by JD Franx
PASSAGE FROM GALEN VIHR’S PERSONAL JOURNAL.
END-WINTER, 5025 PC.
RUINS OF ARKUM ZUL
TAZAMMOR MOUNTAIN
Galen Vihr’s reconnection to the power of the earth sparked every nerve ending in every part of his entire body. For months the emptiness inside him had slowly been eating away at his spirit and at his desire to live. Now his life bond, his cruus, had been returned to him and his body shook with adrenaline as it tried to adjust. The pleasure caused by the re-established connection to the earth’s power filled him with hope for the first time in many months. The euphoria created by magic and magic alone was a feeling he thought he’d never again experience. Once he managed to settle his scrambling thoughts, he immediately noticed the substantial increase in power at his command. Or perhaps he’d just forgotten the sensation of real magic.
A journeyman wizard when captured, any increase in energy he could draw on now could only be attributed to his gift being restored by Kael. Checking a second time, he was positive he could access significantly more magic than before, but whether the increase was permanent remained to be seen. If it held long enough to aid in their escape it would be a blessing. If it was permanent, the Master Wizard Trials would now be easy to pass. Realizing he missed the trials and Graduation, he shook his head and focused on the problems at hand.
N’Ikyah intruded on his thoughts. “Galen, you need to help with me with Kael. We must go. Time is something we are very short of. Remember to use your knives if we have to fight. The Orotaq are almost completely immune to magic. Use your magic to increase your strength and speed, or against the surroundings, not for direct attack,” she said, in a whisper, at the same time trying to lift Kael off the ground. Once Kael was up, N’Ikyah headed the way Kael told them to go, towards the far end of the cell block to the balcony. Galen stopped, looking back over his shoulder.
“What? Are more coming?” N’Ikyah asked.
“No, wait,” he said, turning to her. “This is crazy. We should go the other way. It has to be quicker than going deeper into the mountain.”
N’Ikyah shook her head. “There are more Orotaq that way, we will be caught... or worse.”
“There can’t be that many. We can fight our way past the few that are left. Those bastards might be immune to magic, but steel can still kill them,” he said, grabbing one of the blades he slid through his belt.
“I will not go that way, Galen! There are still dozens of Orotaq up there and we do not know how far up the main gate is, if one even exists. This is Sythrnax’s fortress, the entrance will be heavily guarded. We cannot fight them all.”
“There could be just as many down that way. You don’t know. We may never find our way out. You’re talking about heading into the Deep Earth, N’Ikyah. There are other dangers to—”
“I do not care!” she snapped. “We cannot fight that many Orotaq. Kael told us to go this way. As heightened as his senses are, maybe he knew the way is clear, or perhaps something with his magic wants him to go that way. It is the same way they brought us healers and the Dead Sisters into this mountain. There is a way out down there, somewhere. At some point, you have to trust him, Galen. He has always done the best for us. Now, it is time to go, or it will not matter which way we travel.”
Sighing with frustration, the wizard shifted Kael’s body weight to himself. “Fair enough. I don’t like it, but let’s go. Any chance you know where this travel bag of his is being kept?” Galen asked, remembering Kael’s request as they exited the cell.
“Yes. Head in the direction Kael told us to go. Your travel bags are in the guard room. I’ve seen where they keep some of the things they took from you. I’ll get it and return,” she said, pointing towards the opposite direction. She let him take Kael under the shoulder and headed for the guard room, where she found Kael’s and Lycori’s travelling packs, but no weapons and none of the other wizard’s belongings. She also grabbed three long Orotaq leather cloaks hanging on the wall. Kael would have to be kept warm until he woke.
She was back at Galen’s side as he turned the corner and shuffled himself and Kael down the half dozen stairs, entering the last set of cells before the balcony and the stone stairwell that led into the chasm. Passing the last cell door, they heard a yell from the corner.
“Galen? Merciful Inara. Galen Vihr, is that you?” Someone called out from inside the cell. Turning at the sound of his name, Galen stared with open eyes.
“Kalmar? Is that you? By the goddess! Thank her blessings, you’re alive. We thought we were the last. Stand back, and I’ll get you out.”
Taking the burden of Kael’s full weight, N’Ikyah hissed, “Hurry, dammit. We do not have time to waste.”
“I won’t leave him here, N’Ikyah. Gods, you know what will happen.” She nodded and carried on dragging Kael as best she could on her own.
Galen focused his new, reacquired power on the lock and whispered. “Hniga Skor.”
The heavy lock snapped open with a deep clunk, and he swung the door wide. Kalmar Ibess, the master wizard captured with him and Gabriel in Ipea, smiled with relief as he walked through the door to freedom, thanking Galen repeatedly. They chased after N’Ikyah and helped with Kael, who was in a near comatose state.
“What about all the others on the lower floors?” Kalmar asked.
“We cannot help them,” N’Ikyah barked. “We have to escape, now!” The old wizard paled with disbelief.
“There’s nothing we can do for them, Kalmar,” Galen agreed. “Notifying the Wizard and Elder Councils of what’s happening up here is more important than anything or anyone. You know that. It’s our duty, and if we get caught we’ll die in here, likely within minutes of capture. We have to go.”
Kalmar pushed his long, white hair back in frustration, pulling a length from each side and tying it in a knot behind his head so it stayed out his eyes. “I’ll follow you,” he snapped, “but I don’t like it, Galen. Leaving them to suffer and die is wrong.”
The stairs heading down into the crevasse were clear of Orotaq guards and the small group rushed ahead, taking turns helping Kael. They were six flights down before they heard sounds of pursuit. Four more sets of stone stairway and they reached the bottom. Cave tunnels led off in four different directions.
“Which way?” Galen whispered.
“Far left,” she said, her voice hushed as well. “The Orotaq are dominantly right-handed. They will head right first during their search.”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a poor slave?” Kalmar asked.
“No, but once Kael thought we might be able to escape, I watched and studied them. We are free now. I would like to remain so. You?”
“No arguments here,” Galen added, turning to the left. With Kalmar helping him carry Kael, Galen pointed to N’Ikyah to lead the way into the far left-hand tunnel.
They travelled down the tunnel for two hours before they finally saw daylight shining in the distance. Another half hour and they were able to look out of the gaping mouth of the cave. Galen and N’Ikyah laid Kael to the side while she made sure he was wrapped in one of the cloaks she stole from the Orotaq guard room. When finished, she joined the two wizards standing in the shining light at the entrance to the cave. The warmth of the blazing midday sun caressed skin that had been isolated from its revitalizing gifts for far too long.
The sight that met the three new companions was inspiring. They were standing in the mouth of a mountain cave several thousand feet above the level of the ocean as surf crashed on the rocks and cliffs below. Many miles to the west they could just make out the towering, snow-capped heights of the Corynthian Mountain Range. The Sea of Storms to the south of their position was calm, but dark clouds and intense lightning could be seen miles out in Talohna’s most notorious body of salt water. The stunning, yet powerful view along with the first fresh air and sun they had felt in months washed away some of the horrors they had experienced while under the care of Sythrnax and the Dead Sisters. Kalmar was th
e first to realize where they were.
“By the gods, Galen, we’re inside Tazammor Mountain. We have to be, it’s the only explanation. Look, you can see the Wildlands to the southwest and those mountains to the northwest have to be the Corynthians. We are standing inside the ancient Dwarves’ prison and secret weapon foundry.”
Galen was surprised by the revelation. “That’s not possible is it? No one has been able to find an entrance to Arkum Zul. Ever. The secret city was supposed to be hidden by the Dwarven people because of the foundry, wasn’t it? That’s why there’s no real entrance.”
“You’re right. You know, I’ve spent most of my later life studying the Dwarven extinction, there’s no other explanation. The creature that brought us here must know a way in, and more importantly for us, a way out. With the prison so far above us now, the ruins of the city built for the foundry’s workers and families is probably below us. There might be a way out that way. How about you, Galen? How did you get inside the mountain? We were put on different boats at Ipea. And you, girl? Can either of you sense anything below us?” Kalmar asked, as he turned to N’Ikyah, who had been silent as she stared out into the sea.
“I cannot. We were blindfolded the moment we boarded the vessels that brought us here. We docked inside a cave. I could feel and smell the damp. As I told Galen earlier, there is a way out, but it is down. However, if you consider that Sythrnax knew where and how to operate the Dwarven machine that took your bonds, I would say Kalmar is correct. He has been here for some time. He must know the location of the main gate,” she said, clearing up any doubts that may be left.
“I was unconscious,” Galen answered. “I have no idea how I even got here. It doesn’t help us and we can’t go this way,” he said, pointing at the steep slope beyond the cave.“We might as well get Kael and move on. I can’t sense any life from below us either, though it could be the silencing amulets Sythrnax’s warriors wear. It doesn’t matter, though; there’s no other choice. N’Ikyah? How he’s doing?”
“He used a lot more magic than he should have getting us out of there. The way he killed Arabella? He should already be dead, Galen. I do not know how long before he wakes. He needs a stable rest without us jostling him every three seconds. We need to find a safe place to stop. I am not sure if his second bond will… I am not sure,” she said, dropping her voice, and avoiding saying more in front of their newest companion.
“These young wizards today, always trying to push too far. How many times did I warn students about that back at the Eye, Galen?” asked Kalmar, sounding like someone’s stern grandfather.
“Too many,” Galen nodded, and smiled as Kalmar missed the reference to Kael’s second bond. He wasn’t looking forward to explaining to the older man that they were travelling with a DeathWizard. At almost five hundred years old, he wasn’t sure how the cranky old wizard would react.
“We’ll have to go back down and see if we can get deeper into the mountain. Find a way out that way, the ruins of the city let’s hope,” Galen suggested. “We’ll never make it down the steep face of this cliff carrying Kael. If we were all in perfect health or all had magic to enhance our weakness, perhaps we could make it, but not with the shape we’re in.”
“All right,” Kalmar said, as his eyebrows furrowed. “Back inside, but we should hurry. The mountain and the prison above us will be covered in Orotaq warriors and those loyal to that purple-eyed creature before long.”
They picked Kael up and headed back into the cave. On the way back they discovered a side tunnel they had missed on the way out because of the angle of the entrance. It headed in the direction they had originally come but at a wider and much steeper angle. Three hours of walking brought them to the bottom of the inclined tunnel and out onto a ledge that overlooked a huge underground cavern the likes of which none of them had seen during their time underground. It was becoming clear that the mountain was honey-combed with caves, caverns, and yawning chasms, leftovers from the days when the ancient Dwarven people had lived there.
The ceiling was hundreds of feet above their heads and adorned with stalactites made from rock and cloudy white crystals that were stained by pink run-off from some unseen source of moisture. The cavern’s vast size showed no signs of any life, intelligent or otherwise. The only sound was the hollow, dripping water as it fell from far overhead. Stone stairs carved in a spiral formation lead down the walls of the cavern to a yawning depth that was swallowed by the darkness. N’Ikyah and Kalmar held Kael as Galen scouted the immediate area. He returned as Kael’s body began to convulse, shutting down from the stresses of the past day.
“Galen!” N’Ikyah whispered urgently, as she and Kalmar lay Kael on the cold stone surface at the chasm’s edge. “We have to stop. Kael needs to rest. If we keep going, it will kill him.”
“Are you crazy? If we stop, they’ll find us. We have to keep moving. Now. Kael would understand.”
“You selfish creature!” she snapped, lunging at him. “He saved your life, gave you back your magic. I will not let him die. We can stop, you and Kalmar can keep watch. Explore further out while he rests. They are Orotaq, Galen, you’ll hear them coming long before they get here and we’ll have time to run.”
“She’s right, Galen,” Kalmar added, checking Kael as the convulsions passed. “His heart beat is dangerously low. If we don’t stop, he’ll die. He has two hours, perhaps. I can’t be sure without my magic.” The old wizard absent-mindedly touched the Gyhurra collar around his neck.
“This is a bad idea, Kalmar. You have to see this.”
“I do, Galen, but the life I have right this instant is thanks to him you tell me, so let’s return the favour for as long as we can. I’ll head out and down in this area to keep watch. You go back up the way we came, hopefully your esoteric senses will give you fair warning if our pursuers approach. If not, use your ears. Agreed?”
“Too many chances, Kalmar,” Galen mumbled, earning a sigh from Kalamar and a glare from N’Ikyah.
“There are chances and there are calculated risks,” Kalmar said. “Your inexperience stops you from being able to identify the difference. You said Kael freed you from the Dead Sisters and the Orotaq. Experience tells me we will need him again, therefore giving Kael the time he needs is a calculated risk worth taking. You’re a talented wizard, Galen, and I know Ipea was your first field assignment, but if you plan on testing for your Master Wizard certifications, you must learn from this experience or you will fail. It’s not just a test of power. Understand?”
Galen stood tall and bowed. “I do. My apologies, Master.” He turned and headed back up the tunnel they exited. “I’ll return if anyone comes close,” he called back over his shoulder. Kalmar helped N’Ikyah set up a small, fire-free camp to settle Kael in, and then headed out around the chasm as the healer once again went to work trying to do what little she could to save Kael’s life.
Kael came back to consciousness screaming in horror and hyperventilating from the nightmares that had haunted his unconscious hours. The scream felt like it had been torn from his throat by the cold hand of death itself. He panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings and nearly a half minute passed before he understood where he was. N’Ikyah had been by his side the whole time, but the leftover remnants of his nightmares caused so much confusion, he wasn’t even aware that she was there. Not wanting to make matters worse, she waited until he calmed down before she placed her hands on him and let a calm healing magic soothe his rattled nerves, though there was nothing she could do for his traumatized and disturbed mind. She said nothing, and held him as she tried to soothe the terror that the last four months had caused.
Though his mind had begun to calm, Kael’s body and his head felt as if he’d spent the last week drinking every vile alcoholic concoction available in all of creation. His head throbbed with every beat of his racing heart while his stomach felt like it had been twisted into several tight knots. Every fibre of his body hurt as if scorched by fire. The memory of what happened back
in the cells was with him from the minute his head cleared. The anger he felt at the time was gone, but the black hatred for the Dead Sisters remained. But neither the anger or the hatred could stifle the guilt that was eating away at his soul.
Kael knew that he was no longer the same person he used to be, and he no longer cared. If this plane of existence he been brought to was to be his permanent home, then he would make damn sure to spend his time trying to discover who and what he was. But almost as importantly, seeing to the utter destruction of people and creatures who would cause the kind of suffering the Dead Sisters seemed to enjoy so much, as well as the strange, purple-eyed freak that delivered him to them.
Noticing he had calmed a significant amount, N’Ikyah touched Kael’s chin and turned his face to hers. “How do you feel?” she asked.
“Like I spent the last few days with an Orotaq scrambling my brains in very bad alcohol, just so he could slap them back into my head and strain them through my nose.” She smiled at his exaggeration.
“I tried to tell you. Using that much magic is a bad idea.”
The newcomer that Kael had noticed minutes before, spoke.
“You are very lucky, young one. Most young wizards die from overexertion at your age and experience,” he offered.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not your typical wizard then, huh?” Kael smiled after his rude reply, not realizing Kalmar didn’t know what he was.
“Kael!” N’Ikyah barked. “That was rude.”