by K. M. Bonde
“This is Elora and Ryan,” says Arddun, smiling back at her companions.
The man looks at Elora. “So, you are the one. I felt the flows of magic change the other day, more happiness in the flow. A pleasure to meet you finally. My name is Nevrik.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Eadric makes his way to the political fiery pit of this city, passing both the law enforcement office and the tax office before reaching the city hall, called the House of Voira. Voira is an old name for voice, and also a person who used to live a long time ago. She had a great voice and sang the most beautiful songs many generations ago. Eadric looks at the house, takes a deep breath, and enters the door.
* * *
Back on the east side of the city, a person is being pressed up against a house by a very large axe. Elof looks him in the eye and asks, “Do you want to be called Seven Finger Fred in the future?”
“I promise to never treat customers bad again! I will honor all deals!” Fred yells, trying to squeeze himself flat against the house to avoid the axe’s sharp edge.
Bruce shrugs. “You better, or I’ll let Elof have fun with his axe.”
Fred gives them the money he took from the maid and straightens his shirt. “She can keep the merchandise as well,” he says, his voice raspy.
“And you’d better stick to that promise,” Bruce calls over his shoulder.
“Or I’ll be back!” Elof adds, flashing a grin at Fred.
As they walk away, Elof looks up at his friend. “Let’s go back to the inn. All these good deeds made me thirsty, and a jug of ale would do good for my throat.”
Bruce laughs. “Sure, you’ve earned it.”
They walk back to the inn and enter. The maid comes running up, and Elof hands her the money. “Here you go,” he says, “just like I promised. And you can even keep the extra merchandise, too.”
She smiles and kisses him. “Go and sit, I'll bring my hero some ale.”
Bruce and Elof sit down at a nearby table, waiting for their ale and their party.
* * *
While Nevrik hands Elora various books and scrolls, Ryan heads off to look at the other magical gadgets in the room.
“Please read these,” Nevrik says. “Their knowledge will help you grow stronger with the force inside of you.” He also hands her a beautiful wand.
“If you don't mind,” Nevrik says, “could you enter the sewers? It would be a quest with great peril and danger, but the reward would be worth it. It is said that deep below the city lies an ancient gem with great power. There is also a very important dagger hidden down there; its power can slay even the most dangerous monsters.”
“That might be one of the missing stones we are looking for.”
Elora puts the items in her bag and both she and Arddun thank Nevrik for his help and leave. As soon as they’re out in the streets, Ryan looks at Elora.
“Do we really have time for this side mission?” he asks. “It’s quite a detour from our goal to get to the mountains.”
“And dangerous,” Elora adds, looking over at Arddun.
“I think it is important to find the stone if it is indeed one of the stones we are looking for,” Arddun says. “But, you’re right, it will be a dangerous mission.”
They walk into the inn and find Bruce at a table. He greets them. “Eadric isn’t back yet.”
Elora looks around. “Where is Elof?”
Bruce puts his hands up as if clueless. “He left a while ago, something about meeting the maid.”
Arddun mutters, “Of course.”
* * *
Eadric stands before the representatives of the city, each one seated behind the long table in front of him. He clears his throat and squares his shoulder, then takes a deep breath before speaking.
“There is a new threat from Grimdar,” he says, meeting the eyes of each representative. “I urge you to be valiant and protect the nearby villages and aid us in any upcoming confrontations.”
The city representatives look at Eadric, their faces cold, then at each other. They nod, and one speaks.
“We have heard of the Dark Forces moving in the east, and we agree to help protect Flaxan. But, we will not be involved in any other confrontations as we need to protect our neutrality,” the representative says. “We must think about the city and put its people first.”
Eadric frowns, unamused by their lack of dedication. “That will not matter when the forces of dark plow through the kingdom again,” he says, his voice steadfast and unwavering. “There will be nothing left to protect. We must all take a stance now and join the resistance.”
The representatives look at Eadric with the same cold eyes as before, and one sniffs loudly in annoyance. “We will have to discuss these matters further in private.” They wave their hands neglectfully, dismissing him.
He marches back to the inn and finds the rest of the party at a large table.
“Well?” asks Bruce. “How did it go?”
“Let’s just say that bureaucrats are sometimes unwilling to see the bigger picture,” Eadric mutters. “But they will protect Flaxan.”
Bruce sighs. “That’s better than nothing, I suppose.” Eadric just shrugs in response.
“Well, there’s a new quest we need to take,” Elora says, hoping to distract Eadric from his lack of progress. “I received news that one of the stones might be in the sewers.”
“The sewers?” asks Eadric, nearly shouting.
“You can’t be serious, Elora,” says Bruce. “We need to get to the mountains, not chase down some rumor.”
“But you went to help that maid,” Elora retorts.
“Elora, please,” Arddun says. “Everyone, it may seem like a rumor, but the Queen’s Stones are an important part of unlocking and strengthening Elora’s powers. If we can find the missing one, it will be very helpful in the future.”
“You know I’m willing to go,” says Ryan, smiling at Elora. She smiles back.
Eadric sighs. “If we must go, we will. But we’d better go early tomorrow, we don’t have time to waste.”
“Alright,” Bruce agrees.
“Thank you, everyone,” Elora says. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
* * *
Meanwhile, in a dark cave far from the city, a man stands in front of a table full of potions, gadgets, and a map. Go forth and find me the girl, no excuses,” Grimdar says to the sphere glowing in his hand.
He puts the sphere on the table and looks at the map. Soon, footsteps signal another person in the cave. When they stop, Grimdar speaks.
“General,” he sneers, turning around to face the newcomer. “You need to personally go and oversee the building of the new weapon. I need it finished earlier. Go to the moor and make sure they speed it up.”
“As you command,” the general says. Then, he waves his hand and opens a magical portal. Without looking back, he steps through the portal and disappears.
The sphere glows strongly with an intense red light, almost like a fire in the dark. Grimdar turns and kneels before it, and strange words come from the sphere. The words are unspeakable, old, and dark.
Grimdar finally nods. “Yes, Master. I will.”
Chapter 14: The Slums
Early the next morning, Elora wakes up sweaty and scared, her heart racing. It was just a nightmare. She sits up and glances toward Ryan. He is safely sleeping in the bed next to hers, and Elora breathes again.
In her first nightmare, she dreamed that Ryan fell off an icy cliff. The snow was coming down so heavily, it seemed so real, and even with her panicking and screaming, Ryan didn’t seem to hear her. Then, in her second nightmare, she had to fight monsters, and someone trying to reach her from the beyond. But Elora can’t remember more than that, so she flops back against her pillow.
Their room is small, but somehow, six beds have been crammed inside. Elora glances around and sees Arddun sitting at the window, looking out. Elora crawls out of bed and sits next to her.
Arddun turns aro
und and sees Elora’s disheveled state. “Nightmare?”
“Yeah,” she says quietly. Then, Elora looks out the window on the quiet city. “Why are you up so early?”
Arddun points to the dark sky, a shimmer of orange on the horizon as the sun begins to rise. “There is a stir in the beyond, something evil has reached out. Something is not right, I can feel it, and we need to be even more vigilant and careful now.” She turns to look at Elora again. “Can you tell me about your dream?”
Elora keeps her eyes trained on the horizon as she recalls her dream. “I felt it too; it was like a great darkness that clouded my heart and mind. My dream showed me some horrible monsters fighting, swords and axes clashing, other monsters watching… but then, a dark figure turned around and tried to reach me from beyond the dream. He almost touched me but then… then I woke up.” She pauses and takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “It was so real. I also had a really weird dream about Ryan.”
Arddun takes Elora’s small hand. “When your powers grow, you will be able to access the Sheastream in a more vivid way than ever before. Don't worry, though, nothing can reach you through the veil, no living being can enter, and no dead can leave the Sheastream. We can only connect with it.”
Elora nods, and the two women watch the sun rise in silence. Soon, the rest of the party wakes up as the sun enters through the window.
“Well,” Elof grunts, stretching. “I think it’s time for breakfast. Shall we?” He hops out of bed and grabs his axe, then heads downstairs.
“You all go ahead,” Bruce says. “I want to speak with Elora.”
Ryan gives Elora a quizzical look, but she smiles at him. So, Ryan, Arddun, and Eadric gather their gear and follow Elof downstairs.
When everyone leaves, Bruce turns to Elora. “Are you okay? You look like you didn’t sleep well.”
“I’m fine,” Elora says, shrugging. “Just talking with Arddun a little.”
Bruce holds her gaze for a moment, then nods. “Alright, well, let’s go get some breakfast.”
Breakfast is quiet; the inn is empty, and the party is more happy eating than doing any serious talking this early. Elof takes a big bite of porridge, but washes it down with ale, leading to the dwarf letting out a loud burp. Everyone laughs, and he smiles, content with the food and friends.
Soon, they are finished with breakfast, and after a maid clears their empty plates, Elora looks at everyone carefully. “Our next path will lead us into the sewers. There is supposedly an item of great importance lost down there.”
“We need it before we journey to the mountains,” Arddun adds. “We need to go to the slums to find a way into the sewer.”
Elora continues to watch everyone carefully, trying to see if they agree with her or not. No one says anything, and they just look at each other and Elora with blank faces. I guess they don’t really feel like going down into the sewers, either.
“I really dislike rats, especially the huge ones that supposedly lives in the sewers,” Arddun says, her face scrunching up like she smells something gross. Then, she adds, “But this is important.”
Elof shrugs and laughs. “Nothing my axe cannot handle.”
“I am not concerned with rats,” Bruce says carefully. “I'm more worried about the more unseen vermin down there, namely the thieves and bandits hiding from justice. It is rumored that the leader of the thieves himself supposedly lives down there.”
“This quest is important to our success to win the war. We need to find the gem and also a dagger, based on what Nevrik said.”
“Elora’s right,” says Ryan, and everyone looks toward him. “Isn’t this war against the Dark Forces more important than rats or thieves?”
Elora looks at Ryan, and he nods at her. At least he believes in me, she thinks before turning to look at the rest of the group. “Then we’re headed to the sewers. Let’s go.”
The street outside is less busy than yesterday, and the sky is blue; it looks like it will be a beautiful day. They slowly walk toward the furthest part of the city, the slums. The stores and merchants of the city are preparing to open, but so far, they haven’t seen many other people. Elora takes the time to relax and clear her mind.
The street starts descending, and they finally get down to the lower level of the city. Poverty runs high here, and some of the more depraved citizens live here. As they go deeper into the slums, Elora sees a few kids begging on a street corner. She approaches, her heart breaking at the sight of their grimy clothes.
“Here you go,” Elora says, handing each of them a copper piece.
“Thank you!” one shouts.
“Thank you, miss!”
Their smiles make Elora's day, and she smiles back to them. The kids bow to her and scamper off, probably to get some breakfast. When Elora rejoins the party, Ryan quickly kisses her forehead and takes her hand.
They stroll past another inn, The Old Pig. It doesn’t look as nice as the one they stayed at. Everything down here is so dirty and dangerous compared to the main level of the city, Elora thinks. The houses and stores aren’t maintained well, and everything is dingy, dirty.
Ryan stays close to Elora, straightening his back and pushing his chest out. “I'll guard you from any danger lurking down here,” he says, his voice extra deep.
Elora looks up at him and giggles. “Please do, my strong man!” she exclaims in an equally silly voice. “I can't bare the relentless dangers down here! I need protection!”
They both laugh, and when Ryan meets Elora’s gaze, her heart skips a beat. I’m so glad he’s here, she thinks.
“Would you have believed this a year ago? That we would be in a world like this?” Ryan asks.
Elora shakes her head and frowns. “I can’t fathom it, nor do I believe what lays ahead of us. I still think about my mother and about your parents.”
“I’ve been thinking about them a lot, too,” Ryan says, his head down. “I'm sorry if I’ve been absent at times during the journey. My thoughts have been wandering. I want to support you, it’s just… hard.”
“It will be alright,” she says, taking his hand and smiling gently. “We will figure everything out. Take the time you need to mourn your family. Your being here is enough support.”
Soon, they catch up to the rest of the group in a small, overgrown park, and Bruce holds up his hand. “Let’s take a short break,” he suggests. They’ve been walking for nearly an hour, and Elora is happy to stop.
As the party sits down to rest, Arddun motions for Elora to stand up.
“I can’t take a break?” she asks, annoyed.
“No,” replies Arddun. “Before we get in the sewers, I need to show you magical barriers and protective wards. Magic is not all about offense; defense can be a life saver in a tight situation.” Arddun casts a magical shield in front of herself. “Focus on creating a barrier.”
Elora holds out her hands and focuses, and finally, a barrier forms around her. It flickers as Arddun pokes at it. “Good, Elora,” says Arddun with a mentor's proudness. “It seems the defensive school of magic is easier for you than the offensive school.”
Elora glances at her mentor, then quickly throws a barrier around Arddun as well. The two barriers flickers as Elora and Arddun gets too close to each other. Arddun claps her hands in delight. “Very well, not only have you learned to cast wards for yourself, but you also learned how to cast wards on others. You can protect the rest of the party if needed.”
They sit down and rest while opening their bags to bring out some fruit and bread that they brought with them. Elora is about to open an orange when Eadric speaks.
“Let’s pack up and get into that sewer. The sooner we can finish this side quest, the sooner we can leave for the mountains.”
Elora sighs and puts her orange away, then stands and follows the rest of the group. They walk down the street again, and a little further down, Eadric stops and looks around a corner.
“The entrance is here,” he says.
; Eadric walks into an alley and puts up a hand toward the party. “Wait here.” Soon, he comes back. “Okay, it’s clear. Come on.”
There’s a grate near a crate in a corner of the alley. Eadric and Bruce bend to it open.
“Who first?” asks Bruce.
Elof steps forward first, gripping his axe tightly. “I’ll go.”
Elora looks at the gaping hole where the grate used to be. It is dark and unwelcoming, and her brain is telling her to run the other way. No, it’s nothing, she tells herself. You must be a queen, a hero. Still, as she climbs down the ladder, all she can feel is her own poisonous doubt.
Arddun’s staff lights up, giving the dark tunnel some light. It’s moist, dark, and filthy down here, Elora thinks. A small stream of something that used to be water runs through the tunnel. To their right is an opening where the water pours out, gated so no one can enter. To the left is a long tunnel leading under the city.
Arddun takes a step toward the tunnel, then looks back at the group. “Ready?” she asks, holding up her staff to light their way.
Chapter 15: The Sewer
As they walk deeper into the dripping sewers, Arddun begins to walk slower, hesitating.
Elora comes close to her and asks, “What’s wrong, Arddun?”
The mage jumps slightly as Elora nears her so silently. “I keep thinking about those big rats living down here.”
“It’ll be okay. Fire is the solution to any rat problem,” Elora jokes.
Arddun smiles a little, and the group continues down the path. Soon, they reach an intersection; the tunnel splits in two directions: right and left.
“Well, which way do we go?” Ryan asks, standing close to Elora.
Elof and Bruce move toward the right, while Arddun and Ryan move toward the left. We can’t split up now, thinks Elora as she looks between the split group. So, she holds up her hand. “Wait! We shouldn’t split up. Who knows what we’ll find down here. It’s safer to stick together.”