by Tom Rogal
Levus collapsed with relief. The cool stone bridge felt good on his hot skin.
Divi went to sit down when she felt something. Something else was in this room!
Instinctually, she leapt at Levus. “Watch out!”
She jumped on top of him just as several arrows whizzed by their heads. The back of Levus’ head hit the stone hard, but he shook the pain off as best he could.
Had it not been for these mysterious attackers, she wouldn’t have minded staying in this position to rest. She rolled off Levus, licking her dry lips.
Levus asked, “You sure you don’t know any powers other than telekinesis?”
She gave a half smile as more arrows flew their way. Levus ducked Divi’s head just in time. When the arrows stopped coming, he quickly looked over the edge. What he saw was beyond belief: Night Predators! What were they doing here? They should be in the woods, or the northern mountains at the very closest! He didn’t even see why they would leave the forest. The only threat they could face was from Ulcinar, but he would have no reason to attack them. This was turning into a mystery.
A cloud of arrows whizzed by their heads.
Divi asked, “Now what?”
“We’ve got to make it to the other side! It’s our only chance!”
Another wave came before Levus jolted up, grabbed Divi’s hand, and sprinted across the bridge. He could hear the Night Predators yelling on the lower bridges. Another small circular room, just like the many others in the caverns, awaited them through the next entrance. They stopped for a short rest, since all was quiet. Levus had a hard time comprehending this new development. All this time he thought he knew everything about the Night Predators from tales and traveler’s stories. Yet everything had changed in just a couple of days. There was so much the people of this continent didn’t know.
Divi could feel that he was scared . . . at least, she thought it was fright. She still was trying to learn to control her “special” power as her dad put it: The power to be able to feel other people’s emotions. This ability was what separated her from the rest the mages in Myyril. Most mages could sense what a person might be feeling, but its normally just a guess. She was one of the few mages who could do it accurately. Her father told her this ability was in her blood and other mages would deem her dangerous because of it. She was not sure how it could be, but it was one of the many things that made her an outcast. Even as daughter of the High Mage and the future successor to the throne of Myyril, she was still treated with much disrespect.
Divi diverted her attention back to Levus. She could feel everyone in Myyril’s feelings, yet she had a harder time accessing his. Levus seemed to be evading her attempts . . . like he was blocking her.
Levus lifted his head off the wall and glanced around, “I swear I heard something.”
The echo of dripping water was the only sound for a long time. A loud boom finally interrupted the tense mood of the continuous drip. Both looked at each other, knowing exactly what was on its way.
“Time to go.”
***
Divi and Levus had been running for nearly an hour without encountering the Night Predators or that huge creature. Yet, they could hear them throughout every cavern. Their presence was well known to the occupants now. Levus tried keeping them to the outer end of the caverns, hoping it would lead to an exit. They finally reached a long hallway with a bright light at the end of it.
Levus exclaimed as he ran forward, "At last!"
Divi, realizing he may have found an escape, pulled ahead of Levus. She heard the soft sounds of the ocean and the light chirping of birds. It was so near she could almost taste the salty waters. She laughed, just as Levus did, as he ran past her.
Suddenly, he came to a dead stop when he reached the end of the cave. Levus grasped her shoulder tightly.
Divi was going to yell at him until she looked down. They were still a hundred feet from the bottom of the cliff. A few pieces of loose rock on the edge broke off and plummeted toward the jagged stones, the sharp teeth of the shore. This was not the kind of exit she had in mind.
“It’s okay. We’re safe. We've got to hurry, though. This is a dead end and they might be able to find . . .”
Levus was unable to finish his sentence. A deafening moan from the far end of the hall interrupted his thought. Both knew what it was--- it found them! The moan was soon followed by the strange dialect of the Night Predators before the echo of footsteps encompassed the hall. Staring straight ahead, Divi could see the torchlight coming like a flock of the native firebirds that lived near Myyril. The ground began to rumble violently. Levus checked the cave floor for something they could use to defend themselves. Nothing.
He could always use that sword Technique . . . No, he couldn’t. He could barely control it, anyways. Besides, he didn’t think Divi liked him using it. What do I care, though? Especially at a time like this.
The creature’s moan broke Levus from his trance. The Night Predators and their pet . . . monster were close now. If he and Divi were going to survive, he was going to have to think of something fast. He searched the outside walls of the cliff. That's it. That's the answer!
“Divi!”
She looked in his direction. Her face was still terrified. The shaking got stronger.
“I've got an idea. Stand still until they get close, then grab onto the side of the cliff!”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“We’d be crazy not to! When I say ‘now’, we jump to the side! Got it?”
Divi nodded her head. Five Night Predators with torches and swords accompanied the large creature. The quaking made it hard to stand straight. The creature tore off age-old rocks like they were brittle. Its aggression grew powerful the closer it got to its prey.
Divi looked over to Levus, who was so focused he never acknowledged her. With their attackers now about twenty yards from their position, she started to panic.
When the enemy was fifteen feet away, Levus finally gave the signal. “Now!”
Both ran to the side and leapt, grabbing on to nearby jutting rocks. The pursuing creatures took the bait and within seconds began plummeting toward the sea. The large creature tried to grasp Divi as it fell, but its claws rasped futilely on the stone. She watched the six bodies fall to their doom until they crashed on the sharp teeth of the beach. She had to look away when the stone ripped through the large creature’s flesh. Her grip almost loosened when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. With a large sigh of relief, she saw it was only Levus.
He helped her nervous body back into the cave and held her until she could stand by her own will.
“I’ve had enough of these caves. Let’s get out of here.”
***
Divi collapsed on the fresh mud while Levus knelt next to a large rock. It felt good to have a full blast of wind on them again. She was glad he decided to climb through one of the ventilation holes instead of moving through the rest of the cave. For once they had to be thankful for the Night Predators. A small group tried to sneak attack them by climbing through the hole of a lower level. Levus dispatched them and took the grappling hook they used. They were now at the top of the eastern face of the cliffs on a large grassy knoll.
Divi looked down the direction they had traveled these past days. She didn’t believe how far they had come. It seemed like they only went a few of miles with all the backtracking and curving paths. More to her left, she could see the vast plains that Levus had previously described, the grassland stretching for miles. She turned her head farther left toward the rock where Levus was situated.
He wasn’t there. She began to look around furiously. He should know better than to leave me without telling! Divi stood up and jogged northward. After a few yards, she found Levus leaning on a large rock. She came up to him, feeling something odd. Whatever this secret was, he didn’t want her to know. She tried once more to harvest his feelings. Nothing. He was blocking her ability . . . or something else was. Divi placed her hand on his shoulder, t
rying to look in his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Levus, not meeting her gaze, said, “There’s our destination.”
It was not the answer to the question she was really asking. She was kind of getting used to it now, though. She finally faced north. Divi was struck by amazement at the sight. A large city stood, much nicer than Porsita, and the buildings were eloquent. It was still in the distance, but one could see the quality of the construction. Even the houses on the outskirts of the town were well made. This must have been the type of town her father had described to her.
Divi said, “It looks beautiful!”
“Tartus, the second largest city on Dyyros. It was also the last city to oppose Ulcinar’s forces when they invaded. When Tartus fell, so did the rest of the northern cities and villages.”
She could hear the hidden anger in those words. Obviously this Ulcinar affected so many lives in more ways she initially thought, including her Levus. She hoped they never would meet.
“Come on. Let’s go. Getting this close to the city via the caves is good fortune. I don’t want to waste it. Oh, wait. Here are some of the flint rocks from the cave. If we ever need to start a fire, we could use these.”
Divi put the stones in her pouch as Levus began to walk forward. She followed until she met resistance by his arm. What's the matter now? He looked at the sky, listening. All she heard were the chirping birds and the sea. What could he possibly hear?
“Levus, what’s . . .”
“Shhh!”
He quieted his mind. For some strange reason, he heard voices, more than one, and they sounded like they were getting nearer. Yet, he could hear nothing now. Perhaps it was just his imagination. The musty air in the caves have been known to play tricks on ones judgment after too long. Plus, who would be all the way up where they were?
“C’mon!”
Levus and Divi froze. He was right! How did he know? He looked for a place to hide, finding a large stone close to the edge that offered a slight alcove on the western side facing the water. It wouldn’t provide much cover, but it was better than nothing. Divi lay next to him and they waited. At first, no one came. The voices seemed to get closer at times, then farther away. Finally, two men emerged from the north and came toward the edge. Levus peeked from their vantage point. They were still in the distance, but there was no doubt they were heading their way. One of them thankfully stopped to take off his boot.
Levus examined the them carefully. The uniforms showed these were men in the Dyyros army, now Ulcinar’s army. Just by the medals on the taller one, he could tell he was a commander. He kept quiet in hopes of hearing the two men’s conversation.
The commander yelled, “Come on! Hurry up! We've got this entire range to patrol and I’d like to get back before nightfall!”
“You try walking with large rocks in your boots. I still don’t get why they have us walk this path. Only those crazy adventurers come here.”
“Quit questioning command! I swear you’re going to get me into trouble.”
“Then why are we here? They never tell us anything!”
The commander replied angrily, “They tell us only what we need to know. We need only to find these two individuals and bring them with us. What else do you need?”
“Like, what have they done?”
The commander laughed heartily at the comment. “Does it matter? They could’ve stolen a piece of bread for all I care!”
Divi watched the two men argue. Kile must have found out they had a larger lead than expected, so he was sending patrols out. How did he contact his men this quickly? As she listened, it became apparent that taking the caves was the right call. If they took the plains, they would have been caught for sure. Divi adjusted her body to get a better view. In the process, her foot hit a loose rock. With a rumble, it rolled off the cliff's edge. Levus’ eyes grew wide as he glanced at the two men. The commander heard it too as he looked in their direction.
“What was that?”
The soldier replied, “What was what?”
“I heard something fall down the cliff.”
“You’re fooling yourself.”
“Go check. We can’t be too safe.”
The soldier replied, “Only to prove you wrong.”
He made his way toward the rock. This is not good. Levus had to think of something fast. He had gotten them this far and was not ready to get caught now, so near to their goal. He grabbed Divi’s arm and pulled her toward him so they were facing the southern side of the cliff. The alcove was larger on this side, but he only hoped it was enough. The soft roar of the incoming tide muffled the sound of their movement. Levus crouched down a little lower so that the commander couldn’t see them. The soldier finally reached the rock, which he examined very quickly before turning back to face the ocean and then his companion. To their luck, he didn’t look directly down, for if he did, their feet would have been in clear view.
“Nothing! A waste of time!”
On swollen feet, the soldier began to storm back to his commanding officer. Levus and Divi both sighed at the close call.
The soldier said, “It was probably just a bizam. They burrow almost everywhere.”
“Possibly. We better continue.”
The two men continued walking south. Levus waited until they were completely out of view before moving away from the sanctuary of the rock. Divi’s muscles were still tight. Yet they relaxed slightly when Levus placed his hand on her shoulder. His soft touch could calm the wildest beast.
Levus said, “Kile is good. Someone must’ve leaked our destination from Porsita.”
“I bet it was that Jeris!”
“Possibly. Anyone that saw us and knew our heading could have sold us out the same. It’s not time to worry about that now,” Levus said, “We've got to get into Tartus. Obviously getting in front is going to be impossible. They probably have a unit guarding the gates.”
Divi asked, “Then how do we get in?”
“Cerrapies!”
The large shop lay silent. The man waiting in front of the counter began to tap his expensive boot against the old wood. His silken clothing and heavenly jewels glowed from the peeking sunlight. Where was that man? Couldn’t he tell he was in a hurry? He pounded his fist this time.
“Cerrapies!”
From the door in the back, a man in his upper forties stepped out. His blond hair reached past his shoulders while his long mustache went down to them. He was extremely well built with strong muscles. He eased his mood upon the stranger’s entrance.
The customer asked, “Cerrapies, where is my sword?”
Cerrapies stared coldly at the man before giving a hearty laugh, looking toward the ground. The customer was confused by his actions. The famous blacksmith finally looked up at him, brushing some of his stringy and tangled hair away from his face.
“Your sword isn’t to be ready for another week.”
The customer said, “Change of plans. I need the sword now. A precarious situation has presented itself, forcing me to attain my wares in a most hasteful manner. You will supply me with my demand this instant.”
Who does this guy think he is? Noble or not, no one told him what to do . . . especially in his own shop. He never would have been treated this way on the mainland. Why did he ever decide to leave? He could have tried to open a shop in Cordca.
That’s right. He remembered. He had to get away. Too many bad memories there that he wanted to forget.
“You nobles think you know everything, don’t you? You think you can intimidate me with your flashy dress and your large words?”
“What . . . ? You speak blasphemy! I should have you . . .”
“I beg your pardon, my lord, but is it not you who came to me?”
The customer slowly nodded. “Yes, I came here upon my own accord, sir.”
Great, one these "formality nobles," as he called them. Acting like he was older than he was by sounding all sophisticated and polite. He couldn’t even stand
up to this lowly blacksmith. How was he going to survive in battle? He was probably just trying to impress a girl, Cerrapies figured. If that was the case, he hated to make him a weapon of such great quality. He made swords for warriors, not corpses. Then again, he did pay him upfront for the work. He needed to learn to not instantly take a job because of the money. Some patrons, despite the money, were not worth his time. Well, shouldn’t be too bad. After he picked up his order, Cerrapies was quite sure he wouldn’t see him again.
“Do you know how long it takes to make a weapon of death no inferior to those of your gods? Is that not what you asked me to make for you?”
Cerrapies chuckled inside. He knew it was what he said. He remembered laughing for days about this young man imagining he would be any good with any weapon.
The young man jumped a little by Cerrapies’ tone of voice, but slowly nodded.
Cerrapies flashed a slight smirk and began to mimic his customer’s motion.
He continued, “Then come back in a week.”
The customer was offended, but knew there was no point in arguing. Cerrapies didn't even take notice of his presence anymore. The customer stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Cerrapies began to adjust all the blades nearby. The shop was quite large with a great variety of equipment. Hammers of every shape and size were either hanging from the walls, laying on an iron block, or resting on the wooden floor. There were seven iron forging blocks, a couple on which rested half-finished blades. Many finished blades lay in long, metal boxes. Forging pits smoldered in the corners at each end behind the room-length counter, with small piles of coal near them. A large stone bowl of water stood in the middle.
It seemed like a lot for a man who worked alone, but he certainly used it all. With the reputation he had as a smith, he was naturally busy, working on numerous projects at the same time. He knew the smart thing to do eventually would be to take on an apprentice. He did have much knowledge to pass on, and he knew any hopeful in Tartus would die for the chance to work for him. Being the blacksmith for the Bi-century Tournament winner tended to do that, even here on Dyyros where almost none of the residents had any idea what that honor meant. Until the day he couldn’t keep up with the requests because of his age, though, he would continue to work in such a manner as he had. Cerrapies began to sort through some his more recent orders, including his latest customer’s unfinished one, near one of the small windows.