No one moved. Not us, or them.
I got to my feet, sword at the ready, next to Humberland. It was then I noticed the cut on my shoulder.
Nodding toward the enemy, “Is my wound from them?” I asked Humberland.
He never took his gaze from the enemy, “No. It's from me.”
I was confused. “Why did you cut me?”
I had his gaze at that moment, “I saw them coming. You were...I don't know what you were...lost in some trance or something. I tried everything I could to get your attention. Noting worked. I yelled, I shook you, and I even backhanded you...which I am sorry for, by the way, but nothing worked. You were gone. So, I sliced open your shoulder, hoping the pain would be enough to bring you back around. It seemed to have worked.”
In any other instance, I might have been extremely mad at someone in my party taking a knife to me, but I had to admit, I was trapped. Whether it was magic or shock, I didn't know. However, with the enemy not too far off, that puzzle would need to dealt with later.
“I'm sorry and thank you.”
He shook his head and turned back to the threat at hand. “You'd have done the same for me.” He said nonchalantly, before turning the conversation. “What do you suppose they are waiting on?”
I glanced back to the unmoving enemy, “I don't know. I'm more worried about the figure in the center. You see the smoke, around the figure?”
“Yes.” he answered, “what of it?”
“That is not just smoke. I could see through smoke, that is magic.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. My eyesight is surprisingly good, and I couldn't get passed it.”
“Same here. I can see well past that smoke, but not through it.” I added.
I readied my weapon, as the head figure moved. Skeletal hands emerged from the folds of a robe, moving in patterns I didn't recognize. It was magic, but I didn't know the spell.
“Should we move?” Humberland voice my thoughts.
“I'm not sure.”
I didn't have time to say anymore. The ground shook, the air sizzled, and the night sky erupted into flash of red. We ducked behind an overturned bookshelf. The library filled with dark smoke that only lasted a moment before dissipating.
When all was quiet once more, I peeked around the makeshift cover, and they were gone. Only a vibrating, glowing pair of eyes upon a set of wings remained.
It was the same symbol branded into the arrows. I stood to get a better look, Humberland right behind.
“They seemed to have vanished.” Humberland noted.
“Yes. I guess we know who was shooting arrows at us, now. Them!”
“But who is Them?” He asked.
I gave an honest answer, “I don't know.” I turned to look at Humberland, “One of the many things we need to find out.”
“Agreed.” Said Humberland.
“We need to get to Vahneal, and the others. I think I know where she might be.”
Childhood Hideouts
I stepped through the break in the fence and entered the fields behind the Scribe's Tower. The flowers, and weeds, though hit my waist, still made for easy travel. Any sign of the smoke and mirror show had disappeared, as if it never happened.
I kew it happened.
Humberland knew it happened.
As for the rest of the city, I guess they slept through it. I had my suspicions, but wanted to keep them to myslef until I had more answers. Currently, I needed to find the others.
I kept myself and Humberland within the shadows and crept toward the place my sister used to spend her childhood days.
“Where are we?” Asked Humberland.
“Behind the Scribes Tower. My sister used to sneak off here and read her little stories when we were children. It was her favorite place to be, and she would be here for hours.”
“Ah. Seems like something she would do. Girl, loves to read.”
“Yes, she does.” I pointed to the giant boulder off from the center, “Do you see that big rock?”
When he answered, I went on. “At the base, there is a small nitch, she used to hide in there. When she was little, she was small enough to slide into it.”
“Is that where you think she is? I'm not sure she can fit in there now, and with additional people.” Humberland inquired.
“No, but later in her teens, she found that nitch held a secret passage, leading underground. That is where I bet she is. Her and I, as far as I know, are the only ones who know about it. Well, except Fydale, as he is the one who created the spot.”
“This city is just full of secret places.” Humberland mumbled, as we made our way to the center.
We ducked behind the giant rock, “Keep watch, I need to find the latch to open it.”
“Alright.”
Dropping to me knees, I leaned into the small nitch, searching for the latch to open the passage. It took a minute, as it had been many years since I had used it. With luck, I found it quickly, and released it.
The side of rock vibrated a bit, and the side we were facing, shook loose and moved away, revealing a set of stairs leading further underground. I tapped Humberland's shoulder, “Let's go.”
He followed, once he was through, the rock returned to its normal shape, hiding us from those on the hunt. The blue flames burning in the lanterns led me to believe Vahneal was here. I hoped it was true.
I took the spiral stairs as quickly as possible, descending further in. Humberland's voice chimed begind me.
“What's down here?”
“Living quarters, sleeping quarters, and a library.” I answered.
“Wow! Does someone live down here?”
“Someone used to an awfully long time ago. Mainly it's full of books. Whoever lived here before hoarded books, journals, and parchments of information. I figure since Fydale is the one who discovered the hole, or so we were told, that at one time he lived here.”
“Hmm, Just books. Odd thing to collect.” Humberland mumbled.
“Actually, books are more precious than coin. They contain knowledge, even the so-called made-up stories contain knowledge. Some stories are just that, stories, but some write plans, coordinates, and messages hidden within what most would consider old folklore, or simple stories.”
“Why not just write out what needs to be passed on?” He asked. His tone, confused, as if the thought of not plainly stating what needs to be said was unheard of.
“That's an easy question to answer, not everyone is free enough to speak, or write that freely. So, some used their imagination to hide such knowledge under the ruse of a simple tale meant for entertainment. Scribes are only allowed to “scribe” what they are told, but if one is creative enough, one could give a more honest account by hiding it within a story. “
“Huh? That puts an interesting spin on things. Have you come across these before?”
“Yes, I have even helped to hide information within the pages of such stories.”
We reached the bottom of the stairs, and there they were. All of them, huddled around a table, softly chatting. Vhaneal, without ever looking up, announced our arrival.
“See, I told you she would find us here.”
Everyone turned to see myself, and Humberland, enter the room. All smiles. I let that feeling linger for a moment. I was certain, once we left here, smiles would be in short supply.
It was apparent we were up against something unseen before, and the knowledge we had acquired so far was close to nothing.
A journal, an arrow, and a symbol.
Those were somehow linked to the Mhores Isle snake, dead Valkyrie, and the Army of Darkness. Not to mention, the HiSkale. A New species, now evolving.
There was a much bigger picture here, and I feared what we would uncover.
Path of Magi Summoning
Once the hugs and smiles were through, I pulled us back to the here and now. I was glad we had all made it, but this was just the beginning. Although, before we went too much further, I needed to know how they got here.
“Vahneal, Humberland tells me you are good with magic? Is that how you got everyone here?”
Though it was quick, I noticed the side glance to Humberland before she answered my question.
“Do you remember, when we were young and snuck off to watch the Lights of Magi Summoning?”
Kind of an odd question to ask, but I answered. “Yes. Mother and Father were afraid we would get hurt because those were magicians without training. They feared someone would be hurt, or worse. What does this have to do with all of that?” I asked.
She seemed a bit annoyed, but I could tell she was tired...and worried.
“I brought them here, from the library, using the same hidden path we used to get to the Lights of the Magi Summoning. I did use magic. I called a spell to disguise who we were, and to erase any footsteps we might leave behind.”
I was impressed. She was more than just a beginner.
“Nicely done. I'm glad everyone is...Where's Mylow? I don't see him here?”
This time it was Lalynn who answered. “He said he needed to reach the elders, so they could secure the city.”
“I guess they did. We saw no one on our way here, although, we were staying hidden a bit. Did Maester Mylow have any ideas who was attacking?”
“No.”, Vahneal answered, “But we did find this.” she pulled up an arrow. The same kind I had found in the library.
“I saw those.”, I replied, “Any idea what that symbols represents?”
“Dangerous trouble.” Murmured Captian Wexx.
“Yes.” I agreed, making my way to the table. “What are you looking at?”
“It's a map. Looks like it will take us a while to make it to Drakkin Reach. However, if we travel through the Fields of Sthardust, we can make it faster.” Lalynn pointed out.
“Good.” I said, as I examined the map. “There's a small outpost right outside there...” I pointed to the small alcove just outside the fields, “...we could replenish supplies before hitting the fields.”
“Good idea.”, Captain Wexx pointed out, “It takes days to get through the fields, we will need to make sure we are stocked.”
“Weapons and cures too.” Humberland added, “There are some weird creatures that roam the Sthardust Fields.”
I nodded, “That is because the mages of Parious, venture there to do some of their rituals, and practice spells on the local wildlife.”
“Will it be safe?” Lalynn chimed in. “If the Mages of Pahrious use magic there...will we be able to defend against them?”
I glance around the room, and the collection of concerned faces. The short answer was, probably. Though, I know that answer would offer little comfort, but the alternative would be worse.
Sighing, I gave them the options. “The possibility of danger is high, but we will face that any direction we go. However, the only other option we have is to follow the stream through PyreWood. It would be hard to find adequate camp there due to the heat. The stream holds no fish and is undrinkable. Not to mention, the wild creatures that still live there are ones of twisted magic, created by twisted magi, to deal death and destruction.
If you survive all of that, the exploding PyreWood trees will most liekly kill you. At the very least, injure you enough you'll beg for death.”
“Exploding trees?” asked Laylnn, a bit confused. “I have never heard of such a thing.”
“They're very real, and they really explode, impaling anything in it's path with fiery splinters, and woodash. What my sister failed to mention is the ash and smoke is so thick, breathing is difficult.” Vahneal explained. “Those who have lived through that held high magical abilities. Something in which none of us have. We need to take our chances with the Sthardust Fields.”
Taking in each gaze, they all agreed to the path of Sthardust Fields. Now, we needed to leave, we were losing precious time. I turned to Vahneal, “Are the packs still here?”
She pointed to a few lumps in the corner, “Yes. I already grabbed them. They are there, behind that highback chair we used to sit and read in.”
Upon inspection I saw there were there, along with the off-color stitching in need of repair on the headrest of the chair. I smiled at the memory. Vahneal and I had been squabbling over a book and ripped the chair in the process. We were so worried, we had ruined it, that after an hour of searching for proper needle and thread, we used some old twine and a twig to sew it back together. It was never the same, but we had loved it more.
I was surprised at how hard the tug of this place held me, after being gone for so many years. I guess, your heart never really leaves home. Or maybe it's the link that keeps you sane in a world full of choas and destruction.
I switched gears, to stay focused on the task, and less on the memories.
“We need to be on our way.” I pointed out, “Gather what you can, that we will need, and add them the empty packs from that crate under the stairs.”
I grabbed my old pack from the chair and added the journal about Drakkin Reach. Perhaps I could get a chance to read more of it as we went. There was still a lot about this apprentice I needed to know before we got there.
Sthardust Fields
It had been a rough day traveling. Uneventful, praise the Gods, but rough. The sun had been hotter than normal, the wind nonexistent. Trekking across flat, open land as we made our journey toward Drekkin Reach.
As exhausted as we were, traveling for days, we dared not stop for too long. On this terrain, though we could see an enemy approach long before they reached us, our bodies depletion of energy and proper rest could be our downfall.
During our brief stops, I had been reading the journal, hoping to gain more insight into this apprentice. It had been more informative than I expected, yet there was still more I needed to know.
It had been a while since anyone spoke, I guess too long, when Lalynn broke the silence.
“Vhadrah, did you find out anything new, in that journal? I saw you reading it last night.”
“Not really.” I replied, “More of the same. His Magi Master was working on something big. Something that, if he made it happen, would mean certain death for those of his order, not to mention the capture and slaughter of the living ingredients.”
“Living Ingredients?” asked Captain Wexx, “Does that mean what I think it does? Sounds like they are taking about killing people.”
I shook my head, “I don't know for certain, but I fear it is so. The journal does not list what, or who, these ingredients are.”
“Well...”, Humberland chimed in, “It doesn't sound like they're talking about hunting game, like HenderDeer.”
I had to agree. “Probably not. I think if it were hunting game, or something to that affect, it would have listed those. With the secrecy, and cryptic notes in this journal, I'm afraid they're hunting things from the top of the food chain or higher.”
Ater what I had seen so far, I was quite sure Valkyrie were among the list of ingredients this apprentice is careful not to mention. After all, Lalynn and I had found dead, mutilated Valkyrie back in that cave. Those images will forever haunt my sleep. However, there is still too much not answered.
"It could be Valkyrie were used for something different. They may not even be connected. I doubted it, but there was always that possibility." I muttered, thinking aloud.
Somehow, deep in my gut, I felt all of this was connected in some way. Blurred colors and lines of a small piece, to much bigger picture. I couldn't fathom what dead Valkyrie could offer anyone. I recalled what the witch said, but that wasn't making perfect sense either. What could they gain from Valkyrie?
They were dead because scientists failed, but what were they trying to find? The Valkyrie get their power from Odin, it is not harbored within themselves. Not the ones they had killed anyway.
I stopped.
“Maybe that's the key.” I mumbled, out loud apparently.
“You have a key? Asked Lalynn, “To what?”
I shook my head, “No. I was j
ust thinking out loud. Let me get more clarity on my thoughts, and I will explain it. Perhaps when we stop at the outpost to gather supplies.”
“Well, you better work through it quickly, we're nearly there.” Chimed Captain Wexx.
I checked the surroundings, and he was right. The outpost's tower gates could be seen in the distance. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts, I hadn't really been paying attention. It wouldn't be long now.
“How are we on supplies?” I asked, “Where do we need to go first?”
Everyone chimed in with a different answer.
“Alright, we can all go our separate ways, and just meet at the local inn at sundown.” I suggested. “Will that work?”
No one stopped walking, but it seemed I had a collective, “Yes.” from the group. I didn't much care for the plan, but we had been traveling for days, and people relaxed in different ways.
We reached the gates, as expected, we were stopped by two large, burly guards covered in shiny armor, and aggression.
“Halt.” they said in unison.
The one on the left, “State your business.”
“We seek...” Lalynn began, but I cut her off and went to meet the guards. This was an outpost, not the Holy City. These guards are only supposed to stop folks from fighting, and warn against raids, not keep people from entering.
I stepped up, “What is this? Why have you stopped us from entering?”
Upon my approach, their eyes widened, and their jaws dropped. After I spoke, they began to mutter, although the one to the right was able to make out a coherent sentence.
“V-Vhadrah...My apologies, Dark Valkyrie...we did...not...know”
I waved them off, “That is fine, but why was it necessary? This is an outpost. You are to welcome all travelers and offer rest and resupply.”
“Vhadrah, please accept my apologies, but many things have changed since your last arrival.”
I stared at them both for a moment, gauging if they were speaking the truth or not.
“I understand that things change all the time, but this outpost was specifically set up to allow refuge, and safety, from travel. I know that because I was at the Holy City when Jankin Frylar presented this offering to Maester Mylow, and I favored it in the vote.”
Vhadrah- Evolution of HiSkale Page 12