He grabbed a candle off the altar and started down the dark stone stairway. "Follow, please."
At the bottom of the long winding stairwell, U'ka felt coldness in the stale air. The Magus lit the wall sconces in the cave-like room chiseled out from solid bedrock. The dim light showed many runes carved into the walls.
"Do you know what these are? They don't look like any of the ancient symbols I learned at the Citadel," said U'ka.
"No, I've studied them over the years, but I've never been able to decipher any of it. There's nothing in the ancient teachings of the gods referencing these runes," he said. "I first came down here when I was a young boy. Everything was covered in a layer of dust several inches thick. I don't think anyone'd been down here for generations before I found it. There's a series of catacombs which have even more of these strange runes. I've explored it a bit, but never go too far. I always feared getting lost and never finding my way out."
"I wonder what this place was for?" she mused. U’ka walked along the walls, scanning the symbols for anything familiar. She ran her fingers inside the carved lines of the runes to feel for any latent magic which might still be in them. Some runes were made of simple straight lines, others curved around on themselves, while some were angled around in different directions — none of it anything like the ancient texts of the first people who came to Eleanthra. If the grand library at the Citadel still stood, she might have been able to find something out about these ancient runes. Now it was just a vast rubble pile, several millennia of knowledge lost for all time.
She turned to Teek, knowing his people were as old as the land itself. "Does any of this look familiar to you?"
Tall enough to need to duck down inside the room, Teek shook his head. Even he looked a little spooked at being down here.
"I hid down here when the Daemons were on the march. It's the only reason I survived. After the Daemons left, I went back up top. I found survivors on the battlefield and brought them here to care for them. Later the Green Folk brought refugees from a seaside village to the outpost, thinking it might be safe here. We hid in the catacombs when the fighting got too close. When the war ended, they left their wounded behind, saying they could not care for them and went back to their village. I've sent the Green Jylls there numerous times, pleading with them to take their injured, but they always refuse. They say they don't have the resources to care for them. You've seen how little I have here, but I've managed to care for these poor souls."
Feeling his bitterness, she turned to Teek. "I think I know where our next stop is going to be. Where is this place?"
"It's directly west of here. The village of Forlorn sits on a hillside going all the way down to the ocean. You may find it difficult. They don't allow any outsiders in. People were left with nothing after the war and are still wary of strangers who might take what little they have."
"We'll find a way. I can be very persuasive when I want to be."
"No doubt," he said with a small smile.
"Is there anything else you need? I want to get on the road before it gets too late."
"No. No. You've done so much for us already. I think we can manage it from here. I appreciate the medicines you made. They are invaluable."
"Of course. It's the least I could do for you and those poor men and women out there. Please remember to keep our secret."
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he said.
They made their way back to the room where the shrouded body still lay. U'ka looked at him sadly one last time.
"Even though he was Daemon held, he still deserves proper burial rites, don't you think?" said U'ka
"Yes. His people prefer a funeral pyre. They believe a cleansing fire is important before entering into the Eternal Lands. I will take care of it. Oh, I almost forgot to give you this," he said, pulling a small wood medallion carved with the Watchful Eye out of his pocket. "To help you sleep peacefully at night, you deserve it."
"Thank you, Magus."
"Safe journeys to you," he said, bowing his head.
U’ka touched his shoulder in gratitude before following Teek out. He'd dutifully gotten Bud and Daisy ready to go while she attended to the injured. U'ka gave them one last look. They deserved to go home to their village. She was determined to make it happen. As she rode through the outpost the blacksmith approached her.
"I'm sorry about my apprentice. I wanted to give 'em a chance at an honest life. Never thought he'd pull anythin' like that."
"It's not your fault. We live in desperate times."
"You’re right, unfortunately. I learned that the hard way. Hope the rest of yer journey is trouble free," he said before returning to his hut.
At the wood merchants booth, Green Jacks stacked up long strips of iron oak beams. U'ka thought they were going to head back to the switchback trail, but Teek led them to the edge of the forest. At his request, the trees and bushes parted, making an easy path for them to follow. She nudged Bud forward through the now open pathway with Daisy following closely behind. When they got further in, she looked back to see the forest closed up behind them; the outpost now entirely out of view. There was no going back.
5
The Burning Rain
They rode for several hours before Teek stopped at the top of a hill, signaling U'ka to dismount. She approached the edge of the hill, hearing the sound of heavy rainfall. In the valley below, nothing remained except water flooding there from a Daemon driven curse of never-ending rain. The entire village of Mossgar was burned away by the acidic water.
A sour, caustic smell filled the air. At the edge of the barren hillside, a solid wall of rain fell. Careful not to step on the muddy ground, she looked around for a long stick and stuck it into the downpour. It immediately sizzled and bubbled, indicating the spell was still active. The Burning Rain, a Daemon curse which melted everything it touched. U’ka let go of the stick and stood back.
"I think I can break the spell, but I don't know how much good it's going to do."
U'ka pushed her magic at the border, testing the strength the spell contained; it was still very robust and solid. She walked along the perimeter to seek out any weak areas. A skeleton lay at the border; its bottom half melted away. How many of the villagers suffered this gruesome death of feeling their flesh burn away?
A large boulder, half-melted away by the rain, sat at the edge of the rainfall. The acrid smell of the stone permeated the air. A Daemon rune was carved into the intact side. This was the anchor point for the curse. With half the rock gone, it created a weak spot in the boundary area, just what she needed. She retrieved a small ax from their supplies and began to chip away at the rune. If she could break away a piece, it would disrupt the curse, even more, making it easier to bring down. A small piece finally chipped away. The curse sputtered, no longer completely intact.
U'ka drew a glowing Spell Breaker symbol in the air and pushed her magic into it. Nothing happened at first. She feared her spell failed; then a low rumble echoed through the valley. With a thunderous clap, the dark clouds parted and the sheet of rain slowly dissipated. She felt less strained this time. It was getting easier to pull more magic and not get fatigued. Finally, she was regaining some of her former strength.
The Green Ways opened behind her. She knew Ivy, the Green Lady, would be standing there. U'ka signed, dreading confronting her again. She gathered her will, balled her fists and turned to face Ivy.
"The land is contaminated with the Burning Rain. Your people can't enter the valley yet or you’ll be melted away too."
"We need to do our work. It is your task to fix this, remember?" the Green Lady said, pointing a long, viney finger at her.
"I am firmly aware of my responsibilities. The
Burning Rain is Daemon magic. They didn't teach me what elements make up the water in my alchemy classes. I can't neutralize it if I don't know what's in it."
"Figure it out," said the Green Lady, crossing her arms and giving U'ka a stern look.
&n
bsp; She let out a frustrated growl before turning
away. She ran through all the potions and spells she knew, but none of them dealt with anything that melted stone away to nothing. She thought of her alchemy lessons, which consisted of chrysopoeia, transmutation and even philosophical ideas like gnosis, none of which helped in this situation. U'ka continued racking her brain for any apothecary medicines which might be relevant. The only thing that came to mind was powder made from Trona used to cure stomach burning caused by certain sour fruits.
U'ka turned back to the Green Lady. "I don't
know if this will work, but you need to send one of your Green Jacks to the Sordum mines to bring back as big a chuck of the chalky rock as possible."
Ivy nodded to one of the Green Jacks who
disappeared into the Green Ways. He returned a few moments later with a large lump of the flakey white rock, setting it down before her. With the ax, U’ka chipped a smaller piece away. Teek brought her a wooden bowl that she placed the flakey rock in and used a stone to grind it down to a fine powder.
"Here goes nothing," she said, grabbing a
handful and throwing it on the wet ground. Immediately it bubbled. She continued to toss handfuls of power in the same area until the bubbling stopped. U’ka grabbed another stick and poked it to the powdery mess. This time it did not smoke or sizzle. She jabbed the ground around a few more times before discarding the stick and pulled off her glove for the final test. She Tentatively touched the tip of her index finger into the powdery ground.
U’ka pulled her unburnt finger away. "Huh. It
worked." U'ka looked up at Ivy, showing her finger. "The Green Folk will need to bring a lot of Trona here to neutralize all the Burning Water. Then you can begin your work."
"And you will continue your work. There is still
much to do. You did well here. We may yet heal the land of all the Daemon filth magic," she said with a slight nod of her head. Several large, bushy Green Jacks held up their arms in front of them. The tall grass shimmered before they disappeared into the Green Ways to retrieve the Trona.
It was the closest thing to a thank you as she
would receive from the Green Lady. U’ka bowed her head in return then poured the leftover powder into a glass jar and stuffed it into the saddlebag.
It took them several hours to get around the
ruined land. Teek started to limp.
"You didn't step in the Burning Water, did you?"
said U'ka.
He shook his head.
She dismounted to go to him. "Let me take a
look at your leg."
He held it out for her to examine, but she saw no
signs of burns anywhere, but there were small pinpoint holes near his thick foot.
"Separate your bark for me," instructed U'ka. The bark parted to reveal small yellowish
bugs crawling around on his inner wood.
"Teek! You've got Iron Oak termites. Why didn't you tell me?"
He let out a low grumble and looked away.
She retrieved a jar and wood spatula from
Daisy's saddlebag. "I know you get embarrassed about these things, but I made medicine for this. You should not have let the infestation get this far."
U'ka spread the salve around his lower leg until
the termites shuddered and fell away.
"Leave your bark separated for a while to let all
the termites fall out and tell me the next time this happens," she said, swatting his leg.
They continued on for several more hours
before entering into a more heavily wooded area. U’ka knew they wouldn’t make the coast before dark. They came to a small side loop trail that curved around and joined up again with the main trail. Out of curiosity, she rode towards the side trail and was halfway down the main trail before realizing she missed the turn. Heading for the other end of the side loop trail, she missed the turn yet again. Puzzled, she turned back and again rode halfway down the main trail before she realized it.
She slapped her forehead in disgust. "Damn it! I
can't believe a stupid Turn Away spell got me three times. I am too out of practice with base magics.” Mad at herself, she headed back to the side loop trail, fighting the urge to turn away again. At a small clearing, where the magic was most potent, she drew a glowing Spell Breaker symbol in the air. She felt a soft pop as the spell faded away. The strong urge to turn away no longer pressed on her. There was nothing in the clearing.
There must be something the spell is hiding, but
what? She raised her hand to draw another Spell Breaker symbol. This time a loud crackle sounded and the smell of ozone filled her nose. The air shimmered as the See Me Not camouflage spell shattered and fell away. A large object slowly came into view. U'ka couldn't believe her eyes.
Teek came running up behind her. Feeling the
change in air pressure, he knew a potent spell was broken.
"Look at it, Teek. A Healers' caravan. Isn't it
glorious?!" She could hardly contain her excitement as she climbed up the stairs and opened the half-door of the wooden bow top wagon. The skylight let in just enough light for her to see the rows of drawers lining the inside, all labeled with the various medicines they contained. U’ka opened the jars and breathed in their different spicy scents. Everything smelled freshly made. The preservation symbols burned onto each drawer kept the potency of the medicines intact. She ran her fingers along the smooth drawers, making her way to the front, where another surprise sat behind the driver's bench — an Infinity Chest, able to hold an unlimited amount of things. There was no telling what it might contain.
Teek let out a soft grunt in agreement while he
looked over the caravan, carefully examining the wooden wheel spokes for any damage.
"We're camping here tonight. I'm not letting this
thing out of my sight."
U'ka hadn't been this excited about anything in a
long time. She assumed the Healers Guild caravans were all destroyed during the war.
"I almost forgot. Let me look at your foot," she
said, kneeling next Teek. Tapping his foot a few times, she put her ear down to listen. "I don't hear anything, so I think the termites are all gone. Does it feel better now?"
Teek nodded and they settled in for the night.
U'ka did a quick field dressing of a grouse she'd
shot earlier and soon had a bright pink breast, which she skewered and set over the fire. Bud and Daisy were happily munching on some wild carrots Teek gathered for them. She thought about this fortunate turn of events while the meat cooked. It did her heart good to see such things survived the war. This was a tremendous advantage for them and she intended to make good use of it. She took the browned grouse breast off the fire to let it cool a bit. It wasn't her favorite game bird, but it beat rabbit or rat or pigeon.
U'ka gave the extra bits of the bird to Teek. He
crunched away on the delicate bones and internal organs while she ate her meal. With her belly full, she watched the firelight dance along the dark wood surface of the caravan.
"I wonder who it belongs to? Whoever set those
spells was a strong magic user. It's not easy to layer them like that. Do you detect anyone nearby, maybe in hiding?"
Teek shook his head, slurping down the last of
the grouse bits.
"This is a lucky break for us. No village is going
to turn away a Healers' caravan, and it's a perfect cover for us. We can move around to different areas without arousing the suspicion of any Daemon Lords."
U’ka settled back against a tree, listening to the
various sounds of the night animals. She closed her eyes and hummed a bit, trying to join in on the symphony of their night songs. At the edge of the camp, Teek stood guard, silently communicating with the trees and plants around them. Nothing happened out in the dark depths of the forest without him knowing about
it.
U'ka retrieved her bedroll and pulled the
Watchful Eye amulet from the saddlebag. Inside the caravan, she laid everything out then hung the amulet above her head, hoping it worked as well as her night in the Sanctum. Restful, dreamless sleep free from the memories of the war was one thing she desperately needed.
* * * * * *
A loud thump on the side of the caravan woke
her. She opened her eyes to daylight streaming through the opening of the caravan. Teek let out a high pitched squeal letting her know the morning meal was ready.
U’ka reached up to touch the Watchful Eye
amulet, rubbing her thumb over its smooth surface, giving a silent thanks to Samean for the blissful night's sleep granted to her. She got up to do a quick inventory of the medicine drawers, checking what instruments the caravan carried and made a mental list of the plants she still needed Teek to gather to complete the inventory of medicines. All in all, she was pleased with what the caravan carried. They were lucky to find it so complete.
U'ka sat near the glowing embers of the fire,
eating the fruits and nuts Teek gathered for her and sipped warm tea. She looked over at the caravan, then over at Bud, dreading what came next. She placed their supplies into the Infinity Chest, curious about what other items might be inside, but there was no time to explore. They needed to get on the road.
She gently stroked the horse's nose. "Bud, I
need you to help us out by pulling the caravan."
The great warhorse shook his head, taking
several steps back.
"Please, it's much too heavy for Daisy. We need
The Blood Witch Chronicles Page 5