“You were jumping to the fishermen! The Nadheera!” Kellin yelled back, still holding his grip.
“Fishermen? I wasn’t jumping.” Even as he said it, he felt his body leaning forward toward the sea.
“Will, you were.” Tripp stood there, frightened.
“I… I was?” Will’s body relaxed and he slumped a little.
Kellin loosed his grip and stared at Will.
After a moment, Tripp opened his mouth, ”What’s a Nadheera?”
“Nadheera?” Will looked at him, frustrated and confused.
“Nadheera,” Kellin explained, “is a fish that hunts man and looks like a man.”
“An… evil mermaid?” Tripp said jokingly.
“What is a mermide?” Kellin asked.
“A mermaid was a creature that was half man and half fish that lived in the ocean and called sailors to the water with their beauty,” Tripp continued.
“Then yes, a mermide.” Kellin confidently attempted to say the new word.
Tripp and Will turned quickly and stared at Kellin in disbelief, he returned the stare with an assuring one.
“Mermaids?” Will mumbled.
“Why do you call them Nadheera?” Tripp insisted.
“It means hunter of man. They call to men with their eyes and feast on them in the waters.” Kellin replied calmly. Both Tripp and Will stood up quickly and stiffly and headed to the shore, Kellin looked into the water and saw movement before quickly following them back to the shore.
If it hadn’t been for their distance from the mountain, they never would have noticed the large opening adorned with writing and torches. Will stopped and pointed as Kellin simply stated “Mahfur.”
The opening was high into the mountain and a narrow path was visible snaking its way alongside the ridge.
“Rya would have seen this at night!” Will said as he rushed toward the mountainside. He quickly ran to the horses, tying them to a tree nearby. As he left them, he grabbed his knife and the crooked staff.
Kellin and Tripp quickly ran after him as the waves crashed behind them and eyes followed.
The trail was only a foot wide at points, and nonexistent at others. It was hard to tell if it had been carved into the mountain or was a naturally occurring thin trail. The three carefully climbed toward the mountain entrance. The height of the entrance was nearly 150 feet above the base of the mountain, and rose as cliff straight above them. Halfway up, Will’s foot slipped and caused him to nearly fall off the path and drop to his imminent death. With Tripp’s help, he regained his footing.
Completely underestimating the height and difficulty of the climb, the three arrived to the entrance out of breath and clinging to the outer wall. The entrance was a rounded part of a natural cave entrance that had been carved out and inscribed with an ancient form of Algaer.
“What does it say?” Tripp whispered, hoping not to call out the inhabitants of the cave.
“I can’t read it,” Kellin replied. “This is an old form of our language and I can only make out a few words.”
“It says ‘There is no light, not even at all, so we hid here, that we should not fall. Mahfur’,” Will said as if he was reading English.
“You can read this? Of course you can, what can’t you do?” Tripp said sarcastically.
Not understanding, Kellin interjected, “Should we go in?”
“Let’s grab a torch,” Will said reaching for the one closest to him.
“What are you doing grabbing my torch?” A voice from inside said slowly.
Tripp stepped back, forgetting the cliff behind him, and grabbed onto Will as he fell.
17 Doms
Will stared into the cave with a sense of panic, searching for the voice’s owner as his ankle was pulled. His adrenaline kicked in and he jolted forward, pulling Tripp up quickly. He had been knocked out by a stone. His head was bleeding and his body lay limp, half supported by the thin trail.
“I am Algaer,” Kellin yelled inside the mouth of the cave. “We are looking for our friend!”
“So, she was with you.” The voice was slow and methodical. A figure slowly approached the entrance, but never fully entered into the light. Its frame was thin and appeared underfed, with dark black hair that reached the base of its spine. It walked upright and carefully, wearing what looked like a uniform made of wool and sewn-in leather.
“Come in so that we may leave this place,” the man said, eying his surroundings carefully. Two more appeared beside him and helped carry Tripp inside the cave.
As they entered the cave, there was no light. The cave appeared to only penetrate about thirty feet into the side of the mountain.
“My name is Will, and this is Kellin, and the man on the ground is Tripp,” Will stated, trying to overcome the awkward silence.
“Follow me,” the man stated, turning into the cave and beckoning the others to follow. He walked to the end of the cave, which had been squared at the end, and removed a wooden plank hiding the entrance. As the board was removed, a blue light beamed through the entrance and lit up the rest of the cave. Will could see that the inside of the cave was covered in writing and handprints, most of which he dismissed, until he saw a drawing over the entrance. It was a giant winged creature, which at first looked like an angel; but this creature was different. It was drawn in black and blue, and a serious effort had been put into drawing its fangs. Long fangs covered in red, and its left arm reached for the incomers.
“What is that?” Will hesitated, feeling much more frightened by the drawing than he thought he should.
“That is Khafish, our savior,” the first man said dauntingly. Although his statement exuded confidence, Will’s fear did not completely subside.
Will stepped onto the stairway leading into the mountain. These steps had been made carefully, unlike the trail outside. As the stairway led down, it opened onto the top of a large cliff lit by torches and riddled with homes. The large crevasse appeared to have no floor as it stretched into the distance. Rickety old wooden bridges stretched from one side to the other. People could be seen walking around, in and out of the homes, conducting their daily business. Will looked down, baffled by the size of this underground city. Along the walls were streaks of blue crystal, which flashed in the torchlight, cascading up and down throughout the city. Where the city was narrow, it compensated by stretching deep into the unforeseeable distance.
“Mahfur,” Kellin said again, staring in awe at the awesomeness of it all.
The stairway down was easily walked, zigzagging along the cliffside.
As they reached the bottom, the first man at the entrance began telling the others to take Tripp to the infirmary.
“I would like to go with him,” Will said, quickly trying to keep up with the guards.
“No.” The first guard stuck out his hand, stopping Will. “The king wishes to see you; your friend is waiting there.” His tone was cold and meticulous.
Will watched as they took Tripp around the corner. The first guard then directed Kellin and Will down an alternate path.
“This way,” he insisted.
They first crossed over one of the old wooden bridges to get to the opposite end of the chasm. From above, Will could see a large cave opening, and inside were trees and bushes and what looked like sunlight.
“That is one of our peace gardens,” the guard stated, noticing Wills interest.
“Why do you live underground?” Will asked.
“Why not ask our Algaer friend here? Kellin you said wasn’t it?” the guard asked harshly.
“Yes, Kellin. Yet you have not shared your name, friend.” That last word came out harshly, causing Will to instinctively throw Kellin a glance.
“My name is Kohnar of Ulstad, a direct descendant of Rilukan of Ulstad.”
“There, now I can tell the tale,” Kellin began. “The Ulstad tribe arrived late to the island, having heard tales of how the Thohg were not here. Upon arrival, the battle of Ku-Nem had just ended and the Thohg we
re on the hunt.”
“My people barely made it to the shore,” Kohnar butted in. “Before half were cut down by the Thohg, a quarter of them by Isabek himself. So we took to the hills trying to gain the high ground. Instead we were guided here by Khafish, our savior.”
“The Ruik told us you were all lost on the beach. They said they searched high and low,” Kellin added.
“Apparently not.” And with that, Kohnar ended the conversation.
Will thought for a moment, “When you say this ‘Khafish’ guided you here, what do you mean?”
“He stood at the mouth of the entrance and hid us here from the Thohg.”
“Is he here?” Will asked, trying not to display his dismay.
“He comes and goes as he pleases, but always arrives on time to the Festival of Joeh.”
“The Festival of Joeh?”
Kohnar turned to look at him, finally showing his eyes which, until now, were always squinting. They were old and tired eyes that had definitely seen battle.
“You ask a lot of questions, but I only have one. What is your purpose here? It is my job to ensure the safety of Mahfur, and I know not whether you being here jeopardizes our future, foreigner.”
Will stopped, taken aback by the brashness of his question.
“He is Hiktar, the one who will right the wrongs of the Thohg, and I suggest you show him some respect,” Kellin said, stepping in front of Will.
Will didn’t know what to think of this. He was no savior, and he knew it. If he sided with Kellin, they could try to test him and kill him. If he disagreed with Kellin, he could lose the faith his comrade had stored in him, and possibly lose the war.
“Hiktar, eh? Hiktar of what? Have you not heard? ‘There is no light, not even at all.’” Will realized he was quoting the writing on the entrance wall.
Without leaving him a chance to answer, Kohnar turned and opened a large door to their left. Inside were golden walls and a blue floor made of the same mineral that coated the city’s walls. Evenly spaced throughout the room were jagged pillars made of dark stone. Toward the end of the room sat an empty throne, atop which sat a giant skull with a broken jaw, and skeletal arms reaching around both sides, holding the golden seat in place. To the left of the golden seat stood a small group of men talking amongst themselves. One of them wore a long cape made of brown and black fur.
“You can’t let this happen!” One man on the far side of the group roared. The whole group turned, realizing the arrival of the newcomers.
“Kohnar, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at the gate?” The man with the cape questioned with power.
“More visitors, I fear, Makur,” Kohnar stated as he placed his two hands outward, palms down, as a sign of respect.
“Will!” The voice came from the corner of the room where the group was gathered talking. Her auburn hair flowed as she ran toward them, a smile on her face.
At five feet away, the thought of how they were to embrace raced through Will’s mind. Could he hug her?
Luckily, she stopped short and continued, “I found them, the Mahfur, in the night.”
“Why did you leave?” Will asked, slightly perturbed but mostly happy to see her.
Before she could answer, the large man named Makur walked forward, his long cape dragging across the stone floor behind him.
“You must be Hiktar,” Makur said, motioning to Tripp.
Tripp stepped back nervously, “No, him,” he said awkwardly.
“Ah,” Makur shifted his heavy stare to Will. “You are most welcome here, Hiktar. I would like for you to stay as our guest for the Festival of Joeh. Khafish will be most pleased, Khafish Le’is!”
At Makur’s last words, which he yelled, everyone in the room fell to their knees and placed their hands on their heads. All except Will and his group.
Makur rose to his feet again, he was at least six feet tall and looked stronger than most in the room. His left hand stroked his beard, which was auburn and silver.
“Only two moons until the festival, and until then my hand is yours.” This saying Will took to mean ‘my home is your home.’
“Thank you so much, Makur. You are too kind,” Will responded, attempting to meet the standard which Makur’s kindness created for him.
“Kohnar! Come. Take them to their chambers, give them all they want!” Makur smiled, “and then some.”
Kohnar had escorted all but Will to what would be considered luxurious rooms. Though Will thought he heard Kellin mumble something to the extent of “refurbished cave, great.”
Will and Kohnar travelled down decorated halls to a double door made of a thin gray natural piece of bark.
“Here we are, Hiktar,” Kohnar said with the slightest bit of sarcasm hinted.
“Thanks,” Will replied dismissively.
As Will entered the room, something fell on the ground next to him.
A boy who looked like he was only 15 years old stood at the corner of the bookshelf. A book lay at his feet.
Will paused and stared at the boy.
"I'm so sorry, sir. There are just so many amazing books in this place, and I heard this room had more," the boy said hurriedly.
Will paused and then made a quizzical face. "Are you not from here?"
The boy’s jaw dropped and he froze like he had said too much. As Will stared at the boy, he noticed that his complexion was different from the people in the underground city.
From behind, another boy popped his head around Will’s shoulder as he entered the room.
"Let's go. Now," the other boy said matter-of-factly.
Will stood, eyebrows furled, as he watched the first boy hurriedly walk toward the door and exit with the second.
As the door shut behind them, Will got his first real look at his room.
In the center was a bed with a raggedy blue blanket haphazardly draped over it. Above that was a set of large claws hanging from the wall. On the right side of the room stood a large bookshelf carved into the cave wall, and all around the room candles were burning. The most frustrating thing about this place is the lack of sunlight, Will thought. There aren’t even makeshift windows.
Will looked at the bed and then the claws hanging above it and immediately decided he would rather sleep on the floor.
The Festival of Joeh.
Will awoke to the sound of loud drums vibrating throughout the cave, shaking the claws that hung over the bed next to him. As fast he could, he threw his clothes back on and slipped a knife into a bag to his side. He walked out with a wary look on his face, right hand gripping his crooked staff.
The sight was overwhelming, as thousands of people carried around blue lanterns and banners with the same evil drawing he had seen over the cave door. Will took two more steps so he could see the whole cave lit up with people singing chants he couldn't understand.
Tripp and Kellin came walking slowly toward Will, staring at the festivities.
At the bottom of the crevice was a series of drummers beating on large brown drums. Their faces were adorned with masks of Khafish’s face. Their arms waved wildly as they beat the drums, their heads bobbing up and down as if possessed by the music.
Tripp looked at Will. “This is evil, Will, pure evil.”
Will kept staring.
"It's actually kind of beautiful," Will said, lost in the sight of it all.
Tripp looked at him, and then back at the festivities.
Makur rounded a corner adorned in blue and black robes suitable for medieval royalty.
"My friends!" His arms were stretched wide as he closed in on them.
"You are in for a special treat, O Hiktar. The Festival of Joeh is the most beautiful thing in the world! The blue represents Khafish, and the delivery from the bloody sea. The black represents the darkness we soon learned was the light."
Will smiled, excited by the rhythm of the chants and drums.
"Come, come, come!" he yelled, grabbing Will’s hand as he escorted them to another cross section
in the cavern. Will looked up and realized all of the chanters were heading in that direction too.
Along the walls were barely discernible stripes of dark blue paint leading to a separate cavern.
As they rounded the hall, Will saw the whole cavern dip into the ground, down into a hole in the center. The halls around the hole circled around five floors, and at the far end a pillar leaned away from the walls and came to a dull end. On the pillar stood a man with a strip of cloth over his lap, covered in blue and black paint, dancing like it was the end of the world.
The people were filling the halls and bumping into the four of them, and Kellin looked frightened. They flung their arms around smacking each other, as well as other bystanders. Even the children bobbed their heads crazily up and down.
The whole atmosphere darkened and, without any warning, the music stopped and the lights went out.
"Ehrs pakrav ja ar u le ja!" A loud and thunderous voice cracked throughout the cave. Still no light.
"Pakrav Dom!" Suddenly the lights came back on, but dimmer than before, as a blue beast crawled out of the hole. Its claws were massive and its whole body glowed a dim blue light. Each claw pounded the ground around it as it inched its way to the top of the pillar.
Will’s eyes widened, and Kellin grabbed both Tripp and Will, pulling them back to the wall. Right before he was pulled behind the crowd, Will could see white beings crawling up behind the beast.
"We need to leave!" Kellin whispered loudly to Will. "It's not safe... He is a thohg!"
Will stood dumbfounded as this monster reached the top of the pillar and embraced the wild dancing man.
Makur looked to both his sides and realized his guests were no longer there. Seeing them in the back of the crowd, he rushed toward them. "Out of my way!" he yelled at the crowd.
"You're going to miss the best part, O Hiktar. Now he will choose the sacrifices." The king’s eyes widened as if he was about to explode from excitement. "Quick, quick! To the front."
Makur grabbed Will’s arm and rushed him back to the front of the crowd, which was not an easy task. As Will approached the ledge he saw Khafish. All around the bowl were pale people covered with scars. One came close to the ledge where Will stood and he saw that it had scratched out eyes and sharpened shoulder bones. Will's heart rate spiked, and immediately he began back pedaling toward the rear of the crowd.
The Crooked Staff (The Chronicles of Will Book 1) Page 10