Soldiers could only be from Baskla. King Oveer had taken Ortis’ entire army south after being ensnared by the witch Gwendolyn's magic. The soldiers that had been recruited and trained since then had either been killed or taken back to Baskla by the commander who had come south seeking vengeance for Yettlebor. Lorik's mind whirled with possibilities. If soldiers were in Yorick Shire then King Ricard's army wouldn't be far away. He had seen very little evidence of anyone in the city, which ruled out the possibility that the entire army was waiting to ambush him. A force as big as Kierian had warned him of would have left a multitude of signs in the abandoned city, even if they could all hide inside the ruined buildings, shops, and homes.
Soon the door would burst open and men would rush to their deaths. Unless they found another way into the house they could only come in a few at a time, and Lorik had no doubt that he could kill each and every one of them. They were here to capture or kill him, and he wouldn’t let that happen.
“You’re surrounded,” shouted a gruff voice from outside the building. “You can’t escape.”
“Who says I want to escape,” Lorik challenged. “You want me, then come and get me.”
The door swung open and a large soldier with chain mail around his head and shoulders stepped into the threshold. He was wide and built like a bull. He held an oversized shield in front of his body and a pike pointed straight at Lorik. He was so big that no one else could fit through the door while he stood on the threshold, but Lorik could see other troops moving outside, trying to get a glimpse of him.
Lorik smiled as he drew his weapons.
“That shield won’t save you,” he warned the soldier.
“Neither will hiding in this chicken coop,” the man snarled.
Lorik knew what was coming and wasn’t surprised. The first thrust of the pike would have stabbed deep into his stomach, but Lorik knocked the weapon aside with an underhand swipe of his sword and then smashed his boot into the soldier’s shield with a powerful front kick. The blow was so powerful the wooden shield shattered and the bullish soldier went flying backward several feet before tumbling end over end in the muddy street.
For a moment there was silence from the soldiers as the reality of Lorik’s attack set in. The fallen soldier didn’t move and his companions looked from their fallen friend into the house where Lorik stood with his swords drawn, grinning.
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck before saying, “Who’s next?”
Chapter 13
When Jute woke Zollin he knew something was wrong. They were still in the dark tunnel, but a sound was echoing down the corridor. A chattering roar sounded from behind them, like a thousand angry insects were headed their way.
“We’ve got company,” the dwarf said.
Zollin shook his head and moved quickly to the chamber they needed to pass through to escape. The floor was cool enough he could press his hand to it for several seconds. He would have liked more time, but they couldn’t continue to wait.
“Alright,” he said, “Let’s get going.”
Brianna was still unconscious. He wanted to give her more water, but there was no time. He levitated her, encasing her thin body in a bubble of magic to protect her, then hurried into the chamber where the fissure to the caverns above waited. Jute didn’t hesitate to go first. The stalwart dwarf crawled into the small opening and moved quickly over the hot surface.
Levitating Brianna through a space he couldn’t really see into was harder than he imagined. He let his magical senses flow into the tunnel. He could feel Jute shuffling along, and every nuance of the tunnel, but the strain was almost more than he could take. His physical body was spent, and just crawling along through the darkness was so arduous he wanted to give up.
Their progress was slow, but steady. More than once Zollin had to contort Brianna’s body to get through a narrow spot. And several times he was forced to use his magic to chip away at the tunnel just so his body would fit through the narrow opening. The lava that had lit the tunnel from below had risen up, creating a new floor that made the tunnel several inches smaller. Every minute he spent working on the tunnel the sounds grew closer, but Zollin’s biggest fear was weakening the tunnel and causing it to cave in. By the time they reached the long, narrow crack that rose up to the dwarf caverns above, Zollin was covered with cuts and bruises. He also had several burns from hot spots in the tunnel.
Jute was waiting in the fissure, uncertain how Zollin planned to get Brianna up, but the young wizard levitated her up through the crack in the stone until she was in the tunnels above. Then he slumped down, panting. His magic roared like a forest fire inside him, but he felt weak. His hands were shaking and he couldn’t stand up.
“We have to go,” Jute said. “It’s climb or die.”
“If I don’t make it, promise me you’ll get her out of here.”
“Don’t be a fool,” Jute said. “Drink some water and let’s move.”
“She needs the water.”
“We all need water. Now gather your strength, we have a long way to go.”
Zollin took a drink. Not just a sip, but a long pull on the canteen, and with the water he felt a bit of his strength return. The sounds of the groslings were growing louder in the tunnel. Zollin knew there was no time to waste and they scaled the fissure as quickly as possible. Zollin could feel the mutated creatures from the underworld chasing them. They were close, climbing the wall much quicker than he was, but he could also feel how close he was to the cavern above.
“Almost there,” he panted.
“Keep moving!” Jute said.
The dwarf was ahead of Zollin, who could just make out the faint glow of the phosphorescent minerals that illuminated the dwarf caverns. Zollin’s hand had just grasped the lip at the top of the fissure, when something clamped onto his boot and tried to pull him back.
Pain shot through Zollin’s leg, and for a moment he lost his grip on the wall, but quickly regained a hand hold. The weight on his leg intensified and Zollin felt his body stretch painfully, the muscles in his back starting to cramp as he hung on. He kicked out frantically, the pain in his foot radiating upward with each kick. His body was suddenly filled with adrenaline as fear of falling galvanized him into action. After several kicks the weight disappeared and Zollin scampered upward. He could feel blood in his boot and his thigh cramped painfully, but he was out of the fissure.
One last time he let his magic go, channeling all his power into the fissure. The rock buckled and cracked, with large chunks falling into the crevice. There were screams of pain from the groslings, but Zollin didn’t care. He wanted to be free of the dreadful creatures, and he let his magic rage into the fissure for a moment. Then he collapsed beside Brianna, and gave in to the exhaustion pulling him into the darkness.
Sometime later Zollin woke. His body hurt all over, and his mouth was so dry it was painful to swallow. He was still in the caverns, above him the milky light from the glowing minerals revealed that much, but something was different. He didn’t feel the same sense of foreboding he’d felt when they descended through the caverns to the underworld. The air seemed lighter somehow, not just from the minerals glowing in the ceiling, but the sense of malice and terror was gone.
Jute was nearby. He could hear the dwarf humming quietly. Zollin let his magic flow through him. The raging inferno that had been at the core of his magical reservoir had been replaced by a familiar, almost comforting hot wind. He was covered with cuts, bruises, and minor burns, but his right foot was also deeply lacerated. Blood had filled his boot and the flesh was swollen. Zollin took several minutes to heal the lacerated tissue, and seal the wound up. Removing the fluid that had built up in his ankle and foot took longer, but when he was finished there was no sign of the wound other than the jagged holes in his boot.
“How long have I been out?” Zollin asked.
“Five hours, I would guess,” Jute said. “I’m glad you are okay.”
“What happened to the grosl
ings?”
“You caved in the fissure. They won’t be coming up that way any time soon.”
“Have you seen them?”
“No,” Jute said. “It has been quiet. I moved Brianna and then you to this place in case I had to defend you, but there was no need.”
Zollin sat up and looked around. They were in one of the small dwarf homes that were carved into the side of a larger cavern. Even in the homes the dwarves had threaded the glowing mineral into the ceiling. There was a window looking out into the cavern, and a doorway, but no furnishings. Jute was by the door, looking out at what had once been a great society of dwarves.
“How much water is left?”
“Enough for a full day, if we ration it carefully,” Jute said. “Can you travel?”
“I’m fine,” Zollin said. “Thanks for letting me rest.”
“Thank you for sealing up the caverns. I can’t be certain, but I think the groslings have all been trapped in the underworld again.”
“We can’t know that,” Zollin said.
“No, not for certain. But I feel a peace to this place I haven’t felt before. It is as if it has been cleansed. For my people, I thank you for that.”
Zollin wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t convinced that there wasn’t another way down into the underworld, but he didn’t want to argue the point. All he really wanted was to get out of the caverns and back to the surface. He longed for sunlight, and cold mountain air. But first he needed to check on Brianna.
“Why don’t you rest a bit. I need to check on Brianna and that will probably take a while,” Zollin said. “Then we can get out of this place forever.”
Jute nodded and sat with his back against the wall beside the door. In a moment he was snoring softly. Zollin moved to Brianna’s side and examined her body. There was no physical trauma that he could see. She was little more than skin and bone, but her stomach protruded from her hips in a small hump. Zollin let his magic flow down into his wife. He could feel the baby moving. It was no larger than a pebble, yet it moved its arms and legs, flitting around the protective womb of its mother.
Brianna was suffering terribly from dehydration and malnutrition. The baby was utilizing her body’s muscles to feed on, but there was very little nutrition left to be siphoned from her emaciated frame. Brianna needed rest and plenty of food, and water. But Zollin was confident he could get her to the surface and from there, it would only be a matter of time before she regained her strength. They would have to carry her through the tunnels, caverns, and abandoned dwarf villages, but Zollin was confident in their chances.
He dribbled water into her mouth. He wished they had more water, but he would make do with what they had. She stirred, her mouth opening wider as the water flowed between her parched lips. Zollin couldn’t help but grin as he looked at her. She was only a shadow of her former self, yet he realized how much he had missed her. Fear was building at the back of his mind, like a thunderstorm on the horizon. What if she didn’t want anything to do with him? What if she left him again?
He hadn’t been prepared for her anger with him after he rescued her from the dryads in Peddingar Forest. He had assumed that she was just as happy with their quiet life in the highlands as he was. But he couldn’t return to the highlands, not when Yelsia was being ruled by a wizard bent on taking over the Five Kingdoms. He would have to deal with Branock and then take Yelsia in hand. Perhaps, he thought, Brianna might enjoy being a queen.
His magic was no substitute for food, but he let his rejuvenating magic flow into Brianna. The pendant around his neck seemed to thrum with happiness as he healed people. It grew warm as it enhanced his own magic. Zollin took his time restoring what muscle tone he could. He sent fluid into Brianna’s kidneys and made sure her heart was strong. When he finished she roused, opening her eyes and looking up at him.
“Zollin?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Yes,” he said. “You’re safe now.”
“Do you have food?”
He opened his pack. It was mostly dried rations. He gave her the fruit he had left—an apple and a bruised pear. She ate both ravenously, and drank from his canteen until it was empty. Zollin was hungry, but he wasn’t famished. He was, however, very thirsty. Watching Brianna drinking the last of his water made him hope that Jute was right and they could escape the caverns before the day ended.
“How long was I down there?” she asked, once she had eaten.
“I’m not sure,” Zollin said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”
Her hands went to her stomach and she looked anxious.
“The baby is okay,” Zollin told her. “It’s strong.”
“But I couldn’t eat or drink while the Bollark had me.”
“Your body fed the baby what it could. I’ve tried to heal what I can, but you need food and rest. We’re getting out of these caverns soon.”
“How did you free me?”
Zollin told Brianna the story. He could see her long slow blinks even in the gloom. Part of him wanted desperately to ask her why she had run away from him, but he knew she wasn’t strong enough to argue. And he feared that bringing up the ordeal would lead to more discord between them.
When he finished telling her about how they escaped from the Bollark, she stretched. Her muscles were cramping and Zollin used his magic to soothe them. When he was finished she was asleep again. For a long time he sat watching her sleep, then Zollin got up and looked out into the dwarf cavern. He couldn’t help but wonder at the amazing craftsmanship of the dwarves who had once inhabited the underground caverns. The homes of the dwarves in the north were sturdy and unique, but nothing as wondrous as the caverns under the Walheta Mountains. The caverns were much larger, for one thing. In the north the caverns were low roofed, even the larger caves that housed whole clans. They didn’t have the sweeping majesty of the caverns he found himself in, not to mention the natural light from the glowing minerals, or the finely carved reliefs that decorated almost every cavern Zollin had been in.
When he couldn’t wait any longer Zollin roused Jute. They quickly gathered their things and got ready to leave. Zollin sucked on a strip of dried beef and Jute carried Brianna, leading the way. They walked for an hour before Zollin took his wife in his arms and carried her. When he grew too tired he used his magic, levitating her as he and Jute walked. They passed through tunnels and wondrous marvels that Zollin would have loved to explore under just about any other circumstance, but he didn’t want to remain underground even a moment longer than necessary.
Jute seemed to know the way out and while Zollin could have explored the caverns with his magic, he didn’t want to do anything that might attract the attention of the Bollark or its groslings. Finally, when Zollin was just about ready to call a halt and finish their journey after some much needed rest, Jute pointed.
“There it is,” he said in a satisfied voice.
“Jute, you’re a life saver. We wouldn’t have made it without you.”
“No sense in stating the obvious, wizard,” Jute said, but the dwarf was grinning. “Shall I go up first?”
“Yes,” Zollin said. “Then I’ll levitate Brianna.”
Waiting for Jute and then for Brianna to rise up through the tunnel made Zollin feel vulnerable. He could just imagine, with safety so close at hand, a horde of groslings attacking him and dragging him back down into the darkness. Zollin loved the dwarves, but he was sick of being in their dark caverns. His whole body tingled with anticipation as he waited for Jute to take Brianna so that the young wizard could climb up out of the tunnel.
When Brianna reached the surface Zollin breathed a little easier. He had to crawl through the tunnel on his hands and knees, but he didn’t mind. He was getting out of the darkness and no amount of pain or difficulty was going to stop him. When his head reached the top of the tunnel he had to block his eyes. The sun was shining brightly, reflected off the snow that covered the hills outside the grotto. He pulled himself up and took a deep breath o
f the cold air.
“It’s freezing,” Jute said.
Brianna was stirring. “We need to get her some water,” Zollin said. “I’ll fill in the tunnel, then we’ll go.”
“Your pet isn’t here.”
“Ferno will find us,” Zollin said as he got to his feet.
He was tired, but so relieved he didn’t even notice how badly his body ached. He let his magic flow out of him. The hot wind of the powerful magic stirred through him as it reached for the piles of stones. The heavy rocks rose into the air and then dropped down the tunnel. Dust rose up in a cloud as each pile was fed into the shaft. If Brianna had been awake and strong enough, Zollin would have let her melt the stones until they formed one solid block inside the tunnel. But he knew he had done enough to keep the caverns sealed up, at least for the moment.
They went out into the sunshine, climbing up the snow-covered hilltop until they found a place to make camp near a group of trees at the summit. Zollin used his magic to clear away the snow and dry the ground so they could rest comfortably. A roaring fire was built up and some fallen logs were levitated into place to give their camp a little security and to help reflect the heat of the fire toward them. Zollin took the first watch after melting enough snow to refill their canteens. They all ate and Brianna seemed stronger, but she went back to sleep as soon as she finished her meal. Jute rested too, but Zollin watched the winter landscape and called for Ferno using his magic to boost his mental communication. His eyes were growing heavy when he heard a distant roar.
Zollin got to his feet and moved out from the camp where he could scan the sky. He soon heard the familiar woomp, woomp, woomp, of dragon wings, but Ferno wasn’t alone. The hulking green dragon was followed by a graceful, black dragon that Zollin recognized as Sorva. As they landed, Zollin pointed to his little camp and both dragons growled happily. For Zollin, he felt as if everything in the world was finally moving in the right direction. All that remained for him now was to face Branock and free his father of whatever was causing him to turn against his own son. And with Brianna at his side Zollin was confident he could do anything, face any threat, conquer any foe.
Chaos Raging (The Five Kingdoms Book 11) Page 10