by Aya Knight
“Let us quickly devise a plan. Illadar has rope within his pack which we can use to secure around your waist. I can conjure a spell to ensure it does not snap so that you can retrieve Neelan and bring her back to the surface.” Thomas advised.
“There is no time.” Kale’s words were final. He glanced at his two friends and leapt into the sinking pit.
Chapter 6: A Prisoner
The sand pressed upon his body from all sides, forcing the air out of his lungs. Kale knew there was not much time before he would be forced to inhale—bringing him to an untimely demise. He couldn’t except such a fate without knowing Neelan was free from harm. With his eyes tightly shut, he allowed the sand to suck him down. His palms remained open in hopes of catching hold of Neelan.
I’m going to die … this cannot be. I must save her. I need air desperately. I’m sinking so deep …
His lips began to part. It was happening—the bodily need for oxygen.
No—just a little longer.
He pinched his mouth shut, but to no avail. His lips involuntarily opened, allowing the rough sand to infiltrate his throat. Just as hope seemed lost, Kale’s body slipped past the sand and began to fall through open air. He fell many feet before crashing down onto a firm surface. Pain seared through his legs, but he was still able to pull himself onto all fours. Vomit hit the floor in a messy splatter of stench as his body naturally removed the sand from inside. Kale gasped for air, wiping the drooling saliva from his face. There was only one thought on his mind.
“Neelan?” He choked out in a dry, raspy tone. His throat was incredibly sore, making it difficult to speak. Kale glanced around at his surroundings. It was dim, with minimal light coming from a nearby tunnel. He squinted around, using his hands to touch the wall as a guide. “Neelan, can you hear me?”
Please be all right.
Kale inched closer to the dim light—when he heard her. The muffled voice of Neelan, struggling. His eyes shot around in all directions until coming upon the faint figure kneeling within the shadows. She faced the wall with her head down, shaking as though she were tugging against something immobile.
“You’re all right! Why didn’t you answer me, Neelan? I was so worried about you.” Kale strained as he rose upon his feet. They ached terribly, though not broken. He quickly staggered to her side and placed a palm atop each of her shoulders. “We need to find a way out of here.”
He gently tugged her toward him, but she did not budge. Neelan tilted her head in Kale’s direction with eyes wide and full of fear. A brown cloth had been tied around her head and forcefully shoved into her mouth.
Kale immediately tugged on the fabric until loosening it enough to pull free.
“Kale—run!” She cried out.
Kale glanced over a shoulder just as the rod struck his temple. He could feel his body falling to the side before his face hit the ground. That was the last conscience moment he had before being pulled away from Neelan’s side.
“They’ve been down there too long. We’ve gotta’ do somethin’.” Illadar looked toward Thomas.
“Agreed, my friend. Provide me with your rope, if you will.” Thomas requested.
Illadar handed over a lengthy coil of rope from his pack.
Thomas took the rope and closed his eyes, holding out a palm and concentrating heavily. “Tarnae hila dok sharanis.” The rope instantly sprang to life, squirming and slithering as though a snake. “Into the pit!” He commanded. His palm shot forth, motioning the enchanted fibers toward the soft, sinking sand.
They watched as the rope straightened out before lowering down into the earth.
“Halt!” Thomas called out.
The rope froze in place. One end deep inside the pit—the other remaining stiff and pointed straight up toward the sky.
“It’s ready.” Thomas confirmed. “We cannot be sure what lies below. It’s best to have something to grip onto, should we need to pull ourselves back to the surface.”
Illadar nodded before holding his arm out and giving a firm tug on the rope. It felt secure and he was confident it could support his weight.
“You’re going in with that?” Thomas indicated his large claymore.
“Like you said old man, we can’t be certain what lies below. Best we be prepared for anything.” Illadar leapt for the rope, allowing his body to glide downward into the engulfing sands. He took in a final breath before his head buried beneath the sand.
“Oh, the things I do for dear friends.” Thomas sighed before following Illadar’s lead.
After sliding down through the suffocating sand, Thomas emerged into the underground room, gasping heavily for air. He slid down the rope and dropped next to Illadar’s side.
“I can’t see a bloody thing.” Illadar squinted through the darkness.
“Well, what did you expect—the sun to magically stream through the sand and kiss our cheeks with its rays?” Thomas chuckled.
“Very funny old man, very funny.” Illadar sarcastically replied. “Now how about helpin’ us out with some light? I don’t think Kale or Neelan are near us—I’m sure by now I’d have heard one of their big mouths runnin’.”
Thomas spoke an incantation and a small luminescent orb swirled around his fingers. The two men could now see that they stood within a bare room. The walls were composed of firmly packed sand that was as solid as stone.
“Look ahead.” Thomas extended his arm, guiding the tiny orb forward.
They could both see the narrow corridor which led to an unknown darkness. Thomas inched his way forward, holding his free palm outward—prepared to unleash a magical attack if necessary.
Illadar took notice of Thomas’ body movement and withdrew his sword. “Hey, kid, can you hear me?”
The two listened closely for any hint of movement.
“We must press on.” Thomas spoke with courage, though his wide, green eyes revealed uncertainties. “Formations beneath the surface, such as this,” he indicated the room where they stood, “do not happen naturally. I presume we are not alone down here.”
Illadar silently nodded and took lead as they crept cautiously down the passage. They could only see as far as the small orb’s cast light, making it difficult to prepare for what lay ahead. After a brief walk, they came upon another room, this one noticeably larger than the last. The air smelt of an unpleasant must and humidity swarmed around their bodies.
“Listen!” Illadar held a finger up to indicate pause.
A low, muffled sound could be heard down another corridor.
“I’d recognize the voice anywhere—it is Kale!” Thomas swiftly made way in the direction of the noise.
“Hold it, old man.” Illadar extended an arm in Thomas’ path. “I’ll go first. Somethin’ isn’t right here. Shouldn’t you put that little light of yours out? If someone else is down here, we don’t want to alert ’em of our presence.”
“By now, should someone be amongst these underground tunnels, I’m certain they are well aware of us. It would be in our interest to maintain adequate lighting so we do not stroll into danger. Now, let us move forward—Kale may be in grave trouble.” Thomas motioned for Illadar to enter the dark corridor.
Illadar held his claymore defensively in front of his body, taking long quiet strides forward. Another sound could be heard; this one much closer than before. It was definitely Kale.
“Kid? Where are you?” Illadar readjusted his grip on the sword’s hilt.
With a flick of his fingers, Thomas commanded the small orb to float farther in front of them. He waved his hand and the light began to travel around a square room with many cages that appeared as though they had been carved out of sand.
“What in the bloody hell is this?” Illadar approached one of the cages and tapped a bar with the tip of his sword. He had expected the
blade to pierce straight through the sand, but instead it knocked against the side. The cage was completely solid. He took a few slow steps backwards until colliding with another cage. He spun around and leapt back in surprise at the sight of human bones, lying in an unnatural fashion upon the ground.
A loud, muffled yell echoed through the room, breaking Illadar’s focus on the corpse.
“Kale!” Thomas called out, sending the orb in the direction of the sound.
At the farthest end of the room, they could make out Kale’s figure. As Thomas and Illadar raced toward him, the two men could see that Kale’s hands had been bound behind his back, and his mouth was stuffed with a tied cloth, wrapped around his head.
Kale thrashed his head from side to side until finally managing to move the cloth just enough to allow sound to escape. “Getot ofere now!” His words were barely distinguishable.
“Jumping balt toads Kale! We are going to get you free—step back and stay away from the bars.” Thomas lifted a palm above his head, “Kruedia eso—”
Kale rammed his body hard against the bars, yelling as loud as he could. He watched Thomas hit the floor, hard, and everything went dark as the illuminate orb dimmed to nothing. All Kale could do was fight to break free while listening to the sound of his two friends struggle.
“Show yourself cowards! I’ll cut you in half!” Illadar called out. The sound of his heavy footsteps could be heard shuffling around the room.
Thomas shouted an incantation as he staggered to his feet. The small orb reappeared in time to see two bodies running toward he and Illadar. “Alaria!” The invisible barrier went up as the two attackers thrust their staves forward. “Next attack lands!” Thomas warned Illadar as the shield dissolved.
“All right, you two asked for it.” Illadar moved swiftly forward with his claymore offensively positioned for an attack.
The blade clashed against the enemy’s staff. Illadar’s opponent was swift and mirrored his movements with ease. The other attacker joined his comrade and Illadar fought against their jabs with intense concentration.
“Illadar, move!” Thomas ordered. His palm emitted a pale glowing aura. “Luna kadara!” He braced his footing as the stream of white, blinding light shot from his hand.
They watched as it pierced through the gut of one enemy, leaving a gaping hole where his intestines would be.
Another blast, released within seconds of the first, struck the second attacker in the chest.
“Great work, old man. Now let’s get Kale out and find Neelan. I have a feelin’ these weren’t the only two dwelling down here.” Illadar quickly made way toward Kale, who continued to jerk his body around in failed attempts to free himself.
“Kale, move back, we haven’t time for alternatives—I’m going to get you out of there.” Thomas closed his eyes and softly spoke ancient words. A loud booming rang within their ears as sand flew in all directions as the cage bars exploded.
Illadar raced to Kale’s side and removed the cloth gag.
“You fools!” Kale called out. “Did you not listen to what I’ve been yelling?!”
“Kid, you’re pushin’ it. How are we supposed to hear your mumbles while tryin’ to stay alive? Use your head—we just saved you from rotting down here!” Illadar’s nostrils flared with fury.
“Look behind you!” Kale motioned his shoulder in the opposite direction, his hands still bound tightly behind his back. “You cannot kill them—magic and weapons—all useless! I warned you to run.”
The two attackers stood like motionless pillars in the darkness. Their bodies had no wounds—no blood. The only damage left from Thomas’s spell was on their slightly singed clothing, where a hole remained.
“They’re not attacking you because they now know you cannot win against them. I know because I tried, and look where it got me! These things are not human.” Kale narrowed his eyes. “They took Neelan. And though they hold me captive now—I swear I shall save her.” He shot a vicious glance toward the two, deathly still, attackers. “Do you hear me?! I will get her from you, and so help me—if you harm her, I shall make you regret your very existence.”
“How in blazes did they capture you so quickly? We did not wait long before following.” Thomas cast a glance toward the two enemies. He held a cautious hand out in preparation to attack, should they make any movement.
“They were standing right where I fell into this forsaken place. I’m certain they knew we were coming. It was no coincidence—they were prepared.” Kale violently tugged his arms to release his hands from the bindings.
Thomas stood and turned to face the silent attackers. “Decisions … how do we proceed now?” He stroked his beard. “I presume you are not standing back to allow us passage. Thus, this leaves us with the option of fighting once again to see who shall continue on.” He was completely mystified by the strange behavior of the enemies. He could not make sense of why someone who seemingly desired to kill them both, was now patiently waiting for them to make a move.
“Did you not hear what I just told you?! Open your ears, old man. You can’t hurt them.” Kale shook his head before dropping his voice to a whisper. “Try to outrun them. You must find Neelan before they harm her.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be happenin’, kid. There’s no way I’m gonna’ run away from these things when we don’t know what lies within these tunnels. There could be more of them waitin’ up ahead for all we know. You say we cannot harm them, but I’m not going anywhere without tryin’.” Illadar lunged forward at full force toward the two statuesque enemies.
As if predicting such behavior, the shaft of an enemy staff met Illadar’s blade. Knowing that they were skilled and swift, Illadar realized his only option was going to be attempting something unpredictable. He took a step back and began hysterically laughing.
The two enemies tilted their head slightly to the side as if trying to decipher the unusual behavior.
Illadar continued the manic fit of laughter, all the while tightening his grip upon the swords hilt. He stuck a foot forward and spun, pushing all of his strength into the movement of the blade. His weapon sliced straight through the torso of both enemies.
“I got you!” He called out triumphantly.
“Illadar …” Thomas softly spoke. “Illadar, move away—now.”
Illadar was still grinning from the landed blow before glancing down to notice his claymore was completely dry. There wasn’t any blood or bodily fluids leaking down the blade as he had anticipated. His eyes shot toward where the sword had struck. As before, the only damage appeared to be on their clothing.
Beneath the beige cloth, wrapped around each of the enemies’ heads, the small slit where their eyes should be began to glow a dim orange. They took slow steps forward toward Illadar and Thomas.
“What in Pan’s name are you doing?! Run!” Kale called out.
Thomas ignored Kale’s cautions and released a green blast in the direction of the attackers. It blew directly through one of the rival’s legs, sending him toppling to the ground.
“Nice work, old man!” Illadar enthusiastically yelled.
Another blast sent the other falling face-forward when his knees were obliterated from his legs.
“See, kid, we can handle this. Now let’s get you outta’ here and find Neelan.” Illadar began to work on breaking Kale free from the handcuffs, which had him bound in place with a chain made of nothing more than sand. “How is this possible? These things don’t budge.” Illadar tugged firmly on the sand-chain.
“Allow me.” Thomas knelt to Kale’s side. “This will not be pleasant, my friend.”
Kale swallowed hard and nodded, his focus remaining on rescuing Neelan as quickly as possible.
“Silant devorda.” The words escapes Thomas’ lips and instantly, Kale went mute to the world.
The old sorcerer smiled comfortingly and, with a wave of his hand, he cast a spell of healing upon his friend. Beads of perspiration rolled from Thomas’ slender nose as he quickly shoved the sleeves of his robe over each hand. “We need to hurry. I have a strong notion our two new friends are not done.”
Illadar continued to investigate the mysterious chain that seemed to be grounded into the sandy floor. It was baffling.
Kale sighed in relief as he rolled his wrists, which felt surprisingly unscathed by the incident. He squinted into the darkness and listened closely, certain he heard something nearby.
The figures appeared quickly; their staves held offensively forward.
“No!” Kale shouted as he watched the blunt side of the enemy weapons jab forcefully against the backside of his friends’ skulls.
The two attackers stood as though never having received damage. Their bodies fully formed without an injury. The tiny orb once again flickered until dimming to nothingness over Thomas’ limp body. Kale was alone with the creatures in complete darkness.
Chapter 7: The Chosen One
Thomas slowly blinked his eyes, groaning at the pounding sensation within his head. He rubbed the back of his skull—no blood. He released a sigh of relief as he adjusted himself into an upright position. His eyes panned the open space which was dimly lit by small glowing craters in the ground. He wondered if they emitted heat as he wiped a glaze of sweat from his forehead; the area was uncomfortably hot.