Bones of the Earth

by Jason A. Gilbert

  At the same time as Erik collapsed in a jumble of limbs, the woman attacked Connor from behind. But he had been expecting her. The blue Sword left streaks across Laila's vision as Connor spun to meet her attack. They traded blows back and forth, up and down. Each time the blades met, there was a flash of blue light. Finally, Connor struck out at the woman's leg, catching her in the upper thigh, and the Guardian let out a cry of pain, dropping to her opposite knee. Her sword clattered on the ground, and Connor stood over her, ready to strike.

  "Stop!" Laila shouted. Connor froze, holding his strange blue Sword poised over the woman's head. "Don't!"

  Connor hesitated and then brought his weapon down. The woman brought her hands to her wounded leg, pressing against the gash in her thigh, trying to stop the bleeding. Connor turned to see that the man was unconscious but alive.

  "All I have to do is shout. Our camp is not far off. I'll have a swarm of Guardians on you in a few minutes," the woman said, pain seeping into her voice.

  "What camp? Why are you out here?" started Laila, disregarding the consequences.

  "Laila, we can't—"

  "I need to know." She cut him off.

  The woman looked at her; something in Laila's voice must have given her away. "You're Terun?"

  Laila was taken back by the statement, but pressed forward. "No longer," she said flatly. "Answer me."

  "Laila—" Connor placed a hand on her shoulder, the blue light of his Sword still burning in the night.

  She brushed off his hand. "No." Turning back to the Guardian, she ordered, "Answer me."

  "Not that it matters," said the woman, struggling through the pain, "but we're here by orders of the Terun Consulari."

  "Haden would never..." Laila said to herself.

  "Haden is no longer Consulari. Our orders come from the new Consulari. Torin."

  The statement struck Laila like a blow. Torin! Torin was Consulari. She had been gone less than two weeks, and already he was Consulari. That should not have been possible. How could he have gained that kind of support? What about her father?

  "How...? What...? Why are you here?" she continued.

  "I don't know. I just follow orders." The pain in the woman’s voice continued to increase, and the wound in her leg was quickly sapping her strength. She lowered her head, bracing against the pain.

  Laila considered this new information, exhaustion clouding her mind.

  "Laila. We need to leave. Now!"

  Off to the north, a light was growing in the distance. Torchlight. The Guardians’ camp must have seen the light from Connor's Sword.

  "Now!" he snapped, grabbing her arm.

  "Here! Warn the camp!" the woman shouted with the last of her strength. The light moved toward them.

  The situation finally reasserted itself to Laila. She nodded to Connor, and they took off into the mountains again, Connor's Sword disappearing into the ether. The two of them stumbled back into the darkness, desperate now, in order to get away from the searching Guardians. They ran as fast as their already exhausted legs would take them. The light grew dimmer behind them until finally they could no longer see it. Laila hoped that meant they had left the danger of the Guardians behind.

  As they ran, more and more trees began to rise up around them, and a deeper shadow in the distance ahead told Laila that they had reached the coastal forest. The Red Bay should be near, which meant the cave would follow shortly. They finally ended their mad run in a copse just at the edge of the forest. The pale light of another dawn was working its way up in the east, barely touching the darkness underneath the trees. Laila and Connor stood for some time, catching their breath. Laila tried to will her heart to slow its beating, but even after her breath began to recover, her heart still pounded. Her whole world was falling apart. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Torin was Consulari! What of her father? He had been favored among the Consuls—some had even said he could be the next Consulari. But that was not supposed to happen for many years yet.

  "Laila, calm down." She felt Connor's hands on her shoulders and realized that she was on her knees, clutching at her chest. The madness of their run, the exhaustion of their escape from the Manders, the Guardians: it was too much for her. She felt hot tears run down her cheeks as she desperately gasped for air.

  "It's all right. We're safe," Connor said. His own breath was short and gasping, but she could hear the concern in his voice.

  She was finally able to master herself. Taking several deep, shuddering breaths, she felt her heart calm, slowly, and no longer felt desperate for air. She wiped her cheeks clear and pulled herself to her feet, brushing off Connor's attempt to help her.

  "I'm all right," she said. "It's just a lot."

  "Aye," Connor said.

  The sunlight finally worked its way in between the trees. The dawn of the second day of their flight. She gazed around her. The mountains rose up sharply to the south, where the cave was supposed to be. To the east, the shadows of the coastal forest reached out toward them. This was where they were supposed to climb into the mountains. The cave overlooking Red Bay. And then to Grimmere. Laila looked behind them, back to the west, fully expecting a contingent of Guardians to suddenly appear over the horizon, seeking them out. But nothing came. They had seen no signs of pursuit after their clash with the two scouts. They took a final, silent rest in the copse, both of them too exhausted to speak, ate a handful of dried food and drank deeply from their water-skins, and then they made their way out of the grove, up into the mountains.

  Early in the morning, Connor had found a small, uphill trail that led south toward the range. Thankful for an actual path to follow, they continued along as it wove its way up out of the forest below and into the mountains above them. As they climbed, they could see the sun reflecting off the slow-moving waters of the Red Bay to their left, its odd, red-tinged shore dotted here and there by the large masts and sails of the sea-going ships, which were far larger than the river boats that moved up and down the rivers from Lake Artus. By midday they had made it into the actual mountains, and their glimpses of Red Bay came and went as the terrain rose up to block the eastern view. The path they were on continued to propel them upwards.

  “I think we’re getting close,” Connor said.

  “That’s good,” Laila answered, barely able to get the words out as she tried desperately to catch her breath.

  “Are you ready?” Connor asked.

  “Ready for what?”

  “Icarus said the cave would be easy to find, but that only a Magus could open it. You’re the only Magus that we’ve got,” Connor answered, trying to sound upbeat, but failing in his own breathlessness.

  Laila had forgotten about that part of this endeavor. Her fear and doubt reasserted itself as they continued their climb up the mountain.

  As the sun sat high overhead, they finally came around a curve in the path and stood on a wide shelf that looked out onto Red Bay. From this vantage point, the ships on the bay looked like children's toys that could be picked up and moved at will. They both stood for a moment, marveling at the view.

  "Do you think this path is what Icarus was talking about?" asked Laila.

  "I hope so," said Connor.

  They pushed on, hoping to find the cave soon. They were not disappointed. The shelf curved around further to the south, into the eastern face of the mountain, and then disappeared into the mouth of a dark cave. Sighing in relief, they both walked into the mouth of the cave and dropped to the ground, hungry for rest. After a short meal, they both slept, propped against the walls of the cave. Laila knew there was still more ground to cover, but they both needed rest. They were too close to the edge of exhaustion as it was.

  Her dreams were troubled and distant. Nothing in particular seemed to stick out in her mind, and she awoke in the dying light of the evening with strange portents dancing through her mind. Connor had already awakened and was further down in the cave, studying the back wall in the dwindling light. Laila roused herself and ma
de her way down to him.

  "Anything interesting?" she asked.

  He turned as she approached. "Not that I can tell. But Icarus said only someone like you could open it."

  "Right," Laila said, her voice lacking any sign of confidence.

  The wall was smooth, not a natural part of the cave. There were strange markings arrayed in a circular pattern, but in the dim light, Laila could not make them out.

  "How am I supposed to open this?" she asked, more to herself than Connor.

  "Is it even a door?" asked Connor.

  Laila just shrugged, unsure herself. She ran her hand along the face of the stone, hoping for some inspiration like she had felt in the library, but nothing came to her. It was all just the stone of the mountain. There was something, however, near the center of the wall. A small indentation, no larger than her fist. She had not noticed it initially because it was hidden in the shadows. She ran her fingers inside it, and it was smooth just like the wall. But there were markings surrounding it that she could just make out with the tips of her fingers.

  "Do we have any light?" she asked Connor.

  "No, I—"

  "What about that sword thing you do?"

  "The Sword? I...I can't do that whenever I want. It's sort of a crisis thing," he said, turning his eyes away.

  Laila could relate. Her own power, whatever it was, seemed to respond the same way. Or at least it had.

  "I don't know what I can do in the dark. I don't actually think I can do anything, but I can't even see what I'm looking at now," she said dejectedly. If they had no light, there was no way she was going to figure it out.

  The realization struck her suddenly. The stone. If she could call up earthlight, then at least she could see what she was looking at. She reached into her robes and pulled out one of the pieces. She’d come to understand that her power seemed to be borne out of desperation. Well, I’m desperate now, she thought bitterly. Holding the stone in her hand, she focused all of her will at it, seeking out the feeling of warmth she had felt with Icarus in the library.

  Nothing.

  Connor watched her, unsure of what she was doing. She sat down on the cave floor and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. This wasn't going to work. She had not been able to light the stone since Balon, no matter how much she had tried during their journey. Every time she thought she’d felt something, it had disappeared. With every failure, her doubt continued to grow. She had given up everything to protect her family from Torin. And now, for what? She was not the Magusari; she could not even do the simplest thing Icarus had tried to teach her. And Torin was Consulari and giving orders to the Guardians. What did that mean for her mother and her father? She had failed her family, and there was nothing she could do.

  "Laila." Connor's voice echoed in the cave.

  She ignored him. He would only try to comfort her. He was kind like that. But she had seen his power. He had used it to protect them. What had she done? Nothing.

  "Laila!" his voice became more urgent.

  "What!?" she snapped, her eyes opening. His eyes were wide and staring at her, and a small smile touched his mouth. She could see his eyes move back and forth between her face and her hand—she could see! There was light in the cave. She looked down at her hand and saw the stone glowing fiercely.

  "I... I did it," she said slowly.

  Connor only nodded.

  Now Laila could feel the warmth of the stone in her hand, could sense the earthlight within it. She reined in the warmth; she did not want the stone to crack as it had before. Trying to keep her breathing even, she stood back up, holding the glowing stone in front of her, and examined the cave wall. The markings looked similar to the ones in the books she now carried. A flowing script with no discernible letters or words, at least to her eyes.

  "Do you know what it says?" she asked Connor.

  He started to shake his head, but then something drew his eye to the door. Leaning forward closely, he looked at one of the symbols just above the small indentation. He cocked his head to one side as he studied the mark. Then finally he stood back up.

  "I think that one means 'Magus.' I've seen it before, in some of the really old books the clan elders still have. No one knows how to read them anymore, but they still keep them. Memories of old and all that."

  “Magus.” It made sense, but it did not help Laila. She leaned in closer to the wall, bringing the glowing stone in her hand closer to the indentation. A loud grinding noise echoed through the cave. Laila stood and stepped back, away from the wall. As she did, the sound stopped, its remnants echoing eerily through the cave.

  "That was...odd," she said.

  "Aye."

  She leaned back in, this time keeping her hand away from the wall. But without the light, she could not see anything clearly. Bringing her hand back toward the indentation, the grinding sound started again. This time she did not move away, and the sound continued and then slowed down. There were no markings inside the indentation. It looked as if it were simply meant to hold something. Acting on instinct, Laila moved the stone in her hand toward the indentation, pushing it in. It was a rough fit, not quite filling the hole, but when she took her hand away, the stone remained and continued to shine brightly.

  The grinding sound began again, louder this time, and the ground seemed to shake underneath Laila and Connor's feet. They both reached out to the wall to steady themselves, but soon found that the wall itself was moving, inching its way upwards into an imperceptible gap in the ceiling of the cave. They stepped back, away from the wall, and it slid upwards on some hidden mechanism. Behind the moving wall, a dark tunnel was revealed. As the wall moved further into the ceiling, swallowing the glowing stone, the walls of the tunnel began to glow with earthlight. The tunnel stretched deep into the mountains and around a bend fifty yards away before the two of them could no longer see where it went.

  "Huh." Laila had no other words.

  Connor turned to her, an odd smile on his face. "You did it! You are a Magus!"

  "I... Let's not go there yet," she said, trying to deflect him.

  "But, look!" He pointed to the tunnel excitedly. "Icarus said only a Magus could open this. And you opened it. That has to mean something..."

  Laila knew Connor was right. "Icarus gave me that stone. Maybe he had something to do with it."

  Connor looked like he wanted to argue with her, but then he let it drop. "Well, at least we know we're going the right way."

  "I guess so," Laila said, staring into the dim light of the tunnel.

  "We should probably head in," Connor said, looking back between Laila and the tunnel.

  "Probably."

  They both continued to stand and stare at the tunnel. Uncertainty and fear wormed its way into their chests. Laila felt an odd sense of dread staring into the tunnel, as though entering it meant there was no longer any chance of turning back. She would be committed. She knew that was a silly thing to think—she had already committed herself to this path—but she could not help the foreboding feeling she was having now.

  Connor finally snapped out of his trance and took a step across the threshold. He stopped for a moment, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he pressed forward. Laila watched, but she did not follow. He turned around once he was a few steps in.

  "Aren't you coming?" he asked.

  Shaking her odd sense of premonition, she too stepped across the threshold into the tunnel. When nothing happened to her either, they turned and made their way deeper in, following the earth-lit walls.

  The tunnel led down into the bowels of the mountain, turning slightly in a direction Laila thought was south. They were quickly out of sight of the door, but the earthlight continued to emanate from the walls, leading them on and on. The walls were marked with the same odd symbols that had covered the cave wall, or the door, apparently. The same flowing script. But this time it was accompanied by what appeared to be pictures depicting some ancient story.

  “What do you th
ink these are all about?” asked Connor, running his hand along the wall.

  “I don’t know,” she answered, studying the pictures. They were faded and difficult to make out clearly, but she did notice one image that seemed to appear regularly, a large mountain. “Maybe it has something to do with that mountain.”

  Connor moved closer to the wall, looking at one picture in particular, a single peak rising into the sky. The flowing script twisted and wove its way around the image. Laila felt something pull at the back of her mind. The earthlight gave off a warmth, and she felt a sense of power emanating from the stones of the tunnel. She stared past Connor’s head, focusing intently on the script carved into the walls. Slowly, the symbols began to shift in her sight, almost coalescing into something understandable.

  “Maybe we can ask Icarus.” Connor’s voice cut through Laila’s concentration. The symbols jolted in her sight, returning to their unfamiliar state. “I guess we keep moving.”

  Laila nodded.

  They walked along the tunnel for hours. It was one single shaft. There were no additional branches or even other doors leading elsewhere. Laila was silently thankful. They would not have known where to go otherwise. After a while, they finally decided to stop and rest. Evening had likely come and gone, and they had certainly walked long into the night, but their exhaustion needed some answer. Without any other place to stay, they made their camp by rolling their blankets out across the width of the tunnel. They ate a cold meal, and Connor offered to take the first watch, allowing Laila to finally get some rest. For the second time that day, Laila fell into a troubled sleep against cold stone.

  She started awake suddenly and was terrified to find that the earthlight had disappeared. The darkness that surrounded her was impenetrable. Fear swelled up in her.

  "Connor!" she whispered harshly, fearing her own voice in the dark.