by Blink, Bob
Burke followed one of the twisting tunnels down to a lower level. Despite being inside a mountain, the ceiling glowed softly and provided normal daylight levels of light inside the caverns. His own area was on this level, as was the bubble departure and arrival area that they used to move around. Unfortunately, only some cities had an area that was receptive to the bubbles, so they could only get quickly to certain locations. It had taken years to build up the background on the places they could go as it was. Several of the scholarly wizards who seldom left the Caves were engaged in a fulltime search for additional locations.
Burke walked into his office and sat down heavily in his chair. He wasn’t sure where to start. He agreed with the Trio that more wizards were needed, and fast. It took far too long to train them. Transferring knowledge related to wizard’s skills was an arduous task, and sometimes seemingly impossible. Only fifteen of their number had the critical ability with the energy blasts, and that included the young seven year-old prodigy Nycoh who was far too young to be involved in the fighting. Stronger than anyone else in the power, with a greater variety of skills, she had come to the power far younger than anyone else they’d ever encountered. Finding Rigo was going to take him away from what he thought to be a far more important task, but he had his instructions.
Chapter 44
All four of them were startled at Ash’urn’s sudden disappearance.
“Great Risos!” Rigo exclaimed he was taken so unaware.
Ever practical, Daria reached out and ran her hand through the space where Ash’urn had been only moments before.
“He’s still here,” she said triumphantly as her hand encountered the older gentleman.
“Yes I am,” Ash’urn’s voice confirmed from the empty looking space. He suddenly appeared, although somewhat indistinctly as he moved backwards a step and then disappeared once again.
This time it was Kaler who tested the space and found the man still present. After a few seconds, Ash’urn muttered another incomprehensible phase and reappeared, a hint of a smile showing through his thick beard.
“That’s incredible!” Rigo exclaimed. Then he looked at Ash’urn. “Do you have ability with magic and have been concealing it all along? How would you hide it from the necklace?”
Ash’urn laughed his characteristic rumble. “No, I wish I had the power that you and Jeen possess, but unfortunately no I don’t. I told you I picked up little tidbits here and there in my travels. The people in one of the more isolated villages in northeast Lopal had retained a small group of phrases from the distant past that allowed them to simulate certain magical traits. It was one of the discoveries that assured me that my searches for those with magical abilities were not ill founded. In the months I stayed there I was able to learn a couple of the phrases. Many I could never master as the language doesn’t sit well upon my tongue. Can you imagine having to say such a complicated joining of sounds smoothly without stumbling? Some of the other phases were considerably longer and more convoluted.”
Something tickled Rigo’s memory. “When you left your journals I thought I heard you mumble something. That was another of these phrases you speak of, wasn’t it?”
Ash’urn nodded. “Yes, it was. It is a protection spell. Nothing will bother what I left there until I return. It is one of the handier phrases I learned.”
“What else can you do?” Jeen asked.
“I can set a barrier around my camp. It will let me know if anyone approaches. It was one way I knew you were approaching my camp when you found me. I should have used it when we camped the other day and maybe we wouldn’t be in this fix, but I didn’t want to be seen muttering to myself and I wasn’t sure if you would trip it just by being there. I should have experimented.”
“Anything else?” Daria asked.
“Only one other,” Ash’urn said. “I can purify water or any other liquid. It comes in handy sometimes.”
“You say there were other spells?” Kaler asked.
“Perhaps another dozen. One mimicked that spell of Burke’s that kept us from getting wet. I tried and tried to learn that one but was never successful.”
“Why the secrecy?” Rigo asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“You could do real magic, and there didn’t seem to be a need. I wasn’t keeping it secret really, but was somewhat afraid you might decide that the village where I learned these things was where you should be headed. I can assure you that isn’t the case, and they might have died out by now. It was several decades ago, and they weren’t fairing well. This isn’t like the magic you employ. You don’t use phrases or words to trigger your magic, do you?”
“No, I don’t,” Rigo admitted. “However, I find it interesting that magic can be triggered in such a manner.”
“I’m still not comfortable that Ash’urn kept this from us,” Kaler complained.
“I didn’t really keep it from you,” Ash’urn said. “I simply didn’t tell you before. Now I am because it might be of use somehow. None of us have told the others everything about ourselves. For one thing it would take too long to do so.”
“The rest of us don’t keep secrets,” Kaler said again.
Daria spoke up in Ash’urn’s defense. “Actually we do. My name isn’t Daria, it’s actually Nuiz. That’s the name I was born with. Only one or two people know it, and now you do. It didn’t seem important, especially since I use the name Daria most of the time with friends anyway. I suppose, however, that was a secret.”
“I guess since we are confessing such things, I should mention that I’ve been keeping a secret as well,” Rigo added. “It’s not something I’ve known for long, but it’s something I’m certain of. I didn’t know how to bring it up exactly.”
“What’s that?” Kaler asked.
“I’ve been thinking about my staff for sometime and how and why it can do the things it does. Not too long ago I became certain of the answer.”
Daria looked at him expectantly.
Rigo grinned sheepishly. “I made it,” he said simply.
“You made it?” Kaler asked. “How did you do that?”
“That’s part of it. I don’t exactly know. It was also a long time ago.”
“How long?” Kaler asked.
Rigo sighed. “Over twenty-six hundred years ago.” He held up his hand at the outburst that resulted. “I know. That’s ridiculous. But I can almost see myself. I was older, with a beard. For some reason the name Daim seems to fit. I was already gray and I sense I had abilities far beyond those of Burke. For some reason I felt the staff necessary, but I cannot say why. I also cannot explain how I could have lived then and how that person became me.”
Rigo looked at the group of his friends. “You can see why I never mentioned this. Even if it’s true, what good is it? I don’t know who that person was or what motivated him or what it has to do with anything today.”
“If you’d received a bonk on the head when we were taken I’d say that was the reason,” Kaler said exasperated.
“Could you have lived that long ago?” Jeen asked him almost whispering.
“I can’t see how,” Rigo answered. “I can remember growing up with my adopted father. That doesn’t fit. I’m guessing I’m somehow getting memories from the staff relating to where it came from. It must have memories of the man who created it.”
“Perhaps the staff can transfer some of the man’s abilities to you?” Ash’urn suggested hopefully.
“Okay, this is all interesting, but it hardly helps us at the moment,” Kaler said. “Is there a way we can use what Ash’urn can do?”
“The problem is that I cannot move,” Ash’urn said. “The spell conceals me very well, but any movement disrupts it and reveals my presence. If it weren’t for that, I could simply walk through the door when the guards open it.”
“Can you include others in the spell?” Daria asked.
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Do it again,” Rigo asked. “I felt an odd sensation when you d
id it last time, but wasn’t expecting what you did so I was distracted.”
Ash’urn complied, and moments later he was gone again. After several moments, he released the spell and returned to their sight.
Rigo seemed to be studying something inside his head. “Let me try this,” he said, more to himself than the others.
Suddenly, he disappeared just as Ash’urn had done. However, he muttered no phrases. He simply was there one second and gone the next. Daria reached over to pass her hand through the space where Rigo had been standing expecting to find him as she had Ash’urn. Her hand passed through empty space.
“Over here,” Rigo said from across the cell. They still couldn’t see him until a moment later when he suddenly appeared, leaning against the cell wall.
“That works remarkably well,” Rigo said.
“How did you do that?” Jeen asked.
“The words Ash’urn was speaking resonated with something in my brain. It unlocked my awareness of the ability. I can’t explain it, but I’ll bet if you concentrate on what he says, you will be able to do it as well. More importantly, I can move while concealed.”
“Can you conceal others?” Daria asked.
“I haven’t tried of course, but I have the feeling that its restricted to the user. We’ll have to experiment.”
“Even if not, you can get out the gate,” Kaler said.
“That’s right. I’ll be able to take a look around outside and come back so we can plan an escape.”
Of course it wasn’t that simple. Rigo had to take Daria’s suggestion and try to make others invisible with him. It didn’t work. He couldn’t move Ash’urn while he was invisible without making him reappear either. A change in location by whatever means appeared to cause the spell to lose its effectiveness. Jeen felt really bad because she was unable to duplicate the feat. Ash’urn worked with her, but it was to no avail.
Finally, they decided it was late and they needed to get some sleep. They chose their locations and spread out on the hard floor. At least it wasn’t cold. Rigo wondered what it would be like in here come winter.
It wasn’t a restful night. The floor was hard, even to individuals who were used to sleeping on the ground. When they traveled and camped out, however, they had been able to chose where they slept and pad the ground with leaves or pine needles. Here there was nothing between them and the stone. In addition, as Darr’yl had promised, a number of the prisoners came by to check on the presence of the women and to test the bars to see if access was possible. All were disappointed to find the cell locked up solid, despite rumors that the women had been circulating freely earlier in the day.
“First time I was glad to be locked up,” Daria noted the next morning. Jeen nodded her agreement.
They had decided to take no action for the moment. This was the first day in the prison and they weren’t certain what special notice might be taken of them. Since the first shift would be the more likely time for anything to take place, Rigo would wait it out with the others. Only when the second shift left would he sneak out, with the intent of coming back inside later in the evening with them. There was a risk. If someone were to check while he was outside there would be no way to cover the fact he was missing. It was unfortunate that they hadn’t been released into the general population, but that was the situation and they would have to live with it.
Shortly after first light could be seen through the skylights, the huge door was cranked open. A pair of immense wagons with large pots were pulled inside by teams of horses flanked by a number of guards. A pair of lines had already formed by the prisoners. Quickly the men in the two lines started receiving bowls of whatever was in the pots. Each man took his offering and slunk off to eat. After a while the five prisoners in the cell noted that the men who had finished returned to dump the empty bowls into the back of one of the wagons. Darr’yl had warned that they kept track of the number of bowls.
After the number of those being fed dropped off, bowls were brought and handed through the cell to the five of them. The food had little smell. It was a thick broth with a variety of vegetables and a couple of small pieces of meat. Nothing to get excited about, but it wasn’t awful and was probably nourishing enough. It made sense. The prisoners here were being counted on to perform hard labor, which they wouldn’t be able to do if they were weak from hunger. They were a valuable resource, and it paid to keep them strong.
“You’ll each get a piece of bread with the dinner meal,” the guard told them as he handed the bowls. Otherwise, no conversation passed between them and the guards.
After everyone had been fed, two of the three wagons were driven back outside, while the last waited with several guards as the bowls trickled in. One of the guards came and retrieved their bowls, and then a group of a half dozen walked over. The door was unlocked and they were escorted over to the outhouse area that Darr’yl had shown them the night before. There wasn’t any privacy, but they were allowed to take care of their needs, then escorted back and locked up once again.
Finally a whistle was blown. A few stragglers hurried over with the bowls, and then the guards withdrew. The gate remained open, with a large number of guards waiting outside. Soon the men began to form up opposite the cage, and at the signal of one of the guards the men marched single file out of the entrance and off to the right outside. Then they were lost from view. When the last of the men had marched through the entrance, the metal door was lowered into place, sealing off the interior.
“It doesn’t appear anyone wants to speak with us,” Kaler noted sourly as the door banged into place.
“We’ll wait and see what happens for a few glasses,” Rigo said.
A number of the prisoners who had been on second shift when they’d been brought in wandered by to have a look at them, a few stopping to chat. For the most part it was just idle curiosity. Darr’yl was in the mines with the first shift, but apparently he’d passed some kind of word they weren’t to be bothered, and word had spread that the women were securely locked in.
Midway through the shift it was apparent that they were being ignored. They would be fed, allowed out briefly, and then ignored until some decision had been made regarding their future. In this case that was in their favor.
Around midday when virtually all of the prisoners were back in the interior caverns having lost interest in the caged captives, Rigo unlocked the cell and stepped outside.
“How exactly do you do that?” Jeen asked.
Rigo asked her if she could manipulate small objects with her power. She nodded and explained she’d had some success. Rigo had her come over and explained how the lock worked and what needed to be done. He had her try, and after several failed attempts she suddenly figured out what he wanted her to do. She then was able to unlock or lock the cell as easily as he could.
While the others remained in place in case anyone looked their way, Rigo made himself invisible and then wandered over by the metal door and looked it over carefully. He also examined the surrounding area for the best place to wait out of the rush. He’d seen where the guards liked to position themselves and where the prisoners would pass. There were several nooks in the rock wall that would serve his needs.
“It’s going to be a little tricky,” Kaler noted. “They will feed us, and probably take us back to the toilets, then you’ll only have a few minutes to get out of the cell and into place before they close it up again.”
“I watched closely last time,” Rigo replied. “Once they are through with us and the men are lining up, all their attention is on them. There’s so much confusion in here that if I make myself invisible, carefully slip through the cell door without opening it more than the minimum, they’ll be unlikely to notice. Jeen can lock it up after me.”
“You’ll have to be out the full shift,” Daria noted. “That should give you enough time to have a good look around. But you probably should be waiting to hurry back inside as soon as they open up. Someone might elect to check on us while the door
is open.”
When the time came it worked just as they had planned. Rigo was able to slip out unobserved, then moving slowly simply walked past the guards and into the open camp outside. He hurried into the trees off to the left where he’d be out of the way having noted the guards took the prisoners to the right. He watched as the door was lowered by six men on the massive wheel after the crews had been exchanged, and then hurried after the retreating prisoners. He wanted to see where they were being taken.
The mine entrance was only a short distance away. After less than two hundred paces the hillside opened up on the left and a heavily worn path down a ramped section of earth led into the dark. Rigo followed well behind the men and their guards, entering the cool semidarkness. He followed for five minutes, seeing they bypassed several branches and continued straight ahead until they finally turned left where the main tunnel split deeper inside. It was easy enough to see where they were going by the worn path on the floor.
That was far enough for now. He had other places to explore. As he walked back out alone, he looked down the passageways that had been ignored. Some showed signs of use, but others appeared to have been ignored for some time. He would have to ask Darr’yl what he knew of the mine.
Back out in the sunshine, Rigo returned to the massive door and then worked his way through the camp and around to the left side of the hill that formed the outside of their prison. Even out here the mountain seemed to be a single massive piece of stone, with trees along the base, but nothing much growing on the side until one climbed to a considerable height. It took him a while to work his way around as he looked for the exit point of the stream that flowed through the interior.