by L. R. W. Lee
The others strained to hear until Yara broke the silence, exclaiming “It’s beautiful!”
“Sounds like something dying,” Hannah remarked, receiving a frown from the princess.
Alden looked over and said, “Then maybe I can heal it.”
Hans brightened. “I believe we’ve nearly reached the Giant’s Ring. The stones make music on the wind.”
“You call that music?” Andy groused. At first the wispy notes sounded haunting and vacant, but as the group drew nearer, the hair on the back of his neck rose as higher-pitched moaning tones chimed in.
Not long after, the sun revealed a golden object glistening on the horizon. Several more minutes of walking and Andy could make out a structure rising from the boundary between land and sky.
Stonehenge, but it’s gold.
Andy scanned the skies again and exhaled.
Approaching to within a hundred yards, Andy felt dwarfed by the size of the colossal stone giants buttressing substantial cross beams.
Several of the lintels lay broken on the ground while others teetered precariously, as if threatening to dive. In the center of the ring, a grass-covered mound spanned fifteen feet in diameter and rose to eye level with Andy.
“I never thought I’d see anything as remarkable as the unicorns, but this…” Alden voiced his wonder. “How’d they build it?”
Yara pressed a hand to her chest and ran her eyes about the structure.
Hans shook his head, “Still as amazing as the first time I saw it, even though it’s broken.”
“Wow,” Hannah murmured.
The soldiers studied the surroundings. Each walked with a hand twitching on a weapon. Fluttering wings in the center caught Andy’s attention. A brightly colored bird about the size of a swan soared and dove about, trumpeting a mournful cry. Dark orange, red, and crimson feathers covered the bird’s body while its tail held orange and deep yellow coloring.
“Whoa! Is that a phoenix?” Andy questioned. “Its wingspan must be at least twelve feet!”
“I’ve never seen one, but it fits the description,” Hans replied.
“What’s wrong with it?” Hannah queried, noticing the bird’s molting plumage and irregular flight pattern.
The phoenix exposed huge, razor-sharp talons as it flew near. I’m supposed to get a feather from that? Andy swallowed hard.
The bird soared upward as high as the unbroken lintels but crashed into an invisible barrier and bounced off. Its erratic flapping caught a current a moment later and it resumed circling.
“What just happened?” Yara wondered.
No one had a ready answer, but all watched enthralled for several minutes.
“Everyone behind a stone!” Captain Baldric whispered forcefully, breaking the trance.
Out of the corner of his eye Andy saw two zolt land inside the ring as he ducked behind a mammoth golden rock alongside Hannah, Hans, and Sergeant Hammond. They waited several minutes until the captain gave the all clear.
Andy peeked out from his cover. The phoenix continued its wobbly flight and mournful serenade, but there was no sign of the enemy. “Where’d they go?”
No one answered, but the soldiers drew their weapons. Andy and the others did the same. Sergeant Fulk stepped between two stone giants to investigate but struggled to advance. The officer made a second attempt with the same result.
“Getting weak there, Fulk?” Sergeant Terric joked.
“Be my guest.”
The burly black-haired officer moved forward a pace, but like his comrade, his steps halted there. He turned a shoulder toward the barrier and pushed. When that proved fruitless, he backed up and charged, slamming into the blockade and bouncing to the ground.
Fulk grinned, then held out a hand to help him up.
Captain Baldric advanced a step and Andy followed, placing his palms against the invisible wall. It felt smooth yet solid. He pushed, but it didn’t budge. The phoenix swooped only feet away and Andy quickly backed up. That thing’s huge!
“It’s trapped,” Hannah deduced. “We can’t get in and it can’t get out. This barrier must cover the top as well as the sides.”
Alden tested the invisible wall and declared, “It feels like the force field the bellicose uses. It sure acts like it.”
Andy shot his friend a quick glance. “Hannah?”
“I don’t sense that thing,” she replied, concentrating only a second.
Phew.
With no possibility of entering the ring, the group returned to circumnavigating the structure, testing for an opening between each of the golden stones. They had made it three-quarters of the way around when they paused before a short avenue that jutted out from the circle. Two stone structures, which resembled wishing wells without peaked roofs, guarded either side of the path. Crowning the appendage, another carved stone stood watch. This one measured only half the height of the others.
Andy approached the left well and peered in. Unable to see anything, Methuselah’s blade lit and he lowered it in as Alden and Hannah joined him at the edge.
“What’s down there?” Hannah questioned.
“It’s not far. Bottom looks dry,” Alden assessed.
“Looks like a tunnel,” Andy surmised as Yara joined.
“I wonder where it goes,” the princess pondered.
Terwoo woop, oop-oop-oop. Terwoo woop, oop-oop-oop.
Andy looked up and saw fluttering wings not far away, but they were not those of the phoenix. A dozen zolt had landed and raced toward them.
“Andy! I sense the bellicose!” Hannah exclaimed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Fides
“Time to see where this tunnel goes!” Andy announced.
It took no convincing. Yara leapt over the side of the well, landing with a thud. She scrambled out of the way as Hannah was right behind her, then Alden followed with Calum held close.
“You’re next, Andy!” Captain Baldric insisted as the soldiers surrounded the opening.
With no time to argue, Andy complied, landing hard. Hans came next, then Hammond, Terric, Ranulf, and Baldric.
“They’re close! Move!” Sergeant Fulk yelled as he landed, bouncing up and drawing his sword. “Andy, you have the light. Lead the way!”
Shaking off the rough landing, Andy dashed down the earthen passage. The bare dirt walls curved to match the ring above. He raced past a multitude of tunnels jutting off to the right, the rest of the company on his heels. Several minutes later, gasping for air, he turned his head and panted, “Do you hear them coming?”
Before anyone had a chance to reply, three zolt burst from a side tunnel just ahead. With no time to stop, Andy barreled into them, bowling a strike. He and the three bird-pins sprawled on the ground as another ten vulture-warriors emerged from the same tunnel, surrounding the company.
“That’s far enough. Drop your weapons,” one of the bird-soldiers commanded as he grabbed Hannah and pressed a dagger to her throat.
No one opposed the demand. Two zolt wormed their way among the company, collecting the cache of weapons.
“Now move!” the leader decreed, pointing toward the tunnel with his torch.
A vulture-warrior paired off with each captive and escorted them at knifepoint. The warrior paired with Andy held its dagger so close he wondered when he would feel warm liquid trickle down his neck.
Progressing with the grace of three-legged race competitors, they had not gone far when Andy spotted a dim glow ahead. Several more paces and the group was bird-handled into a spartan torchlit cavity. A dozen thick timbers buttressed the space, holding the earthen ceiling aloft. Clattering and clanking shattered the quiet as two zolt dropped the group’s weapons near the passageway.
“Very good,” a voice cracked from the far side.
A seven-headed dragon slumped on an earthen throne, its wings limp over the arms. Each of its heads was bandaged. Is that where his ear was when he was a karkadann, before I cut off it?
Andy recognized the bel
ligerent zolt leader who stood sneering to Abaddon’s right. Dagon. He also made out Gozler and Maladoca, junior menaces, who stood at Dagon’s side along with a dozen other vulture-warriors. To Abaddon’s left lingered a shadowy figure clad in black robes, its face concealed. Only dark fingertips protruding from oversize sleeves revealed its identity as human.
A translucent figure floated near a fire burning to the left of the enemy ranks.
Of course. The party wouldn’t be complete without Imogenia, Andy thought snidely.
“Watch yourself,” his inneru cautioned.
Though unable to turn his head, out of the very corner of his eye Andy spied Hannah biting her lower lip, her eyes wider than he had ever seen.
The dragon nodded two of its heads at the soldier detaining Andy, and it dragged him forward. Andy saw Captain Baldric and Sergeant Terric struggling against their captors.
“If you’d like your prince to die, please continue,” Dagon warned.
Movement ceased.
Abaddon cleared his throats, commanding attention once more. “Three times you have impaled me with your weapon, three times impeded my ability to live forever. To say this does not please me…” The dragon paused for effect.
The lady spirit hovered without expression.
Three of Abaddon’s heads glanced over. “What? Nothing to add, Imogenia?” they taunted weakly.
The ghost frowned but refrained.
That’s interesting.
“And now, little prince, you shall pay,” Abaddon added in a whisper.
Dagon took a step toward Andy with his dagger ready for action when Hannah gasped, then yelled, “The bellicose!”
As if directed by a homing beacon, the black panther-man barreled into the room and headed straight for Andy, igniting chaos.
“Stop,” Abaddon commanded weakly.
Methuselah.
The sword appeared in Andy’s hand and he quickly dispensed with his captor as the beast lurched forward, ignoring its creator’s command. Andy turned to face the attack and saw Captain Baldric and his men send their zolt captors slumping to the ground.
“Stop!” the seven-headed dragon repeated with effort, to no effect.
Crackling, followed by a bolt of jagged light, filled the space, causing Andy to jump. Hannah screeched nearby. When the excitement ended, Andy quickly scanned the room. The dark figure lowered his arms, resuming his stoic stance. The bellicose lay unmoving ten feet away.
Is it dead?
“It’s not dead, merely incapacitated,” Abaddon wheezed in a menacing tone, as if reading Andy’s thoughts. “You will not die so quickly, little prince. No, you will experience a slow, agonizing end and feel the pain your blade has inflicted on me.”
Dagon and Gozler each took a step toward Andy. As they did, he heard more crackling as bolts of blinding light showered the cave.
“This way!” a deep voice boomed from the chaos.
Unsure, but with no time to spare for convincing, Andy and his companions darted toward the beacon of hope. Everyone stooped and whisked up their weapons before rushing down the tunnel as the ground began to shake. A plume of dust compelled them forward until Andy emerged from the passage, Yara right on his heels. Then came Alden grasping Hannah’s hand. Sergeant Hammond appeared next with Hans. The other four officers quickly emerged, coughing and gasping.
A man with long gray hair and dressed in dingy white robes materialized from the haze seconds later. “Quickly!” he commanded.
He can run fast for an old guy, Andy thought as they sprinted past several side tunnels off to their right.
They had gone a good distance when the man abruptly halted. He turned to his left, placed outstretched arms to the wall, and closed his eyes.
What’s he doing?
A second later, an opening appeared.
Whoa!
Andy glanced at Yara and Hannah. The princess stood with her mouth gaping, and Hannah exclaimed, “It’s a dwarf door!”
Shouts echoed as pounding feet approached.
“This way,” the man instructed, directing with an outstretched arm.
With Calum tucked under one arm, Alden bolted through the opening, followed immediately by Hannah, Yara, Andy, and Hans with the officers bringing up the rear. Fulk had barely cleared the opening when two dozen dusty zolt raced by.
“They didn’t see the door!” Alden exclaimed, turning to face the man.
“Mount Mur Eyah’s goodness.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yara questioned.
When the gray-haired man offered no explanation, Hannah speculated, “There’s a tale of a patrol being chased by savage werewolves on Mount Mur Eyah. Mermin told us about it last year.”
Andy and Alden nodded, encouraging Hannah to recount the tale. “With the enemy closing in, they took refuge in a cave and the werewolves mysteriously lost their scent. Apparently the beasts lingered at the entrance for a while, sniffing and clawing, but eventually gave up and the patrol was saved.”
“Really?” Yara’s voice was skeptical.
As his friend shared the tale, Andy surveyed the small earthen alcove in which they stood. Two torches hung, one on either side of the opening, illuminating a space clearly not designed for a group their size. Everyone stood unmoving, trying not to jostle one another. The man scrutinized each of his charges before finally turning and continuing down the torchlit passageway, albeit at a slower pace. The officers clutched their weapons and looked about.
“Excuse me, but what’s your name?” Yara queried up ahead.
Only the scuffling of feet answered. While the passage continued on, their guide took a sharp turn to the right and they emerged into another hollowed out cavity, perhaps half the size of Abaddon’s. Similar in construction to that cave, a dozen posts kept the ceiling aloft. Stone benches circled an unlit fire pit that served as the focus of the space. Two tables hugged the earthen walls to one side.
“Allow me to offer you some water to quench your thirst.”
Andy stood near the tables. As their host spoke, three canteens appeared, making him jump.
Captain Baldric held up his hands then stepped toward the offering as everyone watched. The robed man, unfazed, waited for the captain to open one, sniff it, and take a sip.
“It’s fine,” he remarked, smiling.
Their host nodded once, keeping eyes on Captain Baldric, then added, “Perhaps sustenance as well.” Platters overflowing with cheeses, dried meats, and fruit filled the tables.
Whoa! This guy’s a magician!
The company did not hesitate to accept the man’s generosity and eagerly dug in. Andy had not realized how parched and hungry he was. The rest must have felt the same, for full bellies soon produced a satisfied calm among the group. After a while, they all retired to the stone benches, laughing and smiling.
The white-robed man joined the circle. “My name is Fides. I’m a keeper of the ring,” he announced, summoning everyone’s attention, then igniting the fire with a look. Andy heard a high-pitched yelp and glanced over to see several heads jerk back. A hush fell over the group as blue, green, and violet flames danced about the pit.
“Oooh, it’s so pretty,” Yara appreciated.
Hooh-hrooo!
Alden laughed at Calum who stood at attention on his shoulder.
“It coordinates with your hair,” Hannah joked, nudging Alden.
The Cartesian feigned primping as Hans and the officers chuckled.
“As you have seen, a challenge lies before us,” Fides intoned, silencing the merriment. “A moon ago, Abaddon and his dark wizard launched an assault on the ring.”
Hans exchanged looks with Yara across the circle.
“Where once fifty served, I alone remain. I have attempted to make repairs, but my efforts have fallen short. I fear the center of Cromlech’s healing powers may never be restored.” The keeper frowned and shook his head.
“We encountered a barrier around the ring,” Hans reported.
Fides nodded. “The dark wizard’s doing. He disrupted the lintels, which allowed him to venture into the ring. I and my fellows mounted a defense, but he proved more powerful. He vaporized all but me. Then he erected that force field. Until that is destroyed, the ring cannot be restored.”
“How did you manage to escape harm?” Hans queried, brow furrowed.
“Only I had skill enough. The dark wizard possesses the power of the nether regions. Never have I beheld such evil.”
A shiver ran down Andy’s back. The blanket of evil that had covered Daisy! Was that this dark wizard’s doing?
“What’s Abaddon doing here anyway?” Yara questioned.
“You saw a phoenix caged inside the ring?”
The princess nodded.
“The bird appeared a month ago, shortly before Abaddon arrived.”
“It looks injured,” Alden chimed in.
Fides nodded. “That is the same phoenix that rose here centuries ago.”
“Really?” Hannah marveled, then ping-ponged glances between Andy and Alden.
“It returns each time it regenerates. The beauty of that magnificent bird is what inspires me.” The keeper’s voice resounded with passion, and Andy could sense the devotion Fides concealed beneath his deadpan exterior. “The phoenix must build a nest of twigs and set it aflame in order to be reborn.”
“What happens if it can’t get what it needs to build a nest?” Alden hazarded.
The keeper shook his head. “I do not know, son. This is the first time that situation has appeared, but I can speculate.”
Alden looked to the man hopefully.
“If it has no nest to fuel its rebirth, I believe it will die.”
“No!” the animal healer exclaimed.
“As for your question concerning why Abaddon is here,” Fides redirected to Yara, “I cannot answer that.”
“I think I can,” Andy offered. “When Alden and I went to rescue Hannah and Captain Baldric, we overheard a couple of the zolt talking.”
“Yeah,” Alden harmonized. “It sounded like Abaddon had found a way to regain eternal life.”
Andy nodded, confirming. Then he gasped as pieces of a puzzle arranged themselves in his mind. “You don’t think…”