Beyond the Dark Gate

by R. V. Johnson

  With every word Kara Laurel spoke, Sureen’s alarm grew. She reached for the Flow and found… nothing! The great frothy river had vanished. “What have you done?”

  Kara Laurel’s smile was radiant, her most lovable. “Please, consider, dear heart. No Flow means no one person can dominate another, the war shall end!”

  Keeping her face serene, though her rising panic made her desire to scream and gibber, Sureen focused on the source of her irritation. “Have you lost all your sensibility? The war shall go on. Only now, the soldiers shall hold dominion over the populace. Those with the most weapons and best armor shall rule. Those like us, especially the beautiful ones, woman or man, will become submissive to the most proficient sword.”

  Kara Laurel dropped her hands to her side. Standing straighter, she moved close, putting her hands on Sureen’s shoulders. “The great lord has foreseen that and taken steps to ensure he leads the greatest force. One that I, that we with high stations are a big part of, join with me. Together we shall have the life we dreamed of when we were young,” she said, her green eyes intense. They still contained the Flow saturation. A flicker of white mist mixed with light blue pulsed across her corneas as they had for seasons past. Yet, the signs of her addiction seemed less dense, as if the blue had faded to gray and the white was growing obscured by the dark green surrounding her pupils.

  Stepping back, out from under the shorter woman’s hands, Sureen swung her staff, carefully placing the blow at the side of Kara Laurel’s head with the handle. Even if the Flow was unreachable, damaging the white crystal was unthinkable, and killing the woman was not her intent. Not yet.

  Kara Laurel collapsed. The thud of her weight striking the ground echoed softly through the flora.

  Standing over the woman she had once thought to spend her life with, Sureen squashed a growing remorse. The woman had changed, had become dangerous. “You are a fool, old heart of mine. There is one thing you and your precious ‘great lord’ have not foreseen. Your chosen path shall make my daughter the most powerful being on this world, quite possibly two,” she said quietly.

  Going to the warhorse, Sureen caressed the large jowls on its great black head gently, calming it. Riffling through her saddlebags, she found the coiled hemp she hoped she’d brought, which added a smile to her lips. Securing the woman to her horse and transporting her back to her daughter was now achievable.

  The clop of a hoof and the creak of leather forewarned her as she turned around.

  Four men, two with bows drawn and arrows nocked, sat atop horses similar in stature to the one behind her; all wore black plate armor. The graying, grizzle-faced man closest to her leaned forward in his saddle. “Bring me the rope,” he commanded, outstretching a hand. “The great lord’s favored User expected you would not come easily.” The tone of his voice was gruff yet seemed to hold no animosity.

  Having no other choice with her power gone, Sureen strode to the hand of the enemy.

  FOOTPRINTS LEAD

  Flush with the energy of a fresh healing, Crystalyn climbed the seven steps leading to the columned entrance of the tomb of the high king long forgotten. A magnificent four-story carving of a warden came next for her to marvel at as she walked by. Atoi slipped from the shadows of one of the wide columns. Matching her stride for stride, the little girl seemed to float along with little effort beside her. If Long Sand noticed the girl’s intrusion, the sand reader gave no sign as he led the way inside. Slowing a little, Crystalyn leaned closer to the tiny girl as she walked.

  “Where did you slink off to?” she whispered.

  Atoi’s green eyes, huge in her small, too-white face, regarded her for a short while before shifting to the path ahead.

  Crystalyn ground her teeth and then clamped her jaw in place with a conscious effort. The noise overrode the sound of their footfalls. As they moved on in silence, the gaping blackness of the crumbled doorway grew large, nearly as tall as the two columns rising two stories beside it. From there, a short walk along a dimly lit hallway brought them to a massive disc of marble blocking the way forward.

  Long Sand gazed at the stone. “After the revered one and his lore master was seen entering, a loud rumble brought sect warriors dashing inside, and this they discovered. Our shouted inquiries have gone unanswered. I fear the worst, for no way around has yet to appear.”

  “Your revered one, this Darwin, he has a lore master?” Hastel asked.

  “Yes, it is a recent occurrence. Before our side journey to Red Rock, the man was but a Dark User of the red robe.”

  “Malkor,” Crystalyn and Hastel said in unison.

  “Yes, that is the revered one’s designation for him, before and after the change,” Long Sand said dismissively.

  Crystalyn didn’t like the sound of the ‘change’ the nomad spoke of. “What is a lore master, should I be worried?” she asked.

  “Probably,” Hastel replied. “A lore master is a walking library with access to knowledge dating back to the Ancients, perhaps longer.”

  “Great! That’s all we need, having Darwin able to access knowledge spanning to the beginning of time,” Crystalyn said.

  “I do not believe he could go back such length,” Long Sand said. “Even Naa’thon, the master lore master could not.”

  Crystalyn smiled at the nomad. “I wasn’t serious, but never mind that. We can’t have the two of them running around developing whatever twisted plan Darwin has in mind. I’m going to stop them. Do you have an objection to that?”

  “As I have mentioned, there is no visible path around the white stone,” Long Sand said.

  “Then we make our own,” Crystalyn said. Plopping her backpack on the rock floor, she removed her last and best kell silk shirt, handing it to Atoi.

  Slipping the jeweled dagger from the slit in her dress, Atoi cut the shirt into wide strips without the need for explanation. Once completed, Atoi passed them around, offering one to Long Sand. The tall nomad waved a dismissive hand, bringing out his own. “Had I known you required a shroudin, the sacred material would have been brought. We carry additional; their importance is of the highest value during a storm of sand.”

  Holding a remnant of her beloved finery, Crystalyn groaned at the nomad leader’s words. Then, holding the silk strip at the bridge of her nose below her eyes, she covered her mouth and chin, wrapping it at the back of her head and tying the ends. She was ready for what she had in mind. A delicate touch here girl or we all die, she told herself.

  “Do’brieni, are you well? Your anxiety has risen.”

  “The ‘well’ part has never been determined when I’m involved, my Broth, though my broken mind is slowly mending, I think. Isn’t my mind affliction less than when we first met?”

  “It has seemed so, yet I grapple with confusion.”

  “How? Think to me, my Do’brieni.”

  “Where anger and anxiety had dominated the flow of the sense of you, wonder, worry, decisiveness, conjecture, and a host of others come in a jumble without order.”

  Crystalyn laughed with delight. “My dear, dear Do’brieni, you are a treasure beyond compare. I would guess those of your White Wolf clan males linked to a human would know our minds are complex and chaotic. Adverse emotion explodes havoc throughout them. You are used to my broken mind. Don’t worry; such a mind is still here.”

  Confusion flowed through the link.

  Crystalyn laughed with affection.

  “What is your source of amusement?” Long Sand asked.

  “Don’t let it concern you. She does that,” Hastel said.

  “I shall attempt to recall this at the next occurrence,” Long Sand said.

  Gazing carefully at the circular hole bored through the stone roof, Crystalyn found where the edge had chipped and a small crack ran upward. “Everyone, move away from the disc,” she warned.

  “You too, my Do’brieni,” she sent when Broth sat on his haunches beside her instead of leaving with the others.


  “Together we are stronger, Do’brieni.”

  “You sound like my father and sister.”

  Broth was pleased. “I am aware.”

  “Okay,” she said aloud, “promise me you’ll spring away if this goes awry.”

  “Have no concern, Do’brieni.”

  Crystalyn let the matter drop. Seeing what she was doing was critical or she could potentially blow herself, and her link mate, up. Bringing out the interlocking square and the forked line symbols, Crystalyn combined them. If it worked once, perhaps it would again.

  Sending the symbol upward, it stuck to the rock. The crack dimly glowed with a blue radiance. Dribbling small amounts, Crystalyn fed more of the symbol into the crack, thickening it bit by bit. The symbol brightened. Then a loud pop warned her to cover her eyes. Pebbles of sharp stone pattered around her, clattering to the floor.

  “That’s it? Do you have to do it again?” Hastel asked when the dust cleared.

  Her symbol had shattered an opening large enough to serve her purpose, she believed, though bigger would’ve been better. “Lore Rayna, can you get me up there?”

  A pair of branches snaked past and climbed the disc, entwining as they went.

  Crystalyn laughed with delight. “You’re amazing, Rayna!”

  “Many thanks, mistress.” Spoken quietly, the tone of Lore Rayna’s voice sounded humble, though there was a sharp note of pride.

  She should be proud, Crystalyn thought as she climbed. The entwined branches made for wonderful handholds and footholds, as good as any ladder. Near the top, Crystalyn peered over the disc’s rim. A faint red glow revealed a hallway and a wall on the left. She needed light.

  Bringing out the two symbols again, Crystalyn combined them, the blue radiance illuminating the way. She sent it hovering over the right half. A second hallway branched off into darkness. Moving the radiant blue symbol in a slow arc around the disc, she dissolved it when it came near and climbed down.

  Atoi dashed past. “I want to see,” she said. Scrambling up the branches, her hands and feet were a blur of motion.

  “Atoi!” Crystalyn yelled. “Oh, never mind. Be careful, there’s little light.”

  The tiny girl vanished over the lip.

  “Has the way been found?” Long Sand asked.

  “There is nothing to see,” Atoi said, her disappointed voice drifting downward before her small head appeared above the top of the ladder.

  “Not yet, Long Sand, but we’re going to do something about it,” Crystalyn replied. She turned to Hastel. “Give your sturdiest axe to Atoi; I need a starting point for my ice symbol.”

  Drawing the left one from his hip loop, Hastel scowled as he handed it up to the little girl. “Both axes are the same, though they’re unique. I forged them myself along with designing the sheaths. Be gentle with this one, little one. They’ve been a part of me for a long time, you know that.”

  Reaching down, Atoi accepted the axe, her features as compassionless as always. “What do I do with it?”

  “Break a piece of the roof leading above the hallway with the red glow. I will join you when you tell me it’s done.”

  Atoi slipped away.

  Turning to Lore Rayna, Crystalyn raised her voice for all to hear. “Can you hold a while longer? After I climb up and give an ‘all clear’ shout, Hastel, and Long Sand, if he chooses, will follow. The openings are too small for you or Broth. Will you stay with him until we come back?”

  Lore Rayna’s luminous, lidless orbs blazed in the dim torchlight adding a green glow to her hair. Strangely, the color seemed a permanent part of her now, though Crystalyn found she liked it. For many moments, the big woman spoke no word as the sharp cracks of steel against stone rang out from atop the disc. “Is this wise? Little is known of the sand reader, and trusting a nomad is always a risk,” she finally said, not caring if the man overheard, for he looked at them.

  “The naturist has sound reasoning, Do’brieni. Nomads have proven dangerous and untrustworthy through much of our histories.”

  “There is little choice, Do’brieni. I would rather keep an eye on him than have him stay behind with you.”

  “As you wish, though I have objections.”

  Long Sand won’t betray anyone with me watching him.

  Broth grew silent. A sullen feel of dislike leaked into the link that she chose to ignore.

  “I shall continue on with you,” Long Sand announced. Stepping up to the ladder, he climbed it with ease, vanishing over the rim as Atoi had.

  Hastel paused beside Lore Rayna. “We’ll return as soon as we can. If there’s trouble, don’t try to take them out by yourself. Hold them back until I get here, all right?”

  Lore Rayna smiled. “I shall endeavor to keep one alive for you.”

  One hand on the ladder, Hastel grinned. “That’s all I can ask.”

  Crystalyn gazed at her companion. “If something happens, Broth will send word to me. Find a place to stay out of sight and wait for us, and we’ll come at a run. Darwin can wait.”

  “Only if they skulk about in large numbers, Sarra’esiah. A dozen desert scurries would not justify the effort of calling.”

  “No, my dear one, do not battle alone. Go back to those large columns, stay out of sight, and hydrate in the shade. Both of you keep watch on the entrance. Can you do this for me?” Crystalyn asked.

  Lore Rayna looked away.

  “Have no fear, Do’brieni. I await.”

  “As the Sarra’esiah commands, it shall be done,” Lore Rayna said, her eyes upon her once more.

  “That is well. Your dress hasn’t quite recovered. This will help,” she said, climbing the ladder. Crystalyn was glad the dress had been able to absorb moisture from the big woman’s skin and appeared to be on the mend. Lore Rayna wasn’t herself without it.

  Crystalyn joined Long Sand on top the disc, going to the center where he watched Atoi and Hastel work, both axes trading blows with the blunt end. “That will do,” she said, eyeing their handiwork. “Everyone stand beside me. Turn away from my symbol.”

  As her companions complied, Crystalyn brought out the symbol and repeated the process of her slow freeze, amazed anew at the power of ice when the shattered limestone shards caused her to wrap a protective arm across her face.

  Though more jagged, the hole on the far side of the disc was twice the size as the one she’d made before. Going over to it, a quick look revealed a drop similar to the climb up, though nothing she couldn’t handle safely. On her hands and knees, she backed over the edge, gripping it firmly as she slid down hanging by her hands. From there, the drop over half her body length was still jarring, but she managed to come away with her ankles and legs intact.

  As soon as she moved away, Long Sand landed with barely a stagger and then Hastel, whose grunt sounded as loud as his impact with the stone floor. Crystalyn worried about Atoi. The smallest of them had the farthest to fall, but she needn’t have worried. As delicate as a finch, Atoi slipped to the floor without the smallest scrape left behind.

  Sauntering past the two men, the tiny girl headed along the hallway. Crystalyn took one last look at the disc. The jagged hole gaped invitingly above, imploring her to return to the two companions, to escape the gloomy mustiness of an ancient resting place for a king long forgotten. Then she turned her back to it. There was no leaving now, not that way, at least not all of them. The distance to reach it was too great without the benefit of a living ladder.

  The dim red glow originated from several piles of molten lava skinned with dragonscale-like flat plates as it cooled. Atoi deftly worked her way around the hottest piles and scampered over the coolest. As if they’d stepped into the desert sands in midday, heat dried the perspiration on Crystalyn’s skin as she followed, trusting in her littlest companion’s ability to move around in low light. Toward the end of the still steaming elongated rubble, the little girl paused, her wide eyes seeming to glow eerily infrared as she looked back. “O
ur quarry came this way,” she said, her voice echoing dully in the tomb.

  Jumping over a molten crack, Crystalyn hurried over to her. Wider than a person, a smooth walkway had an imprint of a body atop the lava the width of a person. Oddly, the surface was smooth though the lava moved unhindered underneath fed from two molten streams plopping from slits in the roof. “Judging by the heat and the lava still falling, we’re not far behind,” Crystalyn said. “We’d better cross before the path softens. I don’t want to wait for the flow of magma to slow and cool.”

  Atoi dashed to the other side, her leather boots leaving no mark.

  Hesitant, Crystalyn tested the path with her toes first. As smooth and hard as tempered glass, the surface seemed adequate to hold her weight, so she ran across as fast as her little protégé had, which made little sense; should the odd bridge fail, she was as good as dead anyway.

  Ahead, away from the dim glow of the chamber, the hallway closed in with blackness. Bringing out her symbols, Crystalyn combined them. The luminous blue light lit the area beyond Atoi who waited farther along the hall.

  Crystalyn liked the radiance of the blue better than the white she’d used back at the southern outpost in the Vale. Swinging the symbol around, she looked for the two others accompanying her.

  Strolling behind Long Sand on the glassy smooth bridge, Hastel paused briefly now and then, glancing up and down. “How is this possible?” he asked. “Fast cooled with the Flow, do you think? Even more puzzling…” he said, looking up at the lava plopping down from above, “will someone tell me how melted rock is contained for seasons in a heated state? Wouldn’t it eventually cool or melt through?”

  “The Flow was used here, but not as you believe. Overlaid on top, a thin layer, too fine for the eye to view, shields the heat. Such a feat is astonishing, truly, using a shield in such a manner. If that is, in fact, how it was accomplished as a trap and as the way to defeat it,” Long Sand muttered.