The Hall of Doors

by Phillip Locey

  Rhazine continued smiling and waved upon hearing her name. She was thin, with straight, dark hair and a complexion slightly lighter than Saffron’s.

  “How did she get here?” asked Phaerim.

  “Apparently, after leaving the oasis, instead of heading for her intended new village, she cut north and came upon our tracks,” Saffron answered. “She simply followed until she caught up.”

  Be’naj wore a frown to oppose Rhazine’s countenance. “What about the sandstorm?”

  Saffron translated and Rhazine expounded.

  “She was sheltered when it blew in, and found our animals afterward at a watering hole. Sheen survived after all!” Saffron’s excitement at the news failed to inspire her fellows. “She was worried she might have lost our trail, but kept on the same course and eventually picked it up again.”

  “Anything useful in that pack?” Phaerim butted in.

  Saffron gestured to her backpack as she asked Rhazine a series of questions. Those ended with the girl nodding and unburdening her load. She withdrew a brown sack, full of biscuits, which Saffron sampled and passed around.

  Thaelios’s mouth watered as soon as he could smell the morsels, bland as he knew they were. Everyone took a break from talking while they stuffed their mouths, and soon Saffron was passing around Rhazine’s full waterskin as well.

  When he had swallowed his portion, Thaelios’s inquisitiveness caught up with him. “How did she get down here safely? Is the beast no longer menacing the corridors?”

  Saffron used her tongue to clear out some stuck biscuit from her teeth, then asked Rhazine his question. “She has no idea what I’m talking about. She found the abandoned halls to be a little unnerving, but assumed we were down here somewhere. She didn’t encounter any beast.”

  “So what do we do now?” Dyphina asked. “The snack was nice, but Rhazine doesn’t have enough food to keep us fed for long. Are we going to keep looking around down here in the dark until something else attacks us, or cut our losses and get the sleeping skunk out of here?”

  Be’naj exhaled loudly in disbelief. “What about our quest to save the Eladrin? Cauzel believed in it, too.” She looked from Dyphina to Saffron, hoping for support.

  “I don’t think we should abandon it, by any means,” Saffron responded. “But it’s clearly going to be difficult for Phaerim to continue. Thaelios and I are injured as well, and we have no weapons to defend ourselves.”

  Be’naj looked surprised, as if Saffron had just assaulted her.

  “Perhaps Rhazine can lead us back to Sheen and the camels,” she continued, “and we can find an outpost to regroup. Once we’ve healed and gotten more provisions, we can always return …”

  “What if we can’t?” Be’naj snapped. “What if the door seals again and we have no way to disable the Dampening Stone a second time. Cauzel warned the cancellation spell wouldn’t be permanent.”

  “Maybe we should vote on it,” Dyphina offered. “What do you think, Thaelios?”

  All eyes turned to him, and Thaelios stroked his chin as he considered the arguments. He certainly wished to explore Tarmuth further and uncover the ancient lore Trigilas had undoubtedly left behind, and there was no guarantee they could enter the Hall of Doors again. Was he willing to die for that knowledge? Saffron was right: they were lucky to have escaped that menace the first time without weapons, but they were also taken by surprise. If he’d only held onto Cauzel’s book, he might find a spell that could destroy it …

  “I vote we stay.”

  Dyphina and Saffron sighed and started to complain.

  “At least until we finish exploring this level,” he added. “Saffron and I found what I believe might be a magical gate. If I’m able to find a way to activate it, it could be the quickest way to safety.”

  “Or the quickest way to eternal doom. How do we know where it might lead?” Dyphina asked.

  “Well, there was a wheel that I think might determine the destination—”

  “I vote we leave as well,” Phaerim interrupted, his voice calm but firm. “My leg actually feels like it’s getting worse.”

  Dyphina knelt beside him to assess. “You’ve got a fever,” she said, placing the back of her hand on his sweat-beaded forehead.

  “What about Rhazine?” Be’naj asked. “What does she think we should do?”

  “She does not get a vote,” Dyphina snapped. That seemed to be the cue for everyone to start arguing all at once.

  “Enough! Enough!” Saffron finally yelled, bringing the room to silence. “We’ve got two sources of light now. Thaelios and I will continue exploring this level, and if we don’t find anything useful for getting us out of here, we’ll all exit the front door together and do what we can to come back when we’re better prepared. Agreed?” She gazed from face to face, and everyone reluctantly nodded save Rhazine, who had no idea what she’d said.

  Saffron instructed the young woman to remain with the others, then she and Thaelios headed for the smashed section of wall, once he’d recast Radiance. Saffron stepped over large chunks of rubble while he navigated around them. They entered a vast hall with two rows of sculpted support columns flanking a long, elliptical dais in the center of the room. So large was the chamber, their meager light did not reach the other walls or ceiling.

  Without words, they walked toward the dais, taking in the enormity of the space. Dark and silent, the air hung heavily in the hall. Thaelios had the impression of intruding upon a history he could not fully fathom. He noticed Saffron’s boots left footprints in a layer of dust as they drew near a pedestal, erected in the center of the dais.

  “What do you think it is?” she asked as they reached the gilded, rectangular display.

  Part of a fractured stone tablet lay upon the flat surface, and though curious, Thaelios felt palpable revulsion to the object, understanding innately that it should not be touched. “Those runes are written in Infernal,” he said, tracking down the dozen words forming a list on the tablet. Each one was cut off at the fracture line to remain incomplete.

  “You read Infernal?” Saffron asked.

  Thaelios shrugged. “I went through a phase in my adolescence where I thought the Underworld was exciting. Thankfully, I grew out of it.”

  “So what does it say? I think I am starting to feel ill.” She turned away and took a step back from the pedestal, bending slightly at her waist.

  “They are names, I think. Truenames, if I had to guess. I’m not going to read them.” Thaelios retreated as well. “Look, there are gaps in the walls to either side. Perhaps we should try a new room.” He headed right and Saffron followed, clutching her stomach but not yet retching.

  When he reached the gap in the smooth, stone wall, he bumped into an invisible barrier. He reached out and tested the blockage with his palm. It was as if the air itself was solid. “Force walls,” he mumbled to himself. He looked over his shoulder at Saffron, who was walking fully upright again. “This is advanced magic. I surmise there’s a password to get through.”

  “Do you know it?” she asked.

  Thaelios sighed, turning back to the barrier. “Of course not.”

  “Then I guess we should try the other one, no?” Without waiting, Saffron turned on her heel and traversed the width of the spacious hall, her light merely a dim halo staving off centuries of undisturbed darkness. Up the steps of the dais, then across and down again, giving the pedestal a wide berth, she finally reached the gap in the opposite wall. There, she waited for Thaelios to catch up.

  This time he reached out, anticipating another wall of force, though the gap was vacant. Tentatively, with his arm still extended, he stepped forward into the room. Similar to the one they’d been exploring when Rhazine arrived, it was square, with a patch of black void further darkening the wall to his left. Hanging on the wall across from it was another wheel, partitioned, with each section bearing writing. In the middle of the space was a pedestal that supported a metal basin.

  Thaelios lowered his arm
and waited for Saffron to advance with the light before peering into the basin. Also etched with a five-pointed star, this one bore dark stains that he guessed could have originated from blood. His stomach started churning as he hesitantly approached the wheel to read its script.

  “Gahanna, The Abyss, The Nine Hells, The Grey Wastes…”

  “Those don’t sound very appealing,” Saffron responded.

  “No, they do not,” he agreed.

  “You said earlier you thought these might be the planar gates. Any idea how me might use them?”

  Thaelios shrugged. “It’s logical enough that the wheels are used to choose the desired destination, but whether they even work in both directions is a mystery to me. My studies are nowhere near advanced enough to have reached theories of extra-planar travel.”

  Saffron nodded, considering the black square mounted on the far wall.

  Thaelios stepped in behind her. “I have the unfortunate suspicion that these basins play a roll, though whether as magical conduits or just vessels of superstitious sacrifice, I wouldn’t wager.”

  “Well, what now?” she asked. “If we don’t know how to use them, they aren’t doing us much good.”

  Thaelios sighed. It seemed he was having a series of unfortunate realizations. “Though I’m not fond of it myself, the course that makes most sense regarding the gates is to return to Trigilas’s chamber and see if there’s any useful lore there. Of course, that means evading that creature somehow.”

  Saffron nodded somberly. “Rhazine seemed to manage it. Perhaps something we did the first time around roused its attention…”

  “That could be. Either way, whether to leave Ancient Tarmuth by the front door or one of its portals, it appears we’re going to have to head the same direction.”

  “Let’s get back to the others,” Saffron suggested. “If I have any sense of it, this light is going to fade soon anyway, and I’d rather not have to navigate in the dark.”

  With that, they returned to the stairwell and their companions. Be’naj seemed especially relieved to see them return, though she embraced Saffron and not Thaelios. His explanation of their predicament received a few groans, but after Saffron passed the news along in Begnari, she and Dyphina started helping Phaerim to his feet while Rhazine collected her backpack and lamp.

  “Try to be as quiet as you can,” Saffron instructed before leading the way up the stairs, carrying Phaerim’s dagger with a freshly cast Radiance upon it. Thaelios followed, feeling drained, and the others came behind, Rhazine and her lamp last. They advanced slowly to account for Phaerim’s difficulty, especially managing the stairwell, and Saffron waited in the dining hall until they’d all emerged.

  Thaelios’s eyes strained in the darkness, but he couldn’t catch any sign of movement from the heavy shadows. They wove a path around the end of the long table, much louder than he would have liked. He was prepared to cast his Mirrored Image spell at the first sign of danger, hoping to at least confuse the beast with more options if it moved to attack them.

  Saffron had just reached the central corridor leading to Trigilas’s quarters when Thaelios heard the voices return. Looking up, he saw the shimmering ribbons of light flowing across the ceiling.

  “Have you seen the relic? Do you know our secrets?” they asked in Ancient Eladrin.

  Everyone had stopped moving at the intrusion, and Thaelios was unsure whether to attempt answering their query. He had just opened his mouth when they seemed to come to their own conclusion.

  “If you have seen, there is but one way to leave…” The ribbons changed direction and surged through the air down the passage they were about to enter. At the end of it, two dozen paces away, Thaelios saw a shallow rectangle of light, coming from the outside door.

  “Go!” Thaelios shouted with a sudden sense of panic, worried what the cryptic words portended. Saffron started jogging down the corridor, obviously concerned at his tone. Thaelios followed but couldn’t keep up with her stride without severe pain from his side.

  She was over halfway down the hallway when a grinding sound coincided with a vanishing of the lit rectangle. “No!” Saffron yelled, sprinting the rest of the way to confirm their fate. From behind, Thaelios saw the silvery ribbons change direction and advance upon him before turning to evacuate down a side passage.

  He stopped as they passed overhead, then looked back to Saffron once they disappeared from view. She answered the question in his mind before he asked it.

  “It’s sealed shut!” She struggled to pull back the massive stone door, even using the dagger to pry at it, but it would not budge.

  “Run, run!” Be’naj’s urgency snapped Thaelios’s attention behind him. Dyphina was soon passing him on her way to Saffron, then Phaerim too, cursing in pain as he limped by.

  “Not this way, it’s blocked,” Saffron directed.

  “The beast is back!” Be’naj confirmed from further down the corridor as Rhazine and her swinging lamp reached Thaelios.

  “Into Trigilas’s room!” he shouted, having already planned on the destination.

  They hurried into the Shaper’s quarters, one at a time but with amazing efficiency. Be’naj followed Thaelios as the last one in, but before she could close the door, the snarling creature grasped both sides of the frame with two of his many paws and lunged forward to bite. Be’naj kicked it hard under the chin, momentarily stunning it.

  “Down the stairs!” Saffron yelled before slipping past the others to aid Be’naj, flipping the dagger in her palm.

  Thaelios didn’t stay to watch, grabbing the books on the bed with a stab of pain and waiting his turn to descend the steep and narrow, secret stairs. He heard horrible snarls and a battle-cry from Saffron, then glanced back just long enough to see her slash her blade across the beast’s eyes.

  With Phaerim ahead of him, Thaelios stepped over the wasting skeleton at the top of the stairs and descended, fighting the urge to push through the slower human to escape. He hadn’t made it all the way down before a log-jam completely prevented his progress.

  “Go! Why aren’t we moving?” He gave in and started pushing, groaning at the ache in his side and drawing protestations from Phaerim and Rhazine in front of him. His force moved the pile of bodies forward, however, and he’d just spilled into a five-sided room when he felt Be’naj pushing in behind him.

  Looking up, he realized why the other’s had stopped. Within a wide circle of white powder on the floor was a glowing red pentagram, and standing in its center was an eight-foot tall humanoid with ruddy skin and horns on its head, draped in gold-embroidered, black clothes. It calmly stroked its barbed chin, then opened its mouth to speak.

  “Now this is interesting. Can you understand me, Silver-skin?” it said in Infernal. “Are you the one I’ve been waiting for?”

  Chapter 2

  The Way Through

  T haelios’s jaw dropped. Frozen for a moment, he spun around once his feet recovered and headed back to the stairs, though Be’naj and Saffron blocked his way.

  “If you do understand me, I can do you no harm. I am forbidden from it,” the room’s giant resident continued.

  Shutting his eyes and fighting to suppress his fear, Thaelios turned back around. No one else spoke or even moved a muscle as far as he could tell, and their flight from the beast seemingly forgotten. He vaguely registered that Saffron was present and unhurried, which must mean their previous threat was under control.

  Say something, Thaelios. He tried to conjure a response in Infernal, but his mind scrambled all memory of forming words in the language.

  “Even if you are all mute, it has been ages since I’ve had any visitors, so I suppose we’ll have to devise some way for you to amuse me.” The ruddy-skinned speaker pressed his palms together and started tapping his fingers.

  “I, I understand you,” Thaelios finally managed to say.

  “Oh you do?” The creature’s eyes widened. “Wonderful. Then your hour has begun, and I am almost a free fiend. I am
here to assist you with knowledge, but only until the glow of this symbol has faded.” It pointed to the floor, where the red light of the pentagram was slowly erasing as it traced the figure. “Until then, ask what questions you will.”

  Thaelios was shocked. He looked to his companions, who were now all staring uneasily at him. This would be much easier if they could all understand, he thought. “I don’t suppose you can speak Illanese, or even Eladrin?” he asked.

  “I am capable of communicating telepathically with any linguistic creature, under normal circumstances,” it answered. “However, I am currently bound by the stipulations of my imprisonment, which means I may only speak aloud in my native tongue, and only to a full-blooded Eladrin. Quaint, isn’t it?”

  “What sort of trick is that?” Thaelios asked, trying to buy time while he determined the best course.

  His host sighed, then shook his fiendish head. “If I was capable of bringing you harm, I can think of little that would grant me more pleasure. But, I have not moved against you, have I, nor from this Summoning Circle? Since you are apparently the Chosen, I’m sure you’re clever enough to work it out.”

  The insult actually made Thaelios feel better. “Do you have a name?”

  The seemingly bound Outsider drew back his lips in a menacing expression that could have passed for a smile. “I see you are clever, indeed. Of course the one who trapped me here discovered my Truename, but you may call me M’thenzor, arch-devil of Malbolge. Since we are being polite, you could share your appellation if you wish…”

  Thaelios didn’t see the harm, but knew that didn’t mean there wasn’t any. “That won’t be necessary,” he answered. He turned to Dyphina and Saffron, who had managed to squeeze past him into the open room, and spoke in Illanese, “He is fiend who claims to be sworn to answer my questions, though only in Infernal. We should not speak each other’s names. Are there any questions you’d like me to ask him?”