The Queen of Dragons (Tales from the New Earth Book 8)

by J. J. Thompson

  Aiden stared at the entrance to the ruined building. The double doors that had once hung in the opening were just twisted frames of metal now, their glass long shattered. Shadows were thick inside of the store and he couldn't see more than a few feet beyond the doorway.

  He looked at Tamara.

  “So what's your choice? Should we enter and look around or take a pass? We've certainly seen no signs that Simon was ever here, but then again there really is no way to know for sure.”

  “My choice?”

  She hesitated, staring into the dilapidated building suspiciously.

  “I don't really...”

  Her answer was cut off by a blood-curdling scream from somewhere inside the store. Before Tamara could respond, Aiden had leaped forward, drawing his sword more quickly than her eye could follow and had raced into the building.

  “God damn it!” she spat. “Aiden! Stop! Wait for me!”

  There was no answer and Tamara hurried after the warrior, cursing under her breath. But before she entered the store, the mage summoned a globe of light and cast a Shield spell that she had already memorized.

  Aiden might have enchanted armor, she thought angrily, but all I've got is my skin.

  And then she took a deep breath and plunged into the darkness.

  “Have you ever seen water so clear?”

  Malcolm and Veronique were standing on the banks of the Colorado River. A chill mist rose from the swiftly-flowing water and refreshed them. The sweet scent of green plants tickled their noses and both of them were smiling.

  “Not back in the old days, that's for sure,” Malcolm replied. “Look, you can see the fish darting around. At least they still look normal. Good to know not everything's Changed.”

  Veronique looked up at the towering warrior and tapped his armored forearm.

  “Why? Are you sorry that you Changed into this?” she asked as she looked him up and down, smiling widely.

  Malcolm smiled at her and then looked down at himself.

  “God no. I was a skinny, spindly guy back in the old days. One of the only black kids in town, not that it matters. But I always wanted to be athletic, you know.”

  He chuckled and pushed back his mass of braided hair.

  “But I was always tripping over my own feet. No coordination at all. Now though? Now I can hit a target the size of my palm from a hundred feet away with an arrow. I can use this,” he tapped his sword hilt, “with a skill that is almost magical, even to me. I have to be careful not to rip doors from their hinges when I open them. No, I am exactly the way I want to be.”

  He grinned down at the diminutive mage.

  “Bit too tall though, but what can you do?”

  She laughed up at him.

  “Don't lie,” she told him. “You love it.”

  Veronique looked up and down the river, getting back to the business at hand.

  “If Simon traveled to this canyon, I wonder if he made it down here? And if he did, what side of the river was he on?”

  “Well, let's mark this spot, move up the river for a hundred yards or so and look for signs,” Malcolm said. “If we don't find anything, we'll come back, go down the bank and search there. When we're done, we can cross over and do the same on the other side.”

  The warrior looked around and spotted a large rock half-buried in the ground a dozen feet from the water. He walked over to it, wrenched it from its resting place and carried it over to drop next to the river.

  “There, that's our marker.”

  The mage looked at the rock and then at Malcolm.

  “You do realize that your marker must weigh at least two hundred pounds, don't you?”

  He shrugged indifferently.

  “Did you want a bigger one?” he asked innocently.

  Veronique burst out laughing.

  “Wise guy. So, you don't want to split up? If each of us takes one side of the river, we'll be able to conduct the search much faster.”

  Malcolm's expression became serious and he looked up and down the riverbank suspiciously.

  “We're in no rush,” he told her. “And quite frankly, if something happened to Simon here, our most powerful magic-user, then I don't think that we should make it easier for it to take us on. We'll stick together.”

  The mage nodded.

  “Well said. All right then, let's get to it.”

  It took about an hour to search up and down one side of the river, but neither Malcolm nor Veronique found any footprints or other other signs that Simon had ever been there. The mage then Gated them across the water to the other side and they began again.

  Malcolm had only walked ahead a dozen yards when he looked back at Veronique.

  “I think I may have found something,” he said excitedly. “Come and see.”

  The mage hurried forward, stumbling in the loose sand and gravel of the shore.

  “Look,” Malcolm said as she joined him.

  He pointed to an indentation in the soft ground right next to the water. It was vaguely man-shaped and looked like someone had sat down there, possibly to bathe their feet in the river.

  “Do you think he sat here?” Veronique asked.

  “Maybe. But if he did, something interrupted him. Look.”

  Malcolm pointed at scuff marks leading away from the riverbank. They faded away quickly as the ground became firmer and it was impossible to tell if there had been one or more attackers. In fact, they couldn't even be sure that there had been a struggle; the markings and small scratches in the sand were simply too vague to identify.

  “Damn it, I wish we were better trackers,” the mage said, her hands balled into angry fists. “Simon might have been here, yes, but then again the marks could just be where some creature exited the river and headed off.”

  Malcolm looked surprised at that interpretation but nodded as he scanned the ground again.

  “I hadn't thought of that, but you make a good point. It does almost look like something crawled out of the water, doesn't it?”

  “Yes, but what even lives in this river that is big enough to make marks like these?”

  As if in answer to her question, a loud splash made both of them turn quickly to look down the river.

  In the distance, strange animals that looked like an unbelievable combination of horse and fish were leaping out of the water. There were several of them and both mage and warrior gaped at the sight in amazement. The animals began calling to each other in haunting croaking voices and their cries rang off of the walls of the canyon.

  “Well, there's one possibility,” Malcolm said in wonder. “Those, whatever the hell they are, can obviously breathe air. And with only front limbs, they'd have to crawl along the ground if they left the river.”

  Veronique nodded reluctantly.

  “It's possible. Damn it, I was both hoping and dreading that we had found signs of Simon's presence. But I guess not. I wonder if the other groups have had any luck.”

  Malcolm sighed heavily.

  “Let's hope so. Okay, we'll finish our search and then head back. Follow me please.”

  It took another half an hour for the pair to finish sweeping the riverbank. There were no other indications that Simon had ever visited the Grand Canyon and Veronique and Malcolm reluctantly decided to return to Nottinghill Castle.

  Before they left, the mage led the way back to the disturbed ground next to the water and they both stared at it uneasily.

  “It keeps nagging at me,” she said to the big man.

  “Me too, but look...”

  He pointed to the short trail that disappeared a dozen feet from the water.

  “There's nothing to prove that Simon made these markings. Nothing. If there was at least a scuffed footprint, a few hairs, some cloth, anything; but there isn't. I wish there was.”

  “I know you do.”

  Veronique looked around one last time and then slumped dispiritedly.

  “Fine. That's it then. Touch my arm, Malcolm and let's go home.

/>   The warrior delicately pinched a piece of her sleeve between his fingers and the mage chanted the teleportation spell.

  “Invectis!” she said firmly and the Void surrounded them and pulled them away.

  A single muted flash of light flickered through the swift water just a few feet from the shore, but there was no one there to see it. The long, dark shape of Mortis de Draconis continued to lie undisturbed on the bottom of the river where it had been discarded. A few small fish swam closer to examine it curiously, only to shudder and convulse, dead before they even touched the staff. The river swept them away and left the weapon to rest in peace.

  Chapter 12

  “Careful, the loose sand built up on the stone floor makes the slope slippery.”

  Liliana glanced back at Sebastian, who nodded at her.

  “I noticed. How long is this passageway?”

  “Not sure. A hundred yards? More? We're going to find out.”

  She looked down the wide corridor and motioned for the mage to send his globe of light forward several yards.

  The bright magical ball floated ahead and the paladin pointed beyond it.

  “There, the tunnel levels out. Good. If we meet something, I'd rather not fight it on an incline.”

  Sebastian shuffled along behind her and waited until the ground was level again before answering.

  “Do you think it's likely? That we meet something, I mean? The smell is strong down here but it hasn't increased and we haven't heard anything.”

  Liliana marched forward steadily.

  “I don't think so, but let's err on the side of caution, hmm? Keep your Shield spell ready, just in case.”

  “I am.”

  The paladin nodded silently and focused on the darkened tunnel ahead.

  “Can you create a second mage globe?” she asked after a moment. “I'd like one to remain with us to illuminate our footing and a second one to go on ahead and make sure there are no surprises lurking in the dark.”

  “Of course,” Sebastian told her. “Give me a moment.”

  The mage summoned a second ball of light and tossed it up to float above them. Then he sent the first globe ahead into the inky blackness.

  “How far do you want it to go?”

  Liliana watched as the glowing sphere advanced.

  “Just keep it going. I want to see just how long this passageway is, and if it lights up some potential danger, so much the better.”

  “Okay. Let's see what happens.”

  The two of them stood side by side and watched silently as the globe floated away, eerily silent. It lit up the darkness around it as if some disembodied hand was carrying a torch into the depths of Hell.

  “Spooky, isn't it?” Sebastian whispered as he kept his eyes on the light's progress.

  “That's one word for it,” Liliana replied quietly. “I wonder where the pit is?”

  “What pit? There's a pit down here?”

  “According to old drawings, there's a drop-off, a tunnel that leads straight down near the end of the passageway. I don't know exactly where it is though.”

  Sebastian watched his distant light advancing and wiped a drop of sweat off of the tip of his nose.

  “Where does it lead?” he asked anxiously.

  “Nowhere, apparently. I think that it was just another mystery of the pyramid. It descended straight down, turn at an angle and ran along a ways until finally just ending for no reason. Quite odd.”

  They fell silent and waited. Sebastian found himself holding his breath as the light became smaller in the distance.

  Would something lunge out of the darkness and attack the globe? Would some monster wait until the light was past and creep up on them while they were distracted? Was something sneaking up behind them right now?

  He spun around, his robe flapping in the still air, and stared wide-eyed at the sloping tunnel behind them. Naturally there was nothing there.

  “Are you okay?” Liliana asked curiously.

  She stared at him with a raised eyebrow and Sebastian was grateful that she probably couldn't see him blushing in the glow of the bobbing light above them.

  “I'm fine. Yep, just fine. I thought I heard something, that's all.”

  The paladin peered past him and then shook her head.

  “I don't hear anything.”

  “No, I don't either. Just my imagination, I guess.”

  She looked at him dubiously.

  “Hmm. Are you sure that you don't have claustrophobia too? You seem a bit jumpy.”

  Sebastian forced a laugh and looked at the moving point of light down the hallway.

  “Worried about random insects, I suppose,” he replied lamely. “Let's just see how far that light is going to go, shall we? The sooner we explore this damned place, the sooner we can leave.”

  Liliana didn't answer. Instead she began to move forward slowly, with Sebastian following along about six feet behind her.

  The mage counted fifteen steps before the paladin stopped abruptly with a hiss of surprise.

  “What is it?” he asked nervously.

  Her armored back had been blocking off his view of the floating globe of light.

  “Your mage light just disappeared,” she replied tersely. “Don't move.”

  He stood still and waited, a trickle of sweat running down between his shoulder blades.

  Next time I go into the desert, I'll wear a lighter robe, he thought.

  “Stay here, Sebastian,” Liliana told him after she had listened intently for a minute.

  The silence around them was absolute.

  “I'm going ahead. Be ready to react, just in case. And put up a shield, would you?” she added, taking a quick look at him. “I don't want to worry about something jumping you while I move forward.”

  “Okay. Be careful!”

  The mage quickly cast a Shield spell and felt immediate relief as the translucent globe of energy surrounded him. It extended to the walls of the passageway but seemed to adjust itself to fit without hitting them. Sebastian spared a grateful thought for the mage who had originally created the spell back in the ancient past.

  “Good,” Liliana said as the shield settled into place. “Now create another light and set it to float over my head, please. I need to be able to see.”

  “Done,” the mage replied and summoned a mage light to replace the one that had disappeared.

  He tossed it toward the paladin and it rose to float just below the ceiling, about a foot over Liliana's head.

  “Thanks. I'm off.”

  Sebastian stood still and watched anxiously as Liliana walked away at a slow but steady pace.

  She's not afraid, he thought in admiration. She's not afraid in the slightest. Lucky her.

  He, on the other hand, realized that his knees were shaking. He clenched his fists at his side and tried to focus squarely on his friend and not on imaginary horrors. It was very hard to do.

  The mage counted Liliana's steps as she advanced down the passageway, and had reach thirty when he saw her stop abruptly. She was staring at something on the ground, but it was too dark and she was too far away for him to tell what it was.

  “Sebastian,” she called out.

  Her voice echoed down the corridor and made him jump.

  “Come and join me. I found out what happened to your mage light.”

  He hurried forward, his light illuminating the scuffed stone floor beneath him. He could see Liliana's footprints in the dust but something else had scuffed the floor as well; something he didn't recognize.

  “What is it?” he asked breathlessly when he had reached her.

  “Careful,” the paladin replied and held out an arm to stop him. “You don't want to fall.”

  “Fall? Fall where?”

  “Drop your shield and take a look.”

  He canceled the spell and moved up to stand next to her.

  “Down there.”

  She pointed and Sebastian caught his breath as his light joined with Liliana's to
reveal a gaping hole in the middle of the passageway.

  “Whoa. That's a long way down,” he said as he peered into the depths.

  He backed away suddenly and waved a hand in front of his face.

  “Oh, gross!” he exclaimed in a strangled voice. “I think we know where that stench is coming from now. What is that?”

  “I have no idea. But you're right. Something down there is dead and rotting. Maybe a lot of somethings. I'm guessing that the mage light you sent down the tunnel hit this hole and just dropped to the bottom to join whatever else is down there.”

  The mage squinted down into the square pit but all that he could see was blackness beyond the range of their lights.

  “That's possible, I suppose. But the hole must be incredibly deep for us not to see some sign of it.”

  “If I remember the plans correctly, it is. But there's a mystery here that I don't like.”

  Sebastian looked at her puzzled expression in the flickering light.

  “Aside from that horrible smell, you mean?” he asked.

  “Yes. From what I read, this pit was sealed off, for safety reasons. They didn't want some errant tourist wandering down here and falling to their death. But this hole is open and there's no sign of any barrier. So, where did it go? Also, these markings here.”

  She pointed to several deep gouges along the edges of the hole where the perfectly cut stone had been broken and dug into by something.

  “There are also marks in the dust along the corridor that were here before we made new ones. Who or what made them? When? They aren't footprints. It's more like the scuff marks of something being dragged along the ground. Or something dragging itself.”

  “Into the pit?” Sebastian asked in a strained whisper.

  “Or out of it. Either way, we can't go any further, so I suggest we head back. You take point, just in case that light woke something up down below.”

  “Now there's a happy thought,” the mage replied nervously. “Okay, let's go. I've decided that, claustrophobic or not, I really hate it in here.”