The Fifth Magic (Book 1)

by Brian Rathbone

  Only the energy flow told Chase that Allette also traveled, which made him uncomfortable. Seeing and feeling things others couldn't had always been Catrin's expertise. His anxiety increased ten-fold when a voice spoke in his mind.

  We're coming.

  Chase looked up to see Kenward watching him. The good captain was among the few people on standby to continue the chant. He and Chase had known each other for a long time, and the man must have read his face because he also went pale.

  "Get everyone out of the main hallway and into the side halls," Chase said. "Get those replacements reserved for the chant divided up and squeezed into the chant rooms."

  Under almost any other circumstances, Kenward would have balked at being given orders, or at least made a sarcastic comment, but he simply did as he was told. This unnerved Chase as much as anything else, at least until the roaring and rending of stone began.

  From the great hall came the sounds of an angry feral dragon, muffled by the very barrier Catrin had released. Chase didn't know how long it would take a dragon to remove the stone obstruction, but he was betting it wouldn't be long enough. Trinda might not approve of this new alliance, and both Catrin and Allette were vulnerable.

  When he turned back to the hall, a huge reptilian eye watched him from the doorway. Chase nearly fainted. When the eye moved away and a giant claw reached into the room, all Chase could do was back away from the opening. Never in his life had he felt so helpless and trapped. The claw landed gently on Catrin's chest, and Chase held his breath, having no idea what would happen next. In the hallway rang the echoes of a feral dragon trying to claw its way to them.

  * * *

  Finding consensus with someone who wants to kill you is a difficult thing, but it was something Catrin and Allette had to achieve if they were to survive. For some time, they had simply struggled against one another, neither willing to allow the other to have control, and thus they were no closer to Catrin's goal, no closer to achieving the mission Kyrien had sent them on. Catrin still had second thoughts about putting those she cared about in such danger, including her son's closest friend, but she had no other plan. At that moment, Allette was proving just how strong willed she was. Her father had raised a determined and capable soul. The thought came partly from Allette and partly from Catrin's shared memory of her upbringing. It was among the most bizarre experiences of Catrin's life.

  Mired in stalemate, the two powerful entities struggled against one another to nullifying effect. They continued to go nowhere. Catrin tried everything she could to persuade Allette, but the girl knew as much about Catrin as she did of Allette. The Black Queen knew what Catrin wanted and, at the moment, was diametrically opposed to it. If they continued as they were, they would burn each other out, and the world would be left to fend for itself. Simultaneously both committed themselves to that act. At least then neither would return to the world armed with the most dangerous knowledge possible. Catrin knew this wasn't the right answer. The people would not be able to protect themselves from what had already been set into motion. The Godfist itself could be destroyed. And what of Kyrien? His presence flooded into Catrin's consciousness. She drew strength from her closest friend and companion. He was there with her then, and the tide turned.

  Allette was not cowed, but she could no longer hold them in stasis. Applying her will, Catrin's spirit merged with Kyrien's, his bright light adding to the texture and beauty of their interwoven souls. Allette's sense of wonder was palpable, and her resistance lessened. Across the waves, their spirits soared, and Kyrien helped Catrin find their way. Disoriented, only her dragon's ability to know his location no matter the circumstances kept them on the correct trajectory.

  The Black Spike finally came into view. Engulfed in darkness, it was as if the storm clouds had gathered there to torture the ancient stone structure jutting from the deepest and most solitary waters on Godsland. The Black Spike should not exist, yet it did. Catrin had lived in this strange place, and she still had no idea how it had been constructed, although she had serious suspicions about exactly who had built this improbable structure.

  No one could enter this mighty fortress in the way Catrin and Kyrien did since it required such a tremendous amount of power, along with the knowledge of where the entrance was. It didn't help Catrin's anxiety when she heard Allette's thoughts. Now there were two people powerful enough to enter the Black Spike.

  Catrin also knew there was no hiding what she was about to do, and Allette would know even more secrets surrounding this most mysterious and dangerous place. Having slept within, Catrin knew dark powers waited in the depths, even if she didn't know the exact form they took. Still, she directed their energies to the top of the mighty fortress and did the very thing her spirit urged her not to do.

  * * *

  Sleep had come in fits, dreams melding with reality to create a waking nightmare. Darkness enshrouded the Black Spike, as if it were a magnet for storm clouds. It was unclear if the structure created the storms or attracted them, but it was unnatural and made Durin's skin crawl. Strom and Osbourne did their best to remain positive and optimistic but he despaired. Here there was only darkness, and his spirit could no longer find the light. The blackness crept into him, seeping into his bones from the cold obsidian stone. It was as if the keep itself were drawing the life from him.

  In many ways, it didn't matter. A quick death would be preferable to a slow one, and Durin once again considered throwing himself from the heights and ending it all. Something deep within him, though, knew these thoughts were not his own. It was as if the keep were defending itself by fostering these ideas. There wasn't much need to defend against them since they were stuck on top this boiling rock pile with no way to go anywhere else. Durin wasn't certain what he'd done to offend the gods, but it was clear he'd done so. To add insult, the wind cast sand into his eyes.

  Holding up his arm, he was buffeted by powerful winds, which threatened to send him toppling over the edge even if he didn't go willingly. Burying his head in his arms, he hoped to wait out the winds, but they were insistent and pushed on him with relentless fury, somehow finding a way to blow sand into his shielded eyes. There was no shelter atop this abomination and he stood. Moving with the wind afforded him at least a small amount of relief. To his surprise, the buffeting air grew more gentle as he went, as if caressing rather than assaulting him. Not wanting to go any closer to the edge, he slowed and stopped. The gusts grew fierce, propelling him forward. Part of him feared the wind was trying to get him into a better position from which to hurl him to his death, but there was something else there, something familiar, and Durin allowed himself to be pushed.

  Once again, as he moved in the direction the wind blew, it lessened but did not go away. When he was only a few paces from the structure's edge, Durin began to resist. The air grew still. The darkness drew closer as the storm clouds brooded above. Subtle at first but growing stronger and brighter, a faint orange glow outlined rocks not far from the edge.

  Strom and Osbourne must have been watching, and they saw it as well, both coming to stand by his side. No one spoke; there was no need. As a team, they cleared away the rocks from atop the glow, finding a chamber within. Sitting within an alcove carved into a stone taller than a man, sat a wonder. An amber statuette in the shape of a woman emitted a ruddy glow. With a sudden wind gust, the glow brightened.

  In the chamber floor was an ancient hatchway made of wood and metal, which somehow retained its luster after withstanding the elements. Strom spent a few moments examining the metal before shaking his head. Applying his muscles, the smith opened the hatch.

  Durin, Strom, and Osbourne descended into darkness.

  Be sure to check out the rest of the Godsland books!

 

 

 
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