“I will protect you. I promise. So long as you remain with me, you will be safe.”
* * *
Waking up was different this time. Phynis slowly blinked as something she could barely comprehend having experienced wavered in the back of her mind. But in spite of the faint confusion, as she tried to remember what she had just gone through, a different part of her was marveling over the simple experience of waking.
Never before had the scents of the cavern felt so incredibly potent, nor had the warm light of the orbs giving the chamber sunlight felt so good on her body. All of the tiny aches and pains she took as simply part of living were gone as if they’d never been there. She felt better than she ever had in her life, and everything felt...better.
And her head was laying in Sistina’s lap, as she heard Desa speaking. There was something warm and soft covering her body, but she just laid there for the moment, letting out a soft breath.
“...so, since Her Majesty demanded I take her home at any cost, I tried to not let anyone know. We were just going to take her back home, and then the attack came out of nowhere. I never expected them to attack now, of all times. Phynis’ safety is the most important thing in the world to me.” Desa explained, her voice almost breaking. “I never would have done this if I’d known she would be hurt. Never in a thousand years.”
Silence came after her explanation, and Phynis could practically feel Sistina considering the words. No, not practically, she realized. She could actually sense the woman’s slow, methodical consideration of the words, as well as the awareness that Phynis was awake. And Phynis felt the dryad, if she could be called that with what she’d just...experienced, encouraging Phynis to consider the situation as well. So Phynis did so, letting Desa shift from one foot to another as she thought.
Her anger had passed. The stress of the ambush, and the serenity of her near-death had added an odd sense of perspective to the argument which had preceded it. Phynis’ mother’s control of her life was no longer necessary, instead it was almost strangling her future. In spite of the memories of the warmth that she’d been extended when she had met with her mother, she remembered the other part of the conversation. Phynis remembered how focused the queen had been on the practical consequences of what had happened, not allaying Phynis’ worries. And with the words from while she slept echoing in her mind, she came to a decision.
“Wait.” Sistina’s iron word was filled with disapproval, and the dryad shook her head, sending a mental summons. “Lily coming.”
“As...as you wish.” Desa replied uncertainly, and twigs snapped under her feet as Phynis’ guard paced.
Phynis could feel Lily approaching quickly, and a few minutes later she heard the footsteps of the dawn elf. It was then that Phynis opened her eyes and looked toward Lily, even as the other woman came to a halt, not even breathing hard despite her run. “I came as fast as I could, given how urgent you indicated you needed me. What can I help with, Sistina?”
Standing just a few feet outside the canopy of Sistina’s tree was Desa, her mouth slightly agape with surprise as she looked at Lily. A few scrapes and smudges marred Desa’s face and hands, and there were other signs of battle evident on her armor. Beside her were the two guards who’d been carrying her back into the cavern, Alissa and Evrial. Both of them were looking at Lily nervously, and Phynis wondered why for a moment. But Lily, looking the same as always, looked down at Phynis and her eyes went huge.
“Princess? What happened to you? There’s blood on your clothing!” Lily exclaimed in a near-panic as she took a step closer. Then she paused as she hesitated, her voice nervous. “The guards got in a fight outside, were you hurt? Can I help somehow?”
“I was hurt. I don’t remember much, but I was healed by Sistina.” Phynis replied with a slight smile at the flustered woman, then sat up slowly. She looked down at the moss blanket that covered her in some bemusement, but considering that her clothing that was extremely bad shape, she pulled the blanket up a bit. “I’m not sure why Sistina called you, though. But I’m more curious why Desa and the others are looking at you like that.”
“Oh, good! I’m glad you’re well.” Lily told Phynis in relief, then looked at Desa and paused before speaking. “Umm...I’m not sure?”
“You ran here as fast as a deer. Faster, maybe. I’ve never seen anyone move that fast before.” Evrial said flatly, not looking away from Lily. “How did you ever get caught if you can move like that? And you weren’t even out of breath.”
“I-” Lily began.
“Dungeon mana.” Sistina interrupted impatiently. “Mana improves. Lily here. Strongest link.”
“That’s...oh! You mean the rumors about how adventurers get stronger inside dungeons by absorbing the mana is true?” Phynis asked, her eyes going huge. “But they rarely are inside for more than a few hours! Lily’s been in here for months!”
“Combat superior. Living inefficient. Still effective.” Sistina told Phynis, smiling slightly, then looked at Lily. “Lily strong.”
“I...I’m strong? What are you talking about, Sistina? I’ve always just run away. I can’t fight for you.” Lily protested, looking nervous. “That isn’t why you called me, is it?”
Desa and the others looked stunned, but wisely kept their thoughts to themselves for the moment. Likely because they were afraid of Sistina, Phynis realized. But her attention turned back to Sistina as the dryad shook her head.
“No. Long presence. Link strongest between.” Sistina paused, then seemed to carefully consider before pointing between their heads, and asked uncertainly. “Speak for me?”
“Oh, that makes more sense.” Lily looked relieved and took a step closer. “But how can I speak for you?”
“I share.” Sistina replies simply, gesturing Lily toward her.
Phynis watched in fascination as the dryad guided the dawn elf down to her knees and gently pressed her forehead against Lily’s. She felt something odd pass between them, something Phynis could almost grasp, and then Lily pulled away, choking as she looked at Sistina with wild eyes filled with disbelief. It took her a few moments to pull herself together and speak.
“Dear gods...how you expect me to put all of that into words is beyond me, but I’ll do my best.” Lily finally managed, shivering visibly. Slowly climbing to her feet, she turned to Desa and the others and smiled nervously. She took a deep breath, her confidence growing slightly as she folded her hands in front of her and spoke. “Sistina’s rage at what has happened is impossible to describe, so I will not even attempt to do so. Suffice to say that if your queen were present, I doubt she would have survived your explanation, Captain Desa. It surges white hot in her veins, and it will not soon cool. She is patient and old, and you would do well to know that Sifaren has lost Sistina’s trust. However, the ones truly at fault are in Sifaren itself, far outside of her reach, so she will set aside exacting vengeance for now.”
Desa’s face had paled, and Alissa’s face looked like she’d eaten something foul. Evrial simply looked resigned. Desa opened her mouth to speak, but Lily held up a hand to forestall her, and Phynis marveled at the confidence that Sistina had instilled in the dawn elf as she continued. “I haven’t finished. Sistina may be setting it aside for now, but she will not forget what has happened. However, she is allowing Phynis to demand her explanation from you before I speak her final judgement on what has happened.”
Taking the cue, Phynis looked at Desa and spoke softly, her voice oddly calm. “What do you have to say for yourself, Desa?”
“I wish that you had never been placed in harm’s way. I wish I hadn’t been placed in the middle of conflicting loyalties. I wish to the gods themselves that you had never been betrayed to begin with. And I’m sorry, but I viewed my decision as the least damaging of bad options.” Desa spoke without hesitation, a single tear trickling down her nose. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. But no matter how I may feel, what’s done is done.”
“Yes, it is.” Phynis replied softly, taking a
deep breath and shaking her head. “And I suspect I would have been...less understanding before my near-death experience. But during it I was able to see things differently. And I think that helped me put everything in perspective. I’m going to forgive you, Desa.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Desa replied, relief in her eyes. “I-”
“Before this goes further, I need to finish what Sistina wished me to tell all of you.” Lily interrupted, her gaze slightly worried as she looked at Phynis, then at Sistina. She paused before asking Sistina softly, her voice anguished. “Really, Sistina?”
“Yes.” Sistina’s voice was hard again, but she gave Phynis a gentle squeeze. Phynis could feel both her sorrow and underlying resolve.
“As you wish.” Lily acknowledged softly, turning to Desa as she continued. “Sistina no longer welcomes the forces of Sifaren within her caverns and halls. Upon breaking the siege that has begun, all of those who have come here must depart. Only those who have had their slave brands claimed by Sistina may remain, and only then if they accept an order from her to not betray Sistina or the inhabitants of the dungeon. Others may undergo a similar binding ritual if they so choose, but such a decision is permanent, and not to be entered lightly.”
“Sistina!” Phynis gasped, her eyes going huge. “But what about everyone in Sifaren? All the innocents there?”
“Broken trust. Consequences.” Sistina replied softly, shaking her head. “Outsiders weaken dungeon. Have ignored. No more.”
“Sistina, I apologize, I never meant to cause you to lose trust either!” Desa protested, taking a deep breath, worry obvious on her face. But before she could speak, Sistina shook her head again.
“No. More.” The dryad’s voice faintly rumbled this time, glaring back at Desa. “Consequences. Choices. Siege’s end.”
“I...I see. As you wish, Sistina.” Desa’s voice was subdued as she bowed her head slightly. A moment later she turned to face Phynis directly and went to a knee before asking softly. “And you, Your Highness? Will you still have me as your guard, until the siege ends and we return?”
Phynis had to hesitate for a moment at that. The shock of Sistina’s decision still echoed within her, but she couldn’t honestly blame Sistina. And it made her own decision waver for a moment, but the moment passed. This didn’t really change anything, so she tugged the blanket up again and spoke calmly. “I will allow you to guard me for now, Desa, if you so choose. It will take ages for you to gain my trust again, if you even can, but I forgave you. On the other hand, I’m not going to remain in your charge anymore, either.”
“Y-your Highness?” Desa asked, looking startled, faintly relieved, and worried all at once.
“Sistina, is there any way for us to get a messenger out past the current besiegers?” Phynis asked the dryad, looking up into the woman’s deep eyes.
The dryad nodded, then pointed almost directly upward. Phynis nodded in satisfaction, then scooted back to lean into her with a sigh.
“In that case, I will take the only option I feel left to me. With the next messenger, Captain Desa, I am going to send my mother a letter.” Phynis felt at peace with herself as she smiled, ever so slightly. “I’m going to renounce all claim on the throne or lands of Sifaren, as well as my citizenship thereof. I will be simply Sistina Constella, descendant of the Constella Earldom of Everium. And I will stay here, where I can feel safe at last. If you choose to guard me after I have sent the letter, it is your own choice. Decide where your loyalties truly are, Desa.”
Chapter 44
“Well, look on the bright side, Daniel. At least you have more time off!” Eric tried to console Daniel, slapping the smaller man on the back and almost causing him to spit up his ale.
“Watch it, you big lug!” Daniel groused, shaking his head. “And I might have more free time to practice with you three, but it also means I’m not drawing pay anymore. At least I own my weapons and gear, but it puts a definite time limit on how long I can stay here, if I don’t get my position back.”
“You could always choose to camp out of town.” Sayla suggested, nodding her head in the direction of the woods. “It isn’t that dangerous in these parts, since there’s the town here. That’d cut down on your expenses.”
“And then they might dismiss me from the military entirely.” Daniel shook his head again, more vehemently. “Until I have something I can properly make money at, I don’t dare risk my job like that.”
“Well, army boy, it sounds like you’ve got a problem.” Darak interjected with a grin, taking a long pull from the table next to theirs. “So you’d best do something about it.”
“And what would you suggest, Darak? Unlike you, I don’t have an earth spirit to draw on, and none of us are magi.” Daniel protested, gesturing at the other three of their training group. “And I’m Daniel Fisher. Son of a fisherman! This town is a long damn way from the professions I know how to do.”
“Sure, sure...but how long can you afford to stay here?” Darak asked, glancing at the others as he added. “You three too. Can you manage to stay, say, three weeks?”
“Ahh...yeah, I can manage that. It’ll take a bite out of my savings, though.” Daniel admitted, frowning. “I might be able to work again by that point, though.”
“For us...that might be a bit too long.” Eileen spoke hesitantly, her face troubled. “We aren’t all that well-off. We were mostly counting on getting something out of the dungeon.”
“Hmmph. Well I’ve been keeping an eye on your training and you’re doing well, but there’s only so much being brutally stomped on by Penelope can do for you. I swear that girl has a sadistic streak.” Darak shook his head, grinning wryly. “You’re all a lot more coordinated than before, and more skilled, too. Anyway, other members of our Guild are on their way here, and should be here in three weeks. Possibly sooner, but I wouldn’t count on that. Our guildmaster decided to set up a guild outpost here in town, at which point we’ll finally be able to get our finds appraised and sold. None of the stuff we’ve found is terribly common, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Ahh...doesn’t that just mean we’ll have even more trouble getting inside at that point?” Sayla asked, a troubled expression growing on her face.
“Hah! Not at all. Dungeons are dangerous, girl. And this one is stranger than most.” Darak paused, then shrugged slightly. “Regardless, as Daniel knows from chatting with us before our first delve, when someone delves into a dungeon it slowly helps the body grow stronger. What, army boy, you thought I forgot that you came to chat with us, unlike your lily-livered partner?”
Daniel flushed at the challenging note to Darak’s voice and the gleam in his eye, but shook his head. “I’m just surprised that you even bothered to remember. You must have dozens of people ask you questions.”
“Hah! Not as many as you’d think.” The dwarf laughed and shook his head. “No, no, you’re unusual in that you just had the right look in your eyes. That stuck in my memory. The rest of you at least were smart enough to get out when you had the chance, and the experience didn’t break you. That’s also unusual. Now, the other aspect of dungeons is that the mana concentration inside can also help awaken magical potential too. It’s how I gained my bit of magic to summon my two spirits, Shale and Flametongue. If you think you can hold out for three weeks, and give me an oath to join the Adventurer’s Guild when you have the opportunity, I’ll tutor you four on magical basics and ask Joseph to help me shepherd you little sheep around the first floor, and maybe even let you grab a few items for yourselves.”
Grinning broadly at their stunned expressions, Darak’s eyes twinkled as he asked. “So, what do you say?”
* * *
“Diamond? How are you doing on merging spells?”
Diamond looked up with a slow blink, brushing an almost crystalline hair out of her eyes as she registered Jared’s excited tone of voice. It took her a moment to consider, then she replied calmly. “Well, Adjudicator. We haven’t failed at a spell in nearly a we
ek at this point, and have found merging power is quite simple now that the connections between us have settled into place. Is there a particular reason you ask?”
Jared was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet, smiling at Diamond as he glanced around the library. His grin broadened as he answered. “Excellent! I’ll answer your question in a moment, Diamond, first I’ve got a second question for you. Are any of you skilled at earth magic?”
Blinking, Diamond shook her head, her voice even calmer this time. “No. Our magical studies focused on the use of light, healing, and the most common other elements were air and water. Earth magic was not discouraged, precisely, but it was not considered a priority.”
“Drat. Well, no matter.” Jared seemed to brush off his mild disappointment, the smile growing again almost as fast as it’d vanished. He nodded to himself, then spoke happily, explaining. “We’re going to Granite Point tomorrow. I’ve received a report that Princess Phynis of Sifaren was spotted near the town, and she was injured and her forces trapped inside the mountain. The passage was apparently blocked with earth magic, but if all else fails, I’m certain we can blast our way through.”
“That is...very surprising, Adjudicator.” Diamond temporized, her stomach sinking at the thought of what she was certain was coming. “But isn’t that mountain where a dungeon is located? Might they not be living inside the dungeon? That might make things much more dangerous for us.”
“Other reports indicate that the dungeon is extending downward, and all dungeons appear to be approximately spherical according the books I’ve read on the subject, which were confirmed by the Archon is his letters.” Jared explained, shaking his head firmly. “Thus I’m all but certain that the area they’re in is outside of the area of the dungeon. And even if it is, no one lives inside dungeons, unless they’re in a safe zone. And if that’s the case, we won’t have any issues either. No, I’m quite certain that we’ll be fine.”
Ancient Ruins (Ancient Dreams Book 1) Page 33