Delver Magic Book I: Sanctum's Breach

by Jeff Inlo

  Chapter 29

  Lief's voice, his expression, the emotion in his words carried the true dread of what lay in wait. His eyes drooped hollow, not from fatigue but from anticipation of the last leg of the journey. He peered through the rent upon the shifting shadows. He knew of the shadow trees, the horror connected with them. He, as most elves, knew his people still controlled the seeds, though he never believed they would ever use them again. They were beyond evil. They represented utter destruction, a weapon thats very existence bred fear as well as doom. He shook his head, as for the first time in his own lifetime, he witnessed the elves' most abominable legacy.

  Shame filled him as he spoke of the shadow trees. "The elves have always viewed the trees with great respect, but I won't deny the truth when it comes to the history of our wars. We can be as cruel as any others. So cruel as to forcibly alter the trees themselves into the most horrible of weapons. It was a war with the dwarves that led to the creation of the shadow trees, a war my people were determined to win no matter what the consequence."

  Lief's mind swelled with images of the legends, of what he knew from elflore. He thought of the ancient war with the dwarves. He found the need to explain it to both Dzeb and Ryson, a precursor to the confession of the sin of his race.

  "Before the sphere, before Ingar, a conflict arose which even now will breed tension between allies. I am not aware of the cause of the conflict. That is apparently as much a secret as were the barriers placed within Sanctum. The actual war occurred so long ago that not even an elf remains alive that remembers the cause. The legend of the fighting, however, will live on forever.

  "At the onset of the war, the dwarves were merciless. This by no means justifies the elves later actions, but it might help you understand them. The dwarves held a great advantage over the elves with their ability to use the ground in battle tactics. They would tunnel beneath elf camps and break through the surface at night, killing all. Elves would send war parties into the tunnels to extract revenge only to be trapped by cave-ins.

  "It was this tunneling tactic which led to the elves making use of the trees in their daily lives. Traveling through the trees offered safety from the ground and from a dwarf warrior who might break through in a mere instant. The dwarves could not climb with any proficiency, so if the elves remained off the ground, they remained relatively safe.

  "Infuriated by this tactic, the dwarves began attacking the roots of the trees. They believed if they destroyed the forests around the elf camps, the elves would be forced back to the ground. Their scouts would locate camps, and their workers would immediately set upon destroying the roots of the trees. The elves watched in horror as the trees began to fall over with no root system to hold them in place. Elves began dying again, killed from terrible falls, crushed or impaled by breaking branches.

  "This treachery stirred such hate in the elves it pressed them to devise a way to not only end the war, but to punish the dwarves. Elf generals would not be satisfied until they found a way to bring utter fear to every living dwarf. If the dwarves would attack elf homes, then the elf guard would find a way to destroy the dwarf underground cities. By no means do I wish to excuse or understate their actions. Every elf must accept the truth. It was the elf intention to create a weapon that would bring nightmares to the dwarves. Their anger pushed them to such lengths as to create the shadow trees.

  "Remember, this war occurred before Ingar and his sphere. Magic still resided over the land. The magic was used with the elves' great knowledge of nature to produce the end result. Elf sorcerers and elf naturalists worked together on cross breeding and magically altering the seeds of different trees. Their efforts proved quite successful.

  "They developed a tree which did not feed upon the light, but upon darkness. That is all it needed. It did not need water and did not produce roots. It stood upon a flat solid base, but not attached to the ground. Thus, it could move. It would grow like a weed, suffocating out all other life. The darker the surroundings, the faster it would grow. A single seed would grow to maturity in less than half a season within a dark cave. If it was chopped down, its remains would produce more trees. It would spread like wild ivy, filling all open space. It was this dreadful creation that the elves used upon the dwarves."

  He stopped to consider the vast differences between the trees he loved, and the atrocities which waited below. He would have given near anything at that moment to see the streaming vines of a willow, or the proud leaves of an oak, but such a whim was not possible within the dark confines of Sanctum's core. He continued, speaking through tight lips.

  "Hundreds of the seeds were dropped down air vents into the dwarf capital of Kendren. Reports from dwarves that were lucky enough to escape revealed the power of this new weapon. In the meager light of the underground city, the trees grew quickly. The dwarves attacked them with their axes, but as I said, that only brought them more trees. Other facets of the trees became clear as they seized the city. As they began to consume all of the available space, they began to consume living creatures around them as well. The thick dark limbs would wrap around the captured dwarves, turning and shifting until the dwarf disappeared into the depths of its shadows.

  "The trees also began feeding upon themselves. Yes, apparently inherently cannibalistic, the trees would consume each other. Size meant nothing. Small trees would devour large trees, large trees would consume small. What it did mean was more food.

  "The increase in consumption led to an increase in growth rate as well as reproduction. One tree might have eaten another, but nearly instantly it would drop a dozen more seeds that would germinate that same day. The trees were also reaching maturity in days.

  "The only known weakness of the shadow trees was direct light. Not manufactured light, not firelight, but natural light from the sun and stars. The underground cities, however, lacked such light. There was some. Sunlight was reflected through air holes and tunnels through the use of gemstones such as those used this night by Jon, but it was not enough. The city was too far underground, the light too weak. The reflected beams would only spare small areas from the onslaught of the shadow trees. The rest of the city could not be saved.

  "Unable to stop the growth of the shadow trees, the dwarves sealed all points of entry to Kendren, including the smallest of air holes. Apparently many dwarves were buried alive, but there was no way to get to them to save them."

  Lief's voice turned colder, revealing he found no pride in the war's conclusion.

  "The dwarves were forced to sue for peace. They could not fight the trees, and continued use of them would end their existence. The elves won the war, but even today we realize there was no honor in that victory."

  Lief stared into the hole before them, into the shifting shadows that waited below. "To this day, we still have seeds remaining from that war. We argue constantly over what to do with them. Most say they are too dangerous to hold onto. Others argue they maintain peace between the dwarves and the elves. Without them, they say the dwarves would consider renewing their attacks. Even as elves and dwarves continue to trade, make treaties, and share resources this day, I doubt either will ever truly trust the other.

  "In any event, it has been revealed to me this night that the elves placed shadow trees as their defense of the elfin tier. This is the secret which Mappel held to, the secret he revealed to me and Holli on this night. I can only explain as it was explained to me.

  "When Sanctum was constructed and the elves were asked to put the first barrier about the sphere, the shadow trees seemed to be the perfect solution." Lief stuck out a long thin finger and pointed into the heart of the opening, into the depths of the darkness. "That is not only the last tier, it is the resting place of the sphere. There are no more levels below. The elves were given the greatest responsibility of Sanctum, the last line of defense.

  "The elves in charge, however, were concerned with one other concern. They had to consider the threat of tunneling to get to the sphere. Only th
e dwarves had the power to tunnel through the granite rock beneath Sanctum and break through the diamond sheets that protect the floor and walls. Though the dwarves appeared most enthusiastic over entombing the sphere, the mistrust between elf and dwarf again resurfaced. The shadow trees would be used as a guarantee that no dwarf would ever enter the final tier. As I said, it seemed the perfect solution."

  Ryson peered long and hard into the reaches of the shadows in the tier below. He let his eyes adjust slowly to the shifting blackness. He let his ears tune to the nearly inaudible shuffling. As his senses bore down upon the shadows, he began to see the nightmare as it was explained to him.

  The attributes of individual trees slowly became distinguishable. The deviant shades of the darkness were but the opposing distances between different trees. He could isolate thick black trunks as well as discern stunted jagged branches. The branches were filled at their tips by what appeared to be thick, dark sludge. It dripped off as the trees shifted. There appeared to be constant movement directly below. The trees closest to the opening, the ones now bathed in Ryson's light, seemed determined to escape the illumination.

  The delver witnessed more than one being seized upon by another tree waiting further off in the darkness. Thick but pliable branches of the attacker wrapped around the intended victim. Expanding as they encircled about the trunk of the captured tree, the branches exhibited a consistency more like that of soft rubber than of natural wood. The attacking tree pulled the ensnared tree closer and closer to its center. As the two trunks met, they merged into one. The remaining tree stood somewhat taller and slightly thicker as it dropped a clump of seeds from its outer most branches to the ground.

  The sight did little to encourage Ryson of their chances. "How are we supposed to get through that?"

  "The way is in your hand," Lief said nodding to the sword. "The sword's ability to reflect natural light allows the carrier to fend off the advance of any shadow tree. Apparently, the Sword of Decree was created when the decision was made to place the seeds of shadow trees into Sanctum. Though not every elf is a magic caster, every elf has the ability to store magical energies. Even when the sphere sucked pure magic from the world, it could not take that which each elf stored in his body. This stored energy, the last vestige of magic for the elves that worked in Sanctum, was used to create the Sword of Decree.

  "The sword was given the power to reflect the light no matter how meager, to magnify natural light in such a way as to keep the shadow trees at bay. In the process, it carried the power to be more than a sword, but a flaming weapon with the power to burn truly living creatures.

  "That is how I have known it, a weapon with no equal in its power to defend. That is why Mappel wished you to take it with you in your search for the algors."

  "That's also why he wanted me to safeguard it," Ryson added. "He wanted to protect me in the hills and the desert, but he knew the sword would be needed for the final assault on Sanctum. No wonder he made me vow to take such care of it."

  "Indeed, its purpose was clear to him at the time," Lief admitted. "I can only assume he balanced the need of you reaching the algors safely with the need of the sword for this moment."

  Ryson examined the length of his sword as he asked yet another question. "How was it that your camp came in possession of the sword?"

  "That I cannot answer. Again, until this night, I lacked the knowledge of what was in Sanctum and the sword's true origin. If I had to guess, I might reply that it has much to do with my camp's proximity to Sanctum."

  "You know, a lot of this doesn't make sense," Ryson questioned as he attempted to place an order upon this sequence of events. "Why would the elves create something which could defeat the shadow trees if they were using them to protect the sphere? I mean, the sphere was a great threat to the elves. Why would they create an object which might one day be used to overcome their own obstacle?"

  Lief revealed his own confusion over the matter. "It is difficult for me to understand. I knew of the sword’s power, but I did not know its true origin because I did not know the secret of Sanctum."

  Dzeb strangely announced a thought in the form of a parable. "If a man locks a jewel in a vault, does he do so without memorizing the combination?"

  Lief seemed to struggle with the near whimsical assertion.

  Ryson verbalized his own questions over the cliff behemoth's statement. "You think the elves wanted to have a key to get back in, even back then?"

  "We are in need of that key now," Dzeb replied simply.

  Lief responded with conviction. "I must disagree with that thought. I can't believe any of the elves wanted to see the sphere removed."

  "You wish to see the sphere removed now, do you not?" Dzeb looked to Lief expectantly, knowingly.

  "But now we have no choice."

  "You find it so impossible that the power of Godson could not foresee this eventual need."

  "I don't know," Lief conceded. "I no longer know what to make of any of this. There were no prophecies of the sphere's return, not in the Book of Godson and not in elflore, yet here I stand in Sanctum near the end of our quest. I don't even wish to try and consider what might be guiding us. I only know we have but one tier left."

  "Then let us be finished with that one as well," Dzeb remarked evenly. "How is it you recommend we proceed?"

  Lief exhaled as he swallowed the memories of the elf-dwarf war. He focused upon the rent in the floor. "We can descend from here into the tier. The trees will give way to the light as even now they struggle to move back into the darkness. As long as the light remains with us, they will not attack. Ryson can climb down first. I will follow. Then, Dzeb can jump down to join us.

  "The true burden must be carried by the one who holds the sword," Lief said as he placed his eyes squarely upon the delver. "Your weapon is the only thing that will keep us alive down there. It is the only thing which will force the trees to part from our path. I must ask you to keep your attention upon one most important task. You must always keep the point of the sword toward the opening where the light enters. You must never slip in your concentration of this single duty. The sword was forged so that the light reflected from the point would fashion a tightly concentrated beam. This beam is the life-line between the sword and the light source. If it is broken by a careless swing or a drop in concentration, the shadow trees will have the opportunity to block out the light. As you now know, the sword does not create light, it simply reflects it. If the trees are successful in completely surrounding us, sealing us off from the light, the illumination from the sword will end. We will have no defense against the trees. They will eventually overpower us all, even Dzeb."

  "That doesn't make me feel too comfortable," Ryson admitted. "Once we jump down into the tier, we have to move forward to reach the sphere. As we move, we'll be walking away from the hole."

  "It will not cause a problem as long as you keep the point of the sword directed toward the opening. No matter how far we stray, the beam will remain intact. That in itself will guarantee a path, no matter how far, back to the opening."

  "One last question," Ryson required. "How will we exit? I can probably make it back up here, especially if Dzeb gives me a lift. I can throw down the rope to get you up, but what about Dzeb? I'm not really sure my rope will hold his weight. And, if I go first, the sword will go with me. What will be left to protect you from the trees?"

  Lief placed a hand to his chin in obvious discomfort with the thought. He gritted his teeth as he shook his head. The longer he stood silent, the more obvious his anger became. "Fire upon my own foolishness!" he exclaimed with disgust to his own short-sightedness. "I did not consider our exit."

  "What if we use the original entry?" Ryson proposed quickly, hoping to ease Lief's irritation and give them an immediate alternative.

  A spark of hope lit in Lief's eyes. "That might hold the answer," he allowed as he deeply considered the potential solution. He spoke as he mulled over the change
in plans. "The sword would still have a light source once we break the seal and open the passageway. We would be able to use the stone steps, and would have an exit as well as an entry. It would, however, increase the distance of our travel within the tier. This opening leads very near to the center. We would have spent little time walking through the shadow trees. The original entrance is at the far end of this tier. We would have to cross a longer distance to reach the sphere."

  "But if it offers a way out, then it's our only choice." Ryson redirected his gaze back down the tier toward its far end. His eyes quickly grasped the outline of the last door. It waited near a hundred paces beyond the crumbled remains of the second sand giant, but it waited with no other obstacles before it.

  Just as he was about to step away from the hole, the cliff behemoth called for him to stand his ground.

  "We do not need to take such actions," Dzeb stated calmly. "This opening is still the fastest path to the sphere. We will use it."

  Ryson stared dumbfounded at the gentle giant. He saw no madness in Dzeb's eyes, but could not conclude why he would make such a statement. He found his voice to pose the question. "Didn't you hear what we were talking about? If we just jump down there, we won't be able to get back out, at least I can't see how you would. You're not talking about sacrificing yourself, are you?"

  "Do you so easily forget my height, Ryson Acumen?" Dzeb questioned with a light hearted laugh. "Do you think my arms so short I might not reach the ledge of this opening with but a short leap? Do you think them so weak I would not be able to pull myself up? No, delver, I will not need your rope. It will be a small accomplishment to make this climb. I have made similar ascents. I live in the cliffs, remember? And if you are worried about this floor holding my weight as I pull myself back up, I suggest you do not. This floor is of solid dwarf construction. It has held under the duress of my leaps down, it will hold as I pull myself back up."

  The good-natured laugh brought a welcome break in the tension. Lief lost the anger in himself as both he and Ryson stared up into the giant's beaming face. Even the dreary darkness of the shadow trees seemed somewhat less threatening.

  If ever Ryson comprehended the true blessing of having the cliff behemoth with them, it was at this moment. He nearly laughed himself, but questioned the giant to make certain of his claim. "You're sure you can get back up here without a rope?"

  Dzeb laughed again. He took no insult in the question, but instead, saw it for what it was, genuine concern. "I am certain. If you wish, I will demonstrate for you by leaping back up to the delver tier now. It is probably of the same distance."

  "No, no. That's alright." Ryson held up his hands with a broad smile. "I know I should believe you. I just wanted to make sure."

  "I understand, Ryson. Your concern for me, for all of us, is appreciated." The smile remained upon Dzeb's innocuous lips for but a moment. It fled as he turned his own attention back to the broken gorge in the floor. "I suggest we take no further time in accomplishing our task."

  "He's right," Lief accented. "If the sphere is now aware of our presence as shown by our recent tragedy, we must not give it a chance to establish another means with which to deal with us."

  "Alright."

  It was all Ryson could get from his mouth. He swallowed hard. His next step was as obvious as the sun at noon day in a clear sky. The abstract shadows, the teeming jungle of black branches and dark trunks now waited for his descent. He needed but take hold of his rope, turn and glide downward, simplicity to a delver of his abilities.

  Yet, descending into this abyss defied the elementary nature of the physical requirements. It was much more like willingly entering a nightmare of colossal horror, a nightmare that was reality and not dream. To look into this pit was to understand a child's inexplicable fear of the dark, for this was the dark come to life. Here, shadows were more than tricks of light. The darkness had the ability to do more than instill fear, but actually attack, actually kill.

  Ryson fought to suppress this comprehension of the shadow trees. His hand wrung the handle of his sword with all his might as if he hoped to coax some last inspiration of knowledge from the magical artifact. No such enlightenment manifested itself. He knew all there was to know of the trees, of the last obstacle to the sphere of Ingar. There were no other secrets to coax from the enchanted weapon. The simple truth was plainly clear, the light was his grace, the shadows held his death.

  Biting hard upon his lip, he grasped his rope as Dzeb took secure hold of one end. He flung the opposite end through the aperture. There was no sense in standing about, staring into the abyss of horrors. He nodded to Lief and took a long view of the cliff behemoth's simple compassionate eyes for strength. Holding the sword steady, he dropped his legs through the opening to the last tier.

  Fighting to block out the images that now swarmed about him, he kept his eyes as well as the sword's point locked upon the center of the hole which was now overhead. He could not, however, completely ignore the sights brought to him by his own keen peripheral vision. Branches darted out toward him, but retracted as they hit the glowing pulse of light from his sword. As this radiance filled more and more of the last tier, the shadow trees closest to him moved with desperation to escape the glow. Sludge covered sticks parted like breaking waves as he lowered himself down.

  He moved with less swiftness in this descent. He held to the rope as if it represented the life-line to which Lief referred. When he came to its end, he actually tasted his own reluctance to let go.

  He kept the sword point steady upward, but for the first time, he allowed himself a glance at the space below. He was still a full body's length from the floor, but it was now visible. The shadow trees in his path had either moved aside or had been consumed by those waiting clear of the light. A portion of the diamond crusted sheets which safeguarded the floor was now visible. It glistened from the sword's radiance and the reflected light helped to clear a path for his final leap.

  Holding his breath, he released his grip on the rope. He hit the floor with balance and precision. His knees bent to absorb the impact just as his arm held the sword true. The intense light from his sword continued to cleanse the immediate area of shadow trees. Free, unthreatening space formed four to five paces all about him and continued upward right to the break in the ceiling.

  Within this new formed tunnel among the breadth of the shadow trees, Ryson turned his attention to his immediate surroundings. With a twist of his neck, he made one quick reconnaissance. He scanned for landmarks of the tier. He attempted to gauge his position. He searched for the sphere.

  He saw nothing beyond the twisting, shifting darkness of the shadows that surrounded him. His vision was restricted to the tightly wound area which the trees allowed. Though the trees relinquished space in his immediate vicinity, they completely filled the rest of the expanse. There was nothing to see but an endless wake of dark trunks and black branches filled with thick sludge.

  Constant motion and upheaval surrounded the delver. Those trees closest to him, in the direct path of the light, struggled to pass back into the darkness of the swarm. Most were consumed before they could make their departure. The trees that replaced them, filled the space touched by the light, then faced the same dilemma.

  Though the trees constantly attacked each other, they would not venture within the modest area cleansed by the sword's light. Ryson could hear, and even sometimes see, branches further back reaching toward him, but they dared not pass beyond this border. Even with all the shifting and rustling of the closest trees, not a single one ventured close enough to represent a true threat, thus he motioned for Lief to follow.

  Lief answered the signal with a nod and scrambled down the rope furiously. A lifetime of traveling through the trees, walking upon thin branches, clinging to meager vines, enabled the elf for such an endeavor. He descended with his mind bent on speed and not upon elegance. He let his weight pull him straight down, holding to the rope with just enough tensio
n to refrain from free falling. Like an anchor dropping from a ship, he descended without swinging to and fro. Such a direct plunge kept him safely within the tunnel among the trees created by Ryson's light, but it also left the elf with little control. He reached the end of the rope a body length away from the ground, but he could not stop his downward drive. He released his hold and landed hard upon the ground. He groaned as a sharp pain erupted in his ankle.

  Ryson, with a great surge of will, maintained the sword's direction toward the ceiling, but pressed one hand upon Lief's back to steady the elf.

  "Are you alright?!" Ryson's attention shot back and forth between the elf and the point of his sword.

  Lief grunted as he brought a hand to his injured ankle. "I landed poorly!" he growled with obvious disgust at his own actions. His hands simultaneously caressed the throbbing area as they tested the integrity of the bone. With a pained expression, he forced his foot to bend in nearly every direction possible. He revealed his findings with obvious annoyance at his own carelessness. "It is not broken, merely sprained. I'll live, though it was pure stupidity."

  "As long as you're alright."

  Again, Lief grunted in disgust. "Alright? I have proven my fear of the shadow trees is no smaller than the dwarves."

  Ryson glanced about; checking the distance maintained by the massive trunks and gnarled branches. He admonished the elf for his harsh self-criticism. "You think there's something wrong with that? These things scare me to death."

  The elf did not respond with anything more than a noncommittal shrug. He placed his foot upon the gleaming floor and tested its ability to hold his weight. He was hobbled, but he would be able to move.

  Dzeb interrupted Lief's trials as the cliff behemoth called out the warning for his imminent arrival into their midst.

  "I am going to join you. Please do not move. I promise I will not land on you, but you must stand where you are. The area is small for one of my size."

  Ryson understood just how much of an understatement that was as the cliff behemoth took his leap. As Dzeb plummeted through the gap, it appeared as if he would crush both Lief and himself. Ryson's eyes grew as Dzeb's giant form filled the space overhead. Every instinct within him cried for him to run, to move free of the falling colossus, but the need to maintain the positioning of his sword held him in place. It was like watching a giant boulder falling from the sky, threatening to land upon his head, yet he was forced to remain frozen.

  Miraculously, Dzeb dropped with exact precision. His form glided free of the surrounding trees with room to spare on all sides. He landed with great force, force enough to shake even the diamond encrusted floor and blow back the hair of Ryson and Lief, but that was all which befell these two onlookers. Dzeb landed clear of them both, and now all three stood upon the final tier.

  "And so we are now here," Dzeb said simply. "We need but obtain the sphere and leave. Where can we find it?"

  Lief spun about with purpose, but found only confusion. "According to Mappel," he exclaimed still peering about in every direction. "It is in the center of the tier. It is upon a small pedestal surrounded by silver lined reflectors. The problem is I don't know where the center is. The trees block my perspective."

  "I think I know how to find it," Ryson offered. While keeping his sword to the gap in the ceiling, he nodded to it. "The sphere created that hole as a means to send the magic out of Sanctum. If we line that hole up with the hole above it, and finally with the tunnel through the mountainside, we should be very near the sphere. Now, it may not be exact, for some reason the tunnel through the wall curves, but we should be close."

  "That is as good a start as any," Dzeb noted.

  Ryson pointed with his free hand to his left. "Then, we have to go that way. I have to keep my attention on the opening up there. I need you two to watch around me. Make sure I don't bump into a pillar or something. And make sure I don't get too close to those trees."

  Without waiting for an answer, the delver began shuffling slowly off to his left. His movements created a bizarre dance. As he moved, the shadow trees moved with him. Those in his path scurried to be free of the light. None would stay to challenge his progress. Those he moved away from kept pace with him, maintaining the same distance and keeping the size of the borders constant. Thus, the tubular section of space offered up by the shadow trees shifted with Ryson's every move.

  As the clearing shifted, so did its shape. The opening overhead began to angle with the point of Ryson's sword. The light continued to cleanse the area above them, but not all the way to the ceiling. Reaching branches began to defy the light, stretching into the spaces far over their heads. They did not pose a threat, for even Dzeb's lofty stature did not pass beyond the border of safety, but they signified the limits of the sword’s power. It could not clear a wide area, only a direct path. As they moved further from their point of entry, the angle of this path steepened as it stretched to greater lengths, yet it remained intact right through to the opening.

  Lief and Dzeb matched Ryson step for step. The two stayed at the delver's side, keeping clear of the sword while maintaining their distance from the surrounding horror. They maintained constant awareness of the shadow trees and the ever shifting area of decontaminated space. With their hands on Ryson's shoulders and back, they helped guide the delver, though nothing but open ground arose from the parting black shadows.

  All three plodded slowly. Ryson with his eyes toward the source of light, Lief upon his injured ankle, and Dzeb with his great size, each stepped with care and concentration. They barely blinked, and they said not a word, though silence was not their reward.

  The true bane to their focus was the sounds from the very trees which encircled them. Crunching, shuffling, even grinding; these noises erupted about them with maddening intensity. Like a jungle with its constant barrage of tumultuous clamor, the shadow trees exuded a resonance of their own design. Branch pushed against branch, trunk grated against trunk. The thick sludge oozed to the floor with sickening dribbles. Each vibration, each echo, etched itself in the ears of the three.

  The delver swept the discord from his thoughts. His eyes peered through the gap in the trees, furiously grasping the jagged opening to the upper level. He looked beyond the rough edges of the fissure, up and out in search of the second blast hole. His keen eyesight caught the lip of another fracture. He arched his neck to gauge its location. To line up the two holes, he would have to take several steps backwards.

  He took the first, then a second and third step. More of the second blast hole came into his view. The cylinder shaped tunnel through the shadow trees soon formed a direct line, which if continued, would connect the two openings. He stopped to peer even further through the expanse, beyond both openings and toward Sanctum's wall, as far up as the delver tier. He noted broken, scarred rock, and the very edges of the tunnel which led through Sanctum's side to open air. Just a few more steps back and his line of sight would pierce the center of all the openings.

  He only took one small backward shuffle when the hand of the cliff behemoth held him resolutely.

  "We are here," Dzeb announced with gentle firmness.

  Ryson nearly turned about with unbridled anticipation, nearly swerved from his point of focus with both hand and eye. He wished to view the object of their quest, to see the talisman that represented a legion of myths and legends. His desire was such that for a brief moment he forgot his sword and its purpose. Had the grip of the cliff behemoth not held him so staunchly, the point of his sword would have lost contact with the blast hole above. He would have broken the beam which kept the waiting nightmares at bay, leaving them at the mercy of the shadow trees, creations which had no mercy.

  To their fortune, braced by Dzeb's powerful hands, Ryson was unable to turn. In an instant, he realized the folly of his intentions, and the consequence of the sword intensified in his mind. His arm stiffened as if trying to reinforce the invisible beam. His eyes followed the length of the blad
e to ensure the direction of its point. With the sword's importance reaffirmed in his consciousness, he stretched his arm out toward the light source with the same tenacity in which he gritted his teeth. He silently thanked everything about him for Dzeb's presence.

  With renewed focus to keep the sword steady, Ryson carefully turned only his head to gaze at the sight which spurred Dzeb's remark. His path had led them true, and the shadow trees now parted to reveal the final resting place of Ingar's sphere. Peering over his shoulder, his eyes fell upon the vessel which held the talisman for the passing of so many cycles. The cleansing light had freed a section of the reflectors from the grip of the trees. The metal sheets lined with silver which encapsulated the sphere were now visible for all to see.

  The reflectors had weathered the test of time, but not the power of the sphere's intentions. The metal sheets showed no sign of rust, the visible silver linings remained intact, but the enclosure had been penetrated with the same fury which bore a tunnel through the side of Sanctum. Jagged, broken edges of thick metal testified to the power of the blast which the sphere hurled outward to breach its tomb. Scorched, melted shards of silver attested to the heat which accompanied the blast of force.

  With this fracture in the surrounding reflectors, there was nothing to hide the pedestal within or its mount. The sphere rested seemingly innocently upon the small stone platform. It neither glowed nor pulsated. It simply waited upon its column of support as if it expected the three visitors.

  From his unmoving stance, Ryson sized up the talisman. He remembered its origin as told to him by Lief, recalled that it was forged from the skins of each of the races. Its structure, however, lacked such characteristics. To him, it appeared constructed more of marble than of flesh. He had expected it to be brown and leathery, perhaps spotty and rough, but it was grayish white and it appeared smooth. It was perfectly round like a child's ball without the slightest hint of imperfection to its spherical shape. It was also large. He wondered if his own arms had the length to wrap completely around it. He could only wonder as to its weight. He assumed it was hollow, a shell to hold the compacted magical energies of the past, but even from a distance it appeared solid, and again, like a chiseled piece of pure marble.

  His examination was cut short by Lief's sudden directive.

  "I must ask that we move quickly." The elf coughed before he could continue. Dark circles began to form under his eyes with bizarre suddenness. He grunted as the pain of his ankle injury became more severe. "I am afraid. I can not remain this close to the sphere for much longer. We must seize it and press on."

  Urgency swept over the delver. He gave one quick glance at the end of his sword to ensure its direction, and then took a more discerning look at the space within the reflectors. The area immediately surrounding the sphere was clear of shadow trees. Ryson could only attribute this to the sphere's great power. Its reason was not as important as its existence, for it allowed a clear path to the sphere, if the cliff behemoth would take it.

  "Dzeb?" Ryson began with respect, but not hiding his urgency. "I need you to get the sphere. I can't ask Lief to do it. It's making him sick. I have to hold the sword. Can you reach it?"

  "I believe it is why I am here," Dzeb replied in his normal demeanor, as calm as if standing beside a deep blue mountain lake.

  He moved forward with no outward expression of fear for his own safety. He completed the first part of his task with such ease, Ryson could only marvel at the spectacle.

  The cliff behemoth grabbed the ragged edges of the metal sheets and tore them aside. The screeching whine of the yielding metal attested to the strength inherent in the reflectors, but they could not withstand Dzeb's power. As if opening a door upon a hinge, Dzeb expanded the opening, leaving him plenty of room to march through. He stepped up to the pedestal, his movements still relaxed, his expression still without fear. Without so much as a hint of reluctance, he reached out and plucked the sphere from its support.

  Ryson did not know exactly what to expect at that moment. He was relieved to see nothing. The sphere accepted Dzeb's hold without struggle. It left its home of countless ages without the slightest reaction.

  As Dzeb carried the sphere free from the broken casing, Lief stepped as far back from him as the shadow trees would allow. He nearly allowed his shoulders to brush against the closest of the branches. He could only wonder as to which death would be more painful, being consumed by the shadow trees or the slow decay from the poison which even now was sapping most of his strength.

  "We need to move quickly," the elf urged through a wheeze. "I need to put more space between myself and the sphere. That will not be possible while we remain in this tier."

  Ryson acknowledged the request with actions. He retraced his path with greater speed and quickly guided them to a point directly below the opening overhead. He looked to Dzeb expectantly.

  "Can you still make it with the sphere?"

  Dzeb seeing the pain in the elf's face did not take the time to answer. He placed the sphere securely under one arm, bent his legs, and leapt upward with power unmatched by any other living creature. He sailed through the air, through the open space between the trees. His momentum carried him nearly completely through the opening. His ascent ceased as half his massive body was already through the aperture. With his free hand, he grasped the ledge of the upper tier. With one mighty pull, he forced himself up the remainder of the way.

  As he disappeared out of sight, Lief sighed with relief. He took several deep breaths, but only appeared slightly stronger. "I believe the poison has taken a great hold within me." He revealed with sadness filling his expression as opposed to disgust or anger.

  "Can you make the climb out of here?" Ryson spoke with an edge, hoping to urge the elf onward.

  "I believe so, though I don't know what good it will do."

  "It will give you a chance," Ryson pressed. "Free air may help. Who knows what will happen when the sphere is destroyed? And there are still the algors. They might help revive you."

  The elf replied with great fatigue hanging upon his every word. "Do not worry, Ryson. I will move forward, if only to see the end of the sphere which threatens my people."

  As if to punctuate his statement, Dzeb reared his colossal head into view of those below.

  "I have placed the sphere a distance away from here. I will keep it away from Lief as long as we are within this mountain, but our exit is clear and it is time for us all to leave Sanctum."