by Eric Vall
“Thank you for making me your minion,” she whispered as she bowed her head slightly. “And thank you for making me your lover. I am honored to be chosen by one such as you. Your power is matched by your kindness to us, and my body and soul are yours for eternity.”
“Your words please me, Morrigan,” I said as I reached out and cupped her chin. Then I lifted her lips to mine and kissed her deeply. Her mouth tasted like wine, and she sighed with pleasure when our mouths parted.
“I will do everything in my mortal ability to please you, Master,” she whispered as she met my eyes.
“I know you will. Now come, let us see what treasures this place has for us.”
This particular dungeon wasn’t as vast as the other two that we had conquered so it didn’t take quite as long to find all there was to find. Before long, we reconvened in the forest cavern. There were ten chests of loot altogether, so we set about sifting through the spoils of war. One after another, we inspected the pieces within the boxes in search of anything that resembled a sacred object, an augmentation stone or any other magical object. We scooped out handfuls of gold coins, crowns encrusted with gems, and other trinkets.
“This is pretty,” Carmedy’s eyes widened as she pulled a mirror from the chest in front of her. The surface of it was polished silver while the frame and handle were crafted from fine gold and twisted to form a braided pattern. Suddenly, the feline gasped as she looked into the mirror.
“Are those wrinkles around my eyes?” Carmedy said as she tugged at the skin around her green eyes. “All this adventuring is making me look old!”
“Nonsense,” I said as I reached out to scratch behind her ears, and the black-haired cat let out a purr of pleasure. “You look wonderful, you don’t have a single wrinkle. The mirror is lovely though. Why don’t you keep it?”
“Okay,” Carmedy said happily. “I think I will. It’s not a magical thingy, but I still really like it.”
“Rana, I think I’ve found something,” Annalíse said suddenly.
The fox woman quickly turned her head to look at what the swordswoman held in her hand. In the princess’s palm was what appeared to be a small jewel brooch, cut to resemble the shape of a beetle. Its arms and legs were crafted of flawless gold, and its wings were made of sapphires.
“This is one of the sacred objects correct?” Annalíse asked as she held the item out to Rana.
Rana slowly took the brooch from Annalíse’s hand and held it up to the light. As she did so, the beetle’s jewel faces sparkled with radiance. The fox woman turned the item in her paw and squinted her eyes as she inspected it.
“Yep, this is it,” the fox said finally, an elated expression on her face. “Thanks, Annalíse.”
Carmedy cheered at the news, I smiled solemnly, and even Morrigan put a warm hand on Rana’s shoulder.
“My pleasure,” the human woman said with a smile and nod before she continued to look through her treasure chest. “Let’s see if we can find anything else of interest.”
The five of us quietly sifted through the trinkets in the wooden chests. The only sounds was the sound of metal and jewels clanking against each other as we sorted it all.
“I believe that I have found something else of interest,” Morrigan said after several minutes of work.
“Is it another sacred object?” Rana leaned toward the elf to see what she had found.
“Is it another augmentation stone?” Annalíse asked, and she too leaned toward Morrigan. “Or a ring like the one Rana found earlier?”
“It is none of those things,” Morrigan said.
Her dark eyes were filled with wonder as she removed something from her chest. The white-haired woman drew out a longbow and held it up for us to see. The bow was crafted from gleaming gold and along the curve of it, the metal carved to resemble flowers and leaves with breathtaking skill. The way the flower petals curled, and the veins in the leaves seemed so lifelike. At the center of the bow’s grip was a circular diamond, the edges of which were lined with more gold. Even the string that stretched from either end of the weapon appeared to have been spun from pure gold.
“My goodness,” Annalíse breathed in awe. “That is quite a beautiful weapon, if highly impractical. Could a bow made of pure gold even shoot?”
“If it’s got magic, it can,” Rana chimed in. “That right there is a work of art.”
“It is indeed both magical and a work of art,” the pale elf said as her eyes roamed across the bow’s features. “And you are correct, there is nothing else like it in this world. This bow is truly one of a kind, and there is none finer in creation.”
“You sound as though you’re familiar with this weapon,” I said to the elf. I could already tell it was of elven make, but Morrigan no doubt knew more.
“Yes, I am,” the tattooed woman said to me. “You all may recall the tale that I relayed when we discovered Carmedy’s slingshot?”
“Of course,” I said as the others nodded. Even Carmedy, scatterbrained as she was from time to time, nodded eagerly. “That weapon was stolen from the high elves during the third great war between them and the lower elves of Alavesh. Do you mean then that this bow--”
Morrigan nodded. “Indeed, Master. This bow is among the prized weapons the Alavesh stole from my people.”
“Most excellent,” I said with a slow nod. “That makes two that you’ve recovered.”
“Yes,” Morrigan replied and a small smile came to her lips. “It would bring me much happiness to discover the locations of the other weapons that were taken and utilize them in our quest.”
“That would be pretty awesome,” Rana agreed. “Having a bunch of magical elvish weaponry at our disposal. We’d be unstoppable!”
“So, I’m curious,” Carmedy said as she tilted her head to one side, “what makes the bow magical? Is it like my slingshot and it always hits its mark?”
“No, every one of these weapons bears a different enchantment,” Morrigan said as she stood to her feet.
“So, what does this one do then?” Annalíse furrowed her brow.
“Allow me to demonstrate,” the mage marked woman said as she stood and turned away from us. She pulled back on the golden string, and to the gasps of awe from my other minions, a crackling black arrow of magical power sprang to life, loaded on the string. The pale elf aimed the arrow toward one of the trees at the edge of the forest and held the string taut.
“Now, observe what happens when I hit my target,” Morrigan said calmly and with that, she let the mystical arrow fly. The projectile whizzed through the air and stuck into the trunk of the tree with a surprisingly light thunk.
“Nice shot, elfy,” Rana said, “but nothing--”
The fox woman was struck silent when suddenly, the wood in which Morrigan’s arrow had stuck began to swirl as the black arrow began to seethe with power. As the wood of the tree started to curl around and around, the spiral started to turn black and became a gaping hole. The grass surrounding the tree started to bend toward the hole as if caught up in a fearsome wind, and a few tufts of grass flew into it and vanished. The branches shook, and the wood groaned as the black hole started to grow, and the tree cracked and broke as it was violently sucked into the void of the swirling abyss. Within seconds, the tree had disappeared into the hole and the hole along with it.
Morrigan turned to look at us with a self-satisfied expression and observed the astonished looks on the others’ faces.
“What… did… you… just… do?” Rana slowly pronounced each word as her mouth hung open. “What happened to that tree?”
Carmedy hurriedly stood to her feet and walked over to where the tree had just been. “I can’t believe it’s gone,” the feline said as she looked around the woods. “Did you move it or something? Or make it invisible?”
“I did neither,” the tattooed woman said with a note of pride. “When an object or victim is shot by the enchanted arrows of this bow, the tip of the arrow tears a hole in the universe which then drags t
he object or victim inside of it.”
“By the gods,” Annalíse said with a look of shock. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. So where is the tree now?”
“The tree is now floating in a realm shrouded in darkness that exists between space and time,” I cut in to provide. “Once something or someone has been sent into it, there is no easy escape, assuming they even survive the process of transferral.”
“That’s amazing,” Rana said with wide blue eyes, “We can’t lose now! You just shoot everybody with those magical black arrow hole things, and bam! We’re done!”
“It is not so simple,” Morrigan said calmly as she admired the bow again. “Each magical shot uses tremendous magical power, and it takes some time for that power to recharge. How long depends on the size of the target. It could take a half an hour to days, depending.” She shrugged. “Even so, it can fire normal arrows as any finely made bow could.”
“Even so, that’s incredible,” Annalíse said as she looked at the elvish weapon.
“It certainly is.” I nodded. “Such a weapon will be very useful in battle. That being said, do you wish to keep and wield this bow, Morrigan?”
“I believe that it is well suited for me,” Morrigan said with a spark of interest, a rarity for the normally blank-faced elf.
“I agree,” Annalíse said enthusiastically as the others nodded. “You definitely deserve one of your people’s weapons to wield, and you proved you were an excellent archer back in the lava god’s dungeon. Besides, you need a weapon in case we face a foe your dark magic doesn’t work on.”
I nodded to the princess. Her observations were astute, and I was proud to see her tactical mind mature like this. “Then it’s yours, Morrigan.”
“Thank you, Master,” she said as she held the weapon to her chest and smiled gratefully at me.
The five of us continued to look through the treasure, but no one managed to find anything else noteworthy. Still, we had made some very impressive discoveries today. With everything sorted, we started to pack up the other valuables to store in my void pocket, but I had only just started to scoop some coins back into one of the treasure chests when I abruptly froze. I sat quietly with the coins in my hands and a frown came to my lips.
“What’s wrong, Master?” Carmedy asked, and the other three women turned toward me.
“Someone just entered into my dungeon,” I said darkly.
Chapter 15
“What do you mean someone just entered your dungeon?” Rana said with a puzzled expression.
“My dungeon back on the continent where you four first met me,” I said to the fox woman as I let the treasure in my hands slide from my fingers and spill onto the grass. “A group of people just went inside of it.”
“How? I mean, why would anyone go in there?” Annalíse asked me. “We already took the loot that you had stashed away there, there’s nothing there for them to find.”
“Yes, but they may not know that,” I said to the swordswoman. “Most likely they want to conquer the dungeon and don’t realize that there are no spoils there for them to claim. The more important problem is that my dungeon still contains my nexus, the cradle of my consciousness. If they were to find it somehow, however difficult that may be, they might be able to to work any number of dark magics over my essence.”
“That’s horrible!” Carmedy cried out. “But it’s so far away! What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to transport my consciousness back to my dungeon to see exactly what they’re up to,” I replied. “They could just be treasure hunters or they could be something more nefarious, but I cannot let my realm or nexus remain undefended.”
“Is there any manner in which we can aid you?” Morrigan asked me, a hint of concern cracking her cold veneer.
“Just keep watch over my physical body while I transport my consciousness back to my dungeon,” I said calmly. “You should all be safe here, with Cethin gone, and this dungeon conquered.”
“Understood,” the elf replied, and the others nodded to indicate their comprehension.
With that settled, I shifted my position to sit cross-legged in the grass and placed a hand on each of my knees. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and focused my energy on the process of returning my soul to my nexus. My mind and presence lifted from my human body and teleported back to my dungeon several continents away within seconds.
As my essence returned into my nexus, the familiar sensations of the dungeon that had held me prisoner for so long came flooding back to me. The wind whistled through the tunnels and brought the scent of the damp moss that clung to the walls, mushrooms, and stale water to my nose. How I had grown to despise these scents, for they had been my only companions for centuries.
None of that mattered, however. I had unwelcome visitors that I had to attend to. Through my nexus, the center of my dungeon, I allowed my essence to flood the tunnels and hallways. They once more became my flesh and bones, body and blood, and within them, I sensed the location of these interlopers. Rising my presence up from the nexus, I floated through the pitch black passageways unerringly to find them.
There appeared to be three of them. I caught the scent of them first, the foul aroma of rotgut whiskey and cheap tobacco that barely masked the pungent odor that reeked from their unwashed bodies. Their heavy, booted feet echoed as their feet stepped across the rocky floor, and before long, I could hear their voices, men’s voices. That was to be expected since my minions had already explained to me that women were looked down upon as adventurers.
As I approached their position, the dancing light of their torches cast shuddering shadows along the craggy stone walls. I rounded the last damp corner and hovered near the roof of the tunnel to observe quietly my unwelcome guests.
The group marched single file, led by a tall man who appeared to be human with a long black beard that reached down to the middle of his broad chest. His narrow eyes were as dark as obsidian as they scanned the tunnel. His muscles bulged beneath the tunic that he wore, and his bare forearms were covered in thick black hair. His long hair was as long as his beard, but was pulled back into a low ponytail. The bearded man held his torch high and wary while a longsword was sheathed at his hip. Though most would have walked in fear here, he walked straight, tall, and with purpose.
The next intruder was an elf by his pointed ears and sharp, lean features, but his flowing chestnut hair told me he was a common elf, unlike Morrigan. The elf was as tall as the bearded human, filled out with lean muscle. The elf wore a long brown cloak, a long-sleeved white shirt, black pants, and brown leather boots. Slung across his back was a quiver of arrows, and he gripped a finely crafted longbow, a single arrow nocked and ready to shoot. The smirk that he wore made my blood boil, but I held my anger to see what they were up to.
The last man appeared to be human like the first, but there was something not quite right about him. He was a bald man, the shortest of the three, and had a shifty-eyed glance as the group sallied forward. The man wore finely polished silver armor, a black cloak, and a gold talisman with a round red ruby fixed at its center hung around his neck. That caught my eye. I had seen a talisman like that before, but where?
“Are you certain that we are going the right way, Brín?” the elf said to the man that led the group with an annoyed expression. His voice was light and airy, almost lyrical. “I feel as though we are going in circles.”
“Aye, for the last time, we’re going in the right direction,” the bearded man called Brín scowled as they trudged forward.
“I did not intend to offend you,” the elf said with a twisted smile that told me that he had indeed intended to offend Brín. “I only asked because I am fairly certain that we have come down this passageway once or twice before. This tunnel seems quite familiar to me.”
“Of course they’d look familiar to you, Quinlan,” Brin said with clear irritation dripping from his deep voice. “All of the tunnels are dark. Naturally, they’d all look the same.”
“If that is the case, then how do you know for certain that we are headed toward the nexus?” Quinlan raised an eyebrow.
My anger rose at that. They could only be seeking the nexus for foul purposes.
“I have my ways,” Brín said to the elf over his shoulder. “We’re headed in the right direction, trust me.”
The slender man sighed and shrugged his shoulders but offered no retort. I wasn’t sure how Brín was managing to do so, but he was indeed leading the group of men in the exact direction of my nexus.
“Silent and stoic as usual, eh, Aedan?” the elf turned to speak to the bald man behind him.
“You two can argue amongst yourselves if you wish,” the shorter man replied with a disinterested expression. “Your quarrels are no concern of mine. I’m here to do a job and earn my pay.”
“How very dull!” Quinlan waved his hand as they walked onward. “It is always strictly business with you.”
“That’s the only way to do things,” Aedan said gruffly. “I’m not here for conversation. To tell you the truth, I’ve grown tired of working with you two. I only continue to do so because our master orders us to.”
“I’m with you on that one,” Brín grunted as he led the men around a damp moss-coated corner. “I hate to say it, but despite our… differences, we work rather well together when the need arises.”
“That is true,” Quinlan said with a weary sigh. “You two bore me constantly, but I must admit you are fairly skilled, if only just barely enough to keep up with me.”
I mentally chuckled at the elf’s words. He may not have been a high elf, but he certainly had the brazenness of one. Elves, in general, thought highly of themselves.
“So, tell me, are you too afraid to face the being that resides within these walls?” Quinlan gestured to the rocky surfaces that surrounded them.
“You mean the deity?” Brín snorted. “Not in the least. We’ve conquered other deities before, this one will be no different. Just because he’s a god doesn’t mean that he’s invincible, you know.”