stones and used to depict a large eye with an upside-down star in the center.

  On the opposite side there had once been a large tunnel, larger than any dwarf, human, or even giant, would ever need but it looked like they could not travel beyond it. The c
eiling had collapsed, and the path was blocked by huge chucks of stone that none of them would be strong enough to move. There may be some pockets or a path that remained in the rubble, but it was doubtful.

  Between them and the collapsed tunnel were two even mounds the same style as those they had seen before. These mounds were seventy feet in length and thirty feet wide. Each mound was completely covered by a five-foot-thick slab of stone.

  Gallif couldn’t help but imagine these were large enough to bury a dragon under.

  “Don’t disturb anything,” Gallif warned them. She remembered what Jakobus had done and added, “Don’t touch them either.”

  “Don’t step forward, either,” Luvin warned them all. “Gallif, take a step back.” She started to question him, but he was already kneeling next to her. He was looking at several stones in the eye pattern. “Don’t step on to the dark stones,” he said. “There is a small gap between them, unlike the lighter ones which are touching each other. I think there could be a trap under them.” She looked down on him for several seconds and as he stood he said, “I’ve got special skills, too.”

  She nodded and continued forward stepping only on the lighter stones. When she was on the other side of the pattern Luvin followed her. Then Acrufix joined him and they waited for the rest to come across as well.

  “Well done, my friend,” Acrufix said and patted Luvin on the shoulder. “We will make a good team, you and I,” he spoke softly and Luvin smiled at the thought.

  “Gallif,” Marassa said holding a wand with a gold thread wrapped around the handle. “I must see these closer. There must be some type of language somewhere.”

  “Ok, try not to go too far from us,” she said to Marassa and the caster nodded that she would stay close.

  Acrufix didn’t ask for permission and slowly started walking around the mounds. Luvin started to follow him but Acrufix suggested he stay and keep an eye on Marassa.

  Sure, that he was on sacred ground Jakobus decided to show some proper respect and kneeled to say a few dwarven prayers.

  “Gallif,” Blinks whispered from near the far corner of the left-hand mound only loud enough for her to hear. “There’s a body over here.”

  She walked over to meet him. Jakobus finished his prayers, raised, and quickly joined them. With the flame sword held out Gallif started moving in the direction Blinks’ had indicated. A third of the way down the length of the mound was a body lying on its back. It was the size of an average human, but it was in a full-length hooded cloak making it difficult to tell what race it was. As they closed in, they could see there was something slightly reflective on its chest.

  They approached it slowly with their eyes scanning the floor and surrounding area. When they were close enough Gallif held the flame sword directly over the body so they could see inside the cloak. The skull that they found was definitely the size and shape of a human.

  “Look at that,” Gallif said with a whisper as she moved the flame sword down over the chest. There was an elegant dagger with a carved and jeweled handle that had been driven deep into the body. It was obvious by its location that it would have entered the victim’s heart.

  “That blade is straight in,” Blinks said, “not thrust upward as if it were from combat.”

  “You think it was thrown?” Jakobus asked.

  “That’s… What’s the word I’m looking for?” he said blinking at them. “Possible! Yes, that’s possibly the word. That’s possible. Or it could be self inflicted.” Neither Gallif nor Jakobus had considered that and both looked at him for more explanation. “Look at the handle. That’s very nicely done. You can’t just get that anywhere. If you chose that as a weapon of choice would you leave it in the body? An assassin would either use a generic dagger that they could dispose of and leave no trace or take their weapon in pride,” Blinks said. They noticed that as he spoke with confidence his blinking slowed to much more manageable speed. “I’ve never seen that style before, though,” he added.

  Gallif looked closer at the handle and then slowly sat back. Jakobus also took a look and then slowly looked over at her. He read her expression and nodded so slightly that only she caught the action. On the handle was the green and orange oak leaf symbol they had seen in the north. This knife had been made by a druid.

  “Blinks,” Gallif nodded to him, “would you please round up everyone else and have them join us?”

  ***

  Luvin had seen Gallif and Jakobus head off and briefly debated following them. He decided to do what Acrufix had told him and figured it didn’t really matter to Gallif anyway. It bothered him but he was reminded of how complimentary Acrufix had been and he immediately felt better. He looked to see where the legend had gone and was surprised to find him missing. Gallif had gone to the left side of the mounds and Marassa was in between them so he assumed Acrufix had decided to investigate the right side. He looked back at Marassa and was surprised to see her watching him. She was speaking but he was too far away to hear her, so he nodded in return. She smiled and pointed her wand towards the mounds.

  Luvin started to move closer to her when something on the slab on top of the mound caught his attention. He stood on the tips of his toes and squinted to focus but he was sure he could see letters carved into the slab. He was sure he could read them if he could get close enough and took a step forward to the very edge of the mound. Despite his efforts he found he could not take his eyes off of the red stone. He knew he shouldn’t get any closer, but he just wanted to see what it was.

  Yes, he could see now, that there were letters engraved into the edge. His eyes widened when he read the fourth word in the sentence. “Gallif” he said aloud. He knew if he stepped closer he would be able to read the words clearly but knew it was dangerous. Just a bit closer, he told himself. Her name is there and it’s important he find out the rest.

  “No, Luvin, don’t!” he heard and turned to see Blinks running towards him.

  “I have to check it,” he said pointing upward. “Gallif’s name is there,” and with that he turned to look up at the stone and was shocked to see its flat, blank surface. Confused, he quickly stepped away and looked down to see his footprints in the mound. He looked up again and it was still flat and blank with no carved letters or words.

  Blinks arrived and nearly knocked him over as he skidded in the red dirt to a stop. He looked at Luvin, his feet, then at the prints on the mound. He was about to say something but held it inside when he heard a rumbling and saw some loose dust falling off the stone above the mound. He grabbed Luvin by the collar and pulled him away towards the cave they had come from. As they backed away he looked to see Marassa walking rapidly in the opposite direction. By the time they reached the cave mouth Gallif and Jakobus had joined them. The rumbling was very loud, and chunks of loose stone were dropping from the walls and ceiling.

  “What happened?” Gallif shouted. “Did someone touch a mound or slab?” Instinctively Blinks looked at Luvin and Gallif knew who was responsible. Gallif looked at him in disgust and then asked “Where’s Marassa?”

  “She’s on the other side,” Blinks said and pointed.

  “Where’s Acrufix?” Luvin asked and Gallif glared at him.

  They all turned in shock as the stone slabs on the mounds started moving. The vibrations were shifting the mounds and the slabs were slowly sliding off.

  Gallif looked for Marassa and could just barely make her out at the collapsed entrance on the opposite side. She could see that Marassa was talking and hoped she was casting some protection on herself.

  First a large chunk on the left-hand slab cracked loose and fell to the ground. Then a few smaller pieces came from the slab on the right. Finally, simultaneously, the slabs shattered as the bone golem creatures burst from underneath. There were two of them and they were dragons. Not only were they moving but each reared its head back and let out an angry guttural howl.

  “We have to get her out,” Gallif said as she drew her frost sword as well. Comfortable and
confident she moved forward waving the swords in eccentric circles. One of the dragons looked at her and took a few steps in her direction. Jakobus and Blinks were right behind her when the tail came swinging in her direction. She jumped back and the tail missed her by only an arm’s length. She struck precisely with both swords and cracked the bones. As the dragon withdrew Jakobus made another strike with his dual cast axe and removed the tip of the tail.

  Luvin watched Gallif leading Jakobus and Blinks in to combat. His eyes darted back and forth from where she was going and where he believed Acrufix to be. He jumped up and hoped to see some sign of the armor covered man but got no response. He saw Gallif had help; he also knew she was a good fighter, so he started running to where his hero had gone.

  He dodged a few larger chunks of red rock and leaped over some of the smaller ones. He felt his heart sink as he came around a boulder sized piece and almost collided with a larger piece that been lodged at an angle with one side against the cavern wall. It was large enough he could believe a dozen men could easily have been crushed underneath it. He dived down and gazed down a gap between the smooth surface of the corner of the slab and the jaded cavern wall. He couldn’t see it clearly as there was something jammed in the way. It was large enough it could be what was left of a person who had partially been crushed. He swore loudly and started crawling as fast as he could. In only a few seconds he was at the obstruction and reached out to grab it in desperation. He was relieved to find his hand connecting with a few curbed stones that had been piled together. He quickly dismantled the pile and crawled through to the other side.