Tyris had survived the cave in handily, being able to ‘flow’ through the debris by conforming his body to the shapes of the falling rocks. His area was affected more than the others, judging by the size of the boulders around his feet.
Kazin had suffered the most. His weakened state had left him unable to shield himself from the falling rubble. His head was cut and bleeding. Fortunately, the amount of debris that had fallen on him from above was limited. He struggled to get to his feet and Alric helped him up. Kazin slapped the dust from his cloak. “Thank you, Alric,” he said between coughs.
The arch mage sat down wearily and attempted to catch his breath. He lifted his wineskin to his lips but it was empty. It had gotten torn by a falling rock.
Alric offered him his wineskin. “Here.”
Kazin looked at the elf. “Are you sure -?”
“Drink!” ordered Alric. “I’ve got another wineskin in my pack,” he lied.
Kazin was doubtful but drank anyway. After a few gulps he handed the wineskin back to the elf. Then he staggered to his feet. “Let’s keep moving.”
“Are you sure -?” began Alric.
“Yes,” interrupted Kazin. “The longer we delay, the weaker I’ll become.”
Alric was amazed at the mage’s determination, but said nothing. He followed the others quietly, Tyris leading the way through the dusty darkness over the cave-in rubble to the tunnel beyond.
A good hour of uneventful travel passed by before Kazin’s staff began to glow orange. The trio stopped in front of the tunnel wall and Kazin concentrated. A few moments later, a portal opened before them. Alric and Kazin exchanged determined glances and stepped through, followed by the elemental.
They stopped immediately after stepping through because they had arrived in a tunnel similar to the one they had vacated.
Tyris looked to either side of them. “Which way?”
Kazin waited for the familiar gust of wind but there was none. He grew concerned. “The wind that has been guiding us is no longer present. I hope the air elemental is O.K.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t have gone through the portal,” suggested Alric. “We could be going the wrong way.”
Kazin considered. Perhaps Alric was right. “Alright. Let’s go back through the portal and check.” He turned around but stopped with a puzzled expression. He looked at the orb atop his staff.
“What is it?” asked Alric.
“Did you notice when the staff light changed to pink?”
Alric looked at the staff and was surprised to see it was a pinkish hue instead of the usual orange one. “Is that a problem?”
Kazin shook his head. “No. It’s just curious that it’s magically locked.”
“Locked?” asked Alric. He looked at Tyris. “How can that be? We just went through it a moment ago!”
Kazin shrugged. “I don’t know all of the magical workings of lizardman magic. This is new to me.”
“Could someone have locked it after we went through?” asked Alric nervously.
“That is unlikely,” said Tyris. “I would have sensed magic users in our vicinity at the time.”
“Can you open it?” asked the elf.
Kazin nodded. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead and he had to pat his face with his cloak hood to reduce the stinging of sweat in his wound.
At last the portal opened and Alric was about to step through but Kazin held up a hand. He opened his eyes and Alric noticed a strange glow in the mage’s eyes. Kazin’s expression was one of surprise. His staff still glowed pink. Kazin closed his eyes and concentrated some more. Suddenly, the wall behind the companions glowed and undulated. There was a portal behind them!
“Well, what do you know!” exclaimed Tyris. “Who would have guessed that another portal would be located right opposite the first one?”
“A clever strategy,” commented Alric. “Anyone pursuing a lizardman into this tunnel would never guess that there was another portal so close by. I’d wager that there are traps at either end of this tunnel.”
“You could be right about that,” admitted Kazin.
Alric looked at Kazin. “Which way now?”
Kazin grinned despite being weakened by the magic. “I didn’t open the portal for nothing.” He turned and stepped through new portal with the others close on his heels.
They entered a vast cavern with many converging tunnels. Torches flickered in wall sconces all around the cavern, shedding considerable light on the scene before them. In the middle of the room, a jumble of rocks was piled in a circular fashion.
“I wonder what happened here,” muttered Alric, moving past the rubble to look for signs of lizardmen and danger. Kazin went around the other side to magically confirm that the room was secure.
Tyris approached the rock pile and placed his hand on some nearby rocks. He cried out and instinctively sprang away from the rocks. The mage and elf snapped to attention and gave Tyris a fearful stare.
“What is it?” asked Kazin, alarmed. Though weak, he moved to the elemental’s side quickly.
“These rocks!” gasped Tyris. “They were magically created by the earth elemental!”
Alric studied the rock pile curiously. “What for?”
“I - I sense other magic here,” said Tyris. “This is bad! Very bad!”
Kazin inspected the pile of rocks using magic, but other than the usual glow of magical light, he could learn nothing.
Tyris cautiously approached the rocks again and seemed to concentrate. Then his eyes widened. “No! It can’t be!”
“What is it?” asked Kazin in concern.
Tyris turned his gaze to Kazin. “This pile of rocks was used as a barrier!”
“A barrier for what?” asked Alric. He was becoming impatient.
Tyris turned his burning gaze on the elf. “A barrier to prevent the air elemental from escaping!”
Kazin was stunned. “You mean the air elemental was imprisoned here?”
Tyris nodded. “Yes.”
“The barrier is broken,” stated Alric. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
Tyris shook his sadly. “Not likely. The barrier does not appear to have been broken from the inside out. I sense no signs of a struggle. If the air elemental had escaped, there would certainly be more damage to this cavern. You underestimate the power of an elemental.”
“So you think the elemental is still under the control of the lizardmen?” asked Kazin.
“Probably,” said Tyris.
“If that’s the case,” said Kazin, “the lizardmen no longer needed to keep the air elemental trapped to control it. We’re too late to help it.” He sat down and was overcome by a fit of coughing. His breathing became more laboured and he was getting sicker and sicker. The quest was getting nowhere.
“Take a look at this,” said a voice from one of the tunnels. Kazin sighed and got to his feet. The tunnel Alric had drawn their attention to opened up into another cavern. “It looks like they were mining something here,” said the elf.
The cavern looked like it had been mined, but it was perfectly symmetrical in every dimension. “The earth elemental’s magic was at work here,” stated Tyris.
“What were they mining?” asked Alric.
Tyris shrugged. “I don’t know. Perhaps this is where the earth elemental obtained the rocks for the barrier.”
The cavern led nowhere, so the trio returned to the main cavern. It was then that Kazin’s staff glowed pink again.
The mage approached the nearest wall and the staff glowed brighter. Out of curiosity, Kazin started walking around the circumference of the cavern. As he expected, each time he centered himself between tunnel exits, the staff became bright pink. The portal they had arrived in, however, made the staff glow orange. The mage pondered for a few moments, and suddenly an expression of understanding dawned on him.
“Of course!” he exclaimed.
“Of course, what?” asked Alric.
“That’s
why lizardmen were thought to be nearly extinct! Their magic allows them to live in a parallel plane of existence!”
Alric looked at the mage blankly.
“Each time we go through a portal - usually the ones with magical warding - we enter their realm by going into a separate plane of existence!”
“We’re in a different plane of existence?” asked Alric.
“Yes,” said Kazin. “At the moment we are.”
“I don’t sense anything different,” said Tyris.
“You probably won’t,” said Kazin. He gestured around the cavern with his arm. “This cavern is still in the mountains, but it is removed from where we were before we came in here. It is a magical place of this world but not of this world.” The mage slapped the wall beside him. “Each of these portals leads back to our plane of existence, and at least one of each of the tunnels we see is associated with each portal on the other side. This is a central location for various parts of the mountain all glued together. The lizardmen created it using their magic. They use it as a means of refuge from the other races, and as a means to travel a great distance in a short time - something like the portals connecting Marral and Warral to Sorcerer’s Island.” (The Tower of Sorcery had portals that mages used to get to the mainland east and west of Sorcerer’s Island.)
Alric shook his head. This was a bit much for him to comprehend. “So we’re in the lizardmens’ realm. What does that gain us?”
Kazin coughed and pointed to the unchecked portal nearest him. “This is the perfect opportunity to ‘jump’ to a number of other lizardman locations and try to find the source of the poison. If one portal doesn’t lead us anywhere, we’ll come back here to try another route. We found the spot where the air elemental had been held captive. They must have felt secure here. It stands to reason that the other elementals are being held in caverns similar to this one.”
“I’m all for that,” said Alric. “But if this is a central hub as you claim, wouldn’t it be more heavily travelled? Where are all the lizardmen? They should be going through here in droves. It’s too quiet.”
“I thought about that,” said Kazin. “I have no answer. Something is seriously wrong here. Where are the lizardmen? Where did they take the air elemental? Where -?” The mage broke off in another fit of coughing. His head swam and his insides ached. The world spun, and, with his strength completely sapped, Kazin passed out.
* * * * *
The downpour had reduced to a light deluge as the gates to the Tower of Hope creaked open. Muffled sounds became an audible roar as the masses gathered outside pressed in against the army in an attempt to gain access to the tower’s courtyard. The ranks of soldiers held their ground as the convoy of supplies were ushered in. About forty wagons came rumbling into the courtyard, laden with food, water, and emergency supplies. Many grey mages accompanied the convoy in order to protect it on the long journey from the Tower of the Sky.
Amidst the first two wagons rode a tall, slender grey mage. She threw down her hood and exposed her long brown hair and eyes. She had a stern expression and an old scar on her left cheek. Although no longer young, she had the bearing of someone who derived strength from hardship. The plight of the people outside the tower made her suddenly thankful that her life wasn’t so bad after all.
The grey mage surveyed the courtyard and the bustle of activity surrounding the supply wagons as they were eagerly unloaded by soldiers and clerics alike. The skink warriors sat atop the battlements watching the work below. Their presence was eerie from the grey mage’s standpoint, and by the look of her travelling party, she surmised the others felt the same way.
A cleric came bustling up to the grey mage. “Excuse me,” stammered the cleric. “Are you the leader of this expedition?”
The grey mage nodded. “Yes.”
“Please come with me,” said the cleric. His voice was muffled within the hood of his cloak, which was pulled tight over his head to keep out the rain.
The grey mage dismounted and landed in a sizeable puddle. She looked down at her muddy boots but showed no reaction. It had rained for most of her journey, so she was wet to the bone already anyhow. She followed the cleric into the shelter of the tower where she was told to wait.
While waiting, she noticed the statue of a balding, grizzly looking man nearby. Everyone who walked past seemed to be ignoring him.
“Mara!” exclaimed a heavy set, white robed cleric. His brown hair had specs of grey and his paunch jiggled as he strode toward her in haste. “I didn’t expect you to deliver the supplies personally!”
Mara smiled as she gently embraced the cleric. “I wanted to ensure that everything arrived intact and on time.” She pulled back from the cleric and her smile vanished. “I had no idea things were as bad as you led me to believe, Malachi. I thought you were exaggerating when you told me what was going on. Now I see that you weren’t stretching the truth at all.”
Malachi sighed and spread his hands. “I’m glad you responded so quickly. There are many people in need of your supplies. You have no idea how good it is to see you.”
Mara smiled again. “It’s good to see you too, Malachi. It’s been a long time since we met face to face.”
“That’s true,” said Malachi. “It’s too bad we have to meet under these circumstances.” The High Cleric beckoned the leader of the grey mages to follow. “Come. Your cloak is drenched. I’ll get you to your quarters and have a spare set of dry clothing brought to you.”
“Thank you,” said Mara. As they walked, Mara asked Malachi whether there was any more progress with the disease.
“We recently discovered that healing magic with the faelora herbs helps offset the internal pain most of the people are enduring,” said Malachi happily. “Combined with the dwarven spirits, many people are moving about when ordinarily they would have been bed ridden.”
Mara stopped walking. “I’m sorry. Did you say - ‘dwarven spirits’?”
Malachi turned around. Seeing the incredulous expression on the grey mage’s face, he couldn’t help but laugh, his paunch jiggling merrily. After his fit of laughter, Malachi responded. “Yes. That was my first reaction when I heard the idea.” He put his arm around the mage and led her to her room. “I’ll explain it when you’ve settled in. First, you need to get out of your wet clothes before you catch cold.”
They had just reached Mara’s room when a young cleric came bounding up to the High Cleric.
“Excuse me, Sir!” panted the cleric. “A sentry from one of the outposts has arrived and needs to see you at once!”
Malachi grunted. “Very well.” He turned to Mara. “I won’t be long. You can -.”
“I’m coming with you,” said Mara sternly.
Malachi looked into the mage’s eyes and saw the resolve. “Very well,” he said at last. “Come on.”
Outside, the sky seemed to have gotten darker. A sentry stood surrounded by a number of other soldiers who talked excitedly. Malachi approached them just as General Larsen arrived from another direction.
Seeing the High Cleric already present, Larsen spoke. “Out with it, Milani!”
The sentry turned to face his commander with a pale face. “We have been attacked, Sir!” stammered Milani.
“Attacked? By whom?” demanded the general.
The soldier shook his head for lack of words. Finally he answered. “All sorts of creatures! Ogres, lizardmen, cyclops, creatures made of stone, everyone! A handful of us barely managed to escape with our lives!”
“What about the other outposts?” asked Larsen.
The soldier fearfully shook his head. “There were so many!” He shook his head again. “God help them all!” he said in a terrified whisper.
Larsen and Malachi exchanged fearful faces. Mara looked between the two men and her face became ashen as well. If these men were worried, she was even more so. She had brought numerous mages to assist with the distribution of supplies. Now it appeared as though they would be needed for battle instead. Hopeful
ly there was still enough time to ship more mages up from the Tower of the Sky via North Lake. The black magic the grey mages wielded was no match for the powerful magic of lizardmen, but every little bit they had was better than nothing. For not the first time, Mara wished that grey magic was more powerful than it was.
* * * * *
Martha exhaled with a great huff. “It’s no use. I can’t sense it anymore. We’ve lost it for good this time.”
“It was too little too late,” said Milena. She sat down on the roof of the Tower of the Moon and disappointment spread across her features. “If I had just come sooner.”
“It’s not your fault, child,” said Martha consolingly. She sat down beside the druid and put her arm around her. There was a cold wind and in the distance storm clouds were brewing.
“All together we could have summoned the air elemental right into our plane,” lamented Milena. “Then the lizardmen wouldn’t have been able to summon it away from us.”
“What would we have done then, child?” countered the rotund druid. “Using all of our magical energy to hold onto an elemental while those who need us are dying all around us? No. It makes little difference in the end. The lizardmen would have prevailed eventually. If we were dealing with the earth or water elemental, on the other hand, we wouldn’t need to use nearly so much energy. Those elementals are what provide much of our druid magic. But we use air magic less, so our magic is not as powerful when it comes to summoning an air elemental.”
“As long as it gave Kazin time to find the fire elemental,” interrupted Adriana. She stood across the altar from the others. She was as disappointed as they were.
Milena brightened at the mention of the dragon mage. “Kazin will do it. He’ll succeed.”
Adriana wondered what everyone saw in the mage, but knew better than to question his abilities now. He was perhaps their only hope. Amelia, the oracle who had resided among them up until a few years ago, had determined this with her ability. As usual, she had been right. Before she died, she had also instructed them to send Rubin’s ship south to a small port near Rist. He was to assemble troops and give passage to some important people. Who those people were was unspecified. There were no reasons given, just a command. Reluctantly, Adriana had complied - and not a moment too soon. Some of the sailors were regaining consciousness and they had to be sent off before falling under the lure of the mermaids in the lagoon.
Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 27