by Tom Rogal
Tasi added, “And let’s try and keep it that way. Eraddor and Levus, strip them of their robes and put them on. You too, Thamalos. When we get in, we should split up. The cave shouldn’t be too large. Hopefully they have her in a secluded spot. Kill only when necessary. If you find her and she is too well guarded to take by yourself, find us. Let’s get this over with.”
Levus thought he was given the short end of the straw when he was told to go to the deepest parts of the cave. Tasi took the main floor because that was the one he suspected Divi to be on. Eraddor took a more easterly path, where food and money were most likely stored and where the rebel mages would eat. Thamalos headed toward the religious part of base, which would be the most crowded and, if they were looking to sacrifice Divi to Kremmos, where he would have the highest chance of success for a rescue. Levus was given the basement, used primary for living quarters. As it was late morning, Tasi suspected they would be nearly empty.
He didn’t understand why Tasi thought him so weak. Granted, he didn’t have as much combat experience as one like Eraddor, but he had the sword and its hidden magical advantage. He would show them he wasn’t helpless.
He placed his hand by the Moonsaber, always checking it was still there under his robe. It was sure weird having to carry a staff on one's back. He began to wonder how Divi or any other mage did it, for the matter. They'd "borrowed" the recently departed Hand member’s staves for the ruse. It was the only way they could pull it off. As Tasi and Divi had both reiterated, mages go nowhere without their staff.
He passed a couple of members, using hand gestures to greet them. He didn’t want to speak much as it might give him away. Tasi was right. These were the living quarters, rows of hallways with twenty rooms down each, and they were quite empty.
When he reached the middle hall, he noticed a man standing there in front of a door. It sure looked as if he was guarding something. How lucky would it be if Levus was the one who found Divi . . . and only had to dismiss one guard to do it? He started down the hall. The guard, instead of being alarmed, seemed relieved.
“Thank the god, Kremmos! You’re late! I couldn’t stand being here another minute. Take your shift, Milophi!”
Levus grabbed the hilt of his sword through the hole he'd made in the robe. Although he felt bad having to kill him, it was probably the smartest thing to do. Whoever Milophi was needed to be late for at least another ten minutes.
“Jerbron! Get down! Salian butyion Viunton!”
A bluish ray was unleashed his way. Levus fell to his stomach to avoid the spell. Jerbron was still trying to figure out what was happening. Levus had to take advantage of this to avoid being caught in a pincer attack. He quickly got up and stabbed Jerbron in the chest.
When Milophi saw Levus kill his friend, killing the boy became more important than calling for help. He instead brought his hands back. From beneath the skin of his hand, a bluish mist formed, then became electrical bolts.
Milophi chanted, “Cerromin duontiion Lientu vujilra!”
The bluish lightning seemed to engulf the entire hall. Levus wasn’t going to be fast enough to outrun it. He braced himself by placing the Moonsaber in front of him, fully expecting to be hit with his first mage spell. Much to both of their surprise, that didn't happen. Levus opened his eyes long enough to see the Moonsaber was not only stopping the bolts from reaching him, but absorbing them. Milophi negated the spell, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Impossible!”
Levus, again wanting to take advantage of his opponent’s daze, ran toward him. Milophi tried casting some quick fireballs, but the Moonsaber deflected them all. It wasn’t until Levus was within five feet that the thought of calling for help entered Milophi’s mind, but it was too late. Levus stabbed the mage through the heart, killing him.
As he pulled the Moonsaber out, he almost thought he could hear it crying tears of joy. Finding the sword could have been one of the best things that happened to him. Why had his Dad been afraid of it? A sick smile grew on his face.
“Who’s there? What’s going on?”
Levus snapped out of his trance. He knew that voice. Running to the door where the first guard was laying, he tried to open it, but it was locked. He searched the body of the guard, but found nothing. He didn’t remember seeing a key hanging on a wall or anything on his way down, either. Guess it has to be done the old-fashioned way. Taking the Moonsaber, he hacked away at the door. It only took one slash to complete the deed, as the lock fell to the floor in a loud clang.
He paused for a second. He had hardly realized how much noise he must have been making. Thankfully, no one seemed to have heard anything. Maybe it was that Dark . . . evil magic stuff they used here. Whatever the reason, now was not the time to ponder it.
When he entered the room, a large smile grew on his face. There was Divi, chained to the wall and sitting on an uncomfortable stone ledge. She smiled as well seeing who her rescuer was.
“Levus! I knew you would come!”
“I told you we are going to see this through. Now, let’s get you free. Watch your hands.”
“Hold on! These chains are coated with Dark Magic. It will do nothing or break your sword.”
“No, it won’t”
He raised the Moonsaber high while Divi closed her eyes. To her surprise, all she heard was the blade cracking through the metal with ease as her arms fell to her side. By the time she opened her eyes, Levus had already freed her feet as well.
Divi asked, “How did you break it?”
“Let’s just say I think I found something that is resilient to Dark Magic. We can talk later. We must go. Can you telepathically tell Eraddor, Thamalos, and Tasi that I found you? We can meet them outside.”
Impressed, Divi wondered what he had or did that could negate the Hand's abilities. As he said, though, this was not the right time or place. Until they were outside and back on the road, they were not safe.
She replied, “I can, but it’s not refined enough. Others might hear as well.”
Levus said while tossing her staff to her, “We have to take that chance. We’ll draw too much attention to ourselves if we keep looking for the others. I believe in you. C’mon!”
She grabbed Levus’ hand as he stopped in the doorway. The only people still here were the two dead bodies. Good. Just because his sword could absorb the spells didn’t mean he wanted to, especially now that Divi was with him.
Divi, meanwhile, closed her eyes and tried to focus her telekinetic abilities toward just her three friends. Please, for once let me do this right and only to my friends . . .
Thamalos arrived at the church mid-service. When he heard chanting, he feared they might be offering her as a sacrifice. He didn’t know Ferigor’s Hand and their ways, but sacrifice was one of the major themes of Dark Magic. It meant that those who followed it were very committed to their cause.
The walls had horrific sculptures of people in pain or in true delight. They cast eerie silhouettes in the cave's limited lighting. All the mages wore their hoods up, giving the elf the feeling like this was more of a cult than a way to change Myyril. He personally saw no reason to change the government of the mages. Sure, they had their problems, but they normally had good and just rulers.
The only man not hooded was one who Thamalos assumed was the head priest. He was bald, as most elderly mage men were. His beard was shorter than he expected. The jewel in his staff was a deep yellow. Thamalos had forgotten most of what the mage jewel colors represented, but he was certain it indicated the man was a teacher at one point. As he looked around, most of the staves in the room were red or purple.
The priest began reading from an old book. “We stand here this morning to praise our great god of death, which also represents rebirth. Through his teachings and his ways, we have been reborn into a powerful being. Although we are not worthy of such power, the great Kremmos is righteous! All are humbled when faced with his power. Power he has bestowed upon us for our dedication to his arts. Al
l pray to the mighty Lord of Death! He is the only god that is guaranteed. Pray that his mercy is shown to no one but his most faithful of followers.”
Thamalos was nearly sickened hearing this priest talk. It was jarred to know that so many people could believe in a cause so foul. He wasn’t certain if Kremmos had demanded this of his followers or not. Any race’s god of death or mortality had stranger rules than the rest.
Zulfaris suddenly emerged with five other mages. They went straight for the priest, who silenced his prayer as soon as he noticed who it was. The Ferigor’s Hand branch leader whispered in his ear. He wished his hearing wasn’t affected by the Dark Magic as well.
The priest turned to face everyone and said, “It has been brought to my attention that four of our brothers have been slain and stripped of what they wear. The murderers may be amongst us as I speak. I ask you all to remove your hoods.”
Thamalos didn’t like the sound of that. He had hoped it would take longer for them to discover that the outside guards were neutralized. Whoever their leader was seemed to be expecting trouble. There was no way he would be able remove his hood. His ears would give him away. He did his best to slip out the back while the other members of the group unhooded themselves.
“Everyone! Levus freed me! Leave now!”
Thamalos paused when Divi’s voiced filled his mind. What a relief. At least they had rescued her. He didn’t know what he would have said to Arionn if he returned without her. Taking a quick glance back, he saw that everyone was looking in his direction. Damn, Divi hasn’t perfected her Telekinetic Speech yet. They all heard her, and because I'm one of the central recipients, the mages have sensed who it was meant for. To his horror, there were women and older children here as well. Not many, but enough to cause the elf some sorrow.
The priest and Zulfaris noticed the people staring at one individual in the back.
The priest commanded, “Kill the usurper! The God of Kremmos demands it for slaying your brothers in cold blood!”
The people readied their staves as Thamalos raced toward the exit. Thank the gods he had gone in this direction. He doubted the mages would be able to catch him with his speed. Without the horses, though, the rest would be sitting ducks. He hoped Levus had gotten them or this might be a short trip. Regardless of what happened, he had to make sure that at least Divi and he survived. He had to get her to the Wood Elf leader at all costs.
***
Outside, Levus and Divi sat on their horses waiting for the others. The horizon was illuminated by the rising sun. It had been ten minutes since they exited the cave. It seemed like an eternity. He hoped the others hadn’t been captured. Surely, they would have reached out to Divi with telepathy if that was the case.
The horses grew more nervous with every passing second.
Levus finally said, “They’re taking too long.”
“Maybe they just need to find the right opportunity to sneak out. It sounded like there were many of them in there.”
Divi thought far too positively. The way Tasi had described these maniacs, they were in trouble if they got discovered. Maybe the Hand cast a spell making telepathy impossible? Whatever the reason, even if it was nothing, he had to find out.
Levus said, “Stay here. I’m going to go in fast to see if they are coming.”
Divi pleaded, “Don’t! We were fortunate to not run into any of them on the way out. It is not kind to test fate twice.”
“If they are in trouble, I might be their only hope. If I'm not back in fifteen minutes or you see one of those cultists, take the horses and go. They won’t touch you if you can reach the outpost.”
Divi wanted to stop him, but he was already off his horse and walking in. Levus moved quickly through the first part of the caves. It didn’t seem like anyone used the entrance unless they were going outside or replacing the guard. He rushed to the junction where the rescuers had separated.
As he ran, the elvish amulet jangled underneath his tunic and breastplate. He had put it back on when they retrieved the horses. He certainly hoped that if they ran into trouble, the Dark Magic wouldn’t cause him to crumble.
When he reached the junction, he opted to go down the path that Tasi took. If he ran into trouble, what better person to have than a mage? He made it past a couple turns before he saw someone sprinting down the hall. Levus was ready to fight, until he saw that it was Tasi. Behind him were at least five Hand members.
Tasi yelled, “Run!”
The lead Hand member began to cast a Dark Magic spell. Tasi wouldn’t have made it to the first turn before the spell hit. Levus jumped in front of Tasi as the spell headed his way. Using the Moonsaber, he swung at the conjuration. As they connected, Levus' body jolted. The spell seemed to stick to his sword. Yet after a few seconds, it was reflected and hit the five Hand members.
Levus fell to the ground, dazed. All he could hear was a loud ringing in his ears and his vision seemed blurry. Was the spell causing this? As he looked down, he saw the amulet glowing bright like the sun. Damn, not now! Not now!
Thamalos was the first to exit, followed by Eraddor. Tasi emerged shortly after, out of breath. They all mounted their horses, ready to go, but someone was missing. Horror began to grow on Divi's face.
“Where is Levus? He went in to check on you. Did anyone see him?”
Tasi eventually said, panting, “I ran into him and told him to run. I thought he was behind me.”
That wasn’t good. He shouldn’t have gone, but she couldn’t stop him. Now they were just waiting on him.
Thamalos said, “We have to move. They will be out here any minute. There is no way we can take on all of them with just the four of us.”
Divi was appalled. Was he suggesting that they abandon Levus? After all he had done for them and for her, they were just willing to toss him aside?
“I will blast the entrance with a spell. It will slow them down long enough to put some distance between us.”
“No!”
They all looked at Divi, who had tears in her eyes, her face a portrait of confusion and compassion.
Thamalos said, “Look, I know how you feel, but we must get you to safety. I want to help the boy as well, but there is little we can do with Dark Magic in play. And with our numbers.”
Divi exclaimed passionately, “How can leaving him be an option? He is one of our company. I am not leaving here without him. His fate is ours.”
Tasi looked at the elf, who was not pleased with the answer. Thamalos could take out a small wave of the Hand, but once they got more members out of the cave, their magic could mow them down quickly. But he couldn’t force her. He knew Divi too well.
Tasi had the spell already waiting on his hand. This was not the right call. He had to do something. Their distance ahead of Dark Magic-wielding Ferigor’s Hand members giving should not be wasted. This group scared him, like they did any mage. He knew what would happen if they were caught. He would only wait so long. With or without Levus, if the group was near the entrance, he had to blow the cave.
***
Levus didn’t know how long it took to recompose himself after the spell. It could have been seconds or even minutes. All he knew was that when he got up and his hearing returned to normal, there were seven Hand members ahead of him, helping their injured and moving their dead. He had to get moving. That spell had that power even when reflected. He didn’t want to know what it felt like to be hit with one head-on.
He tried to run, but his recovering body was clumsy. Levus wanted to sheathe his sword, but if they fired another spell at him he would need it. What he wanted to do was rip that amulet off and leave it behind. He knew that was impossible because Thamalos would notice it right away. He had the keenest eyes of anyone Levus knew.
He reached the junction; the entrance was not far now. The way he was moving, though, fifty yards felt like fifty miles. Voices came from down each hall. He had to hurry, no matter how much his body ached.
He ran as fast as he could, the
uphill climb making matters hard. He almost fell a couple of times when the path grew steep. He had forgotten how hard it was running back up here with Divi. That was before he got hit with the spell.
In the distance, Zulfaris yelled, “There's one! Get him! Don’t let him escape!”
Levus limped, beginning to lose feeling in one leg. He hoped it was a short-term effect of the spell and not permanent. All he knew was that it was going to slow him down a lot. As he looked up, he could see the light of the entrance tunnel. He was almost there. So were his pursuers. Sheathing his sword, he put everything he had into his run.
“I can see him!”
Divi was excited as she saw him limping his way to the entrance. The limp did concern her, but what concerned her more was that the Ferigor’s Hand members were right on his tail.
Visibly antsy, Tasi said, “I have to blast it now, Divi!”
“You will not! C’mon Levus!”
“Divi!”
Divi scolded, “You blast it now and I will never forgive you!”
Tasi didn’t want to listen, but he knew Divi better than most. Some could say he knew her better than her own father did. When she made a promise, she liked to keep it. He also saw what happened to someone who got on her bad side. Neeza was the first and only example he needed. He would hold off for now, but he couldn’t wait much longer.
Levus was nearing the entrance when he stumbled on a stone. He didn’t fall completely, but it slowed him down enough that the Ferigor’s Hand members were only fifteen feet away from him. He could see his friends on the outside, trying to motivate him to hurry. I wish I could. Whatever the spell did had now caused his other leg to go numb. He tried crawling, but he wouldn’t get far enough before they caught him. He was done.
From the outside, he heard Divi yell, “Tasi! Now!”
When the fireball burst from the mage's hand, Levus felt invisible fingers grab him and pull him through the cave entrance. Tasi’s spell hit seconds after, causing the ceiling to collapse. The Ferigor’s Hand members were driven back by the rock debris and the dust.