Tiberius guessed it was late afternoon when they finally stopped to rest. His feet and back were aching, and they were both tired.
“Maybe I was wrong,” Tiberius said.
“It was worth a try,” Lexi said gently. “It was a long shot to think that we might find it on our first try.”
“I just don’t get it. The commune should be here.”
“If this is the right town. Maybe we haven’t traveled far enough yet.”
“I wish I could know for sure,” he said bitterly. “I hate the thought of giving up.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. We’re still alive. We haven’t been hurt or captured. We just didn’t find what we were looking for.”
“I want to push on, just a little while longer.”
“We only have enough rations for one more day,” Lexi said. “If we don’t turn back, we won’t be able to get back to the war ship before we run out of food and water.”
“Just for a while,” he said. “I just need to be sure.”
“I’m with you, Ti. I’ll go wherever you tell me.”
He wanted to hug her and kiss her and declare his undying love to her for saying that. He felt tears welling in his eyes, and his throat was suddenly more dry than ever. No one had ever had so much confidence in him before.
“Well, let’s get going,” Lexi said.
She stood up and pulled Tiberius to his feet. He readjusted the pack on his back and then started out. Every step felt like a mistake. There was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind that told him he was a fool. If he wasted their time now and they had difficulty finding the tunnel again, they could die down in the unrelenting darkness.
He was just about to turn back when he noticed that something was different. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something had changed.
“Is something different?” he asked Lexi.
“I don’t think so.”
“I can’t figure it out, but something has changed.”
He looked around. The forest was still a dark, oppressive tangle all around them. The air was still fetid and hot. He looked down—the ground was still just dark soil, but then it hit him. The ground wasn’t soft like before. He bent down and brushed at the dirt with his fingers. Just below the surface, covered with a layer of fine dirt, were cobblestones.
“Look!” Tiberius said excitedly. “We’re on a street.”
He hurried forward, and suddenly they found themselves on a wide, straight road. The trees grew close on either side, but in front of them, the path was clear. They moved forward quickly, passing the ruins of buildings on either side. Part of Tiberius wanted to stop and explore the ruins, but he knew he didn’t have the time or resources. His curiosity had been stifled by the unrelenting heat and darkness. Now, all he wanted was to find the Emerystone and get out of the twisted forest.
“Can you believe it?” he asked as they hurried down the straight, even path.
“Is this it?”
“It has to be,” Tiberius said.
The massive trees grew close to the path, which was just wide enough for a single wagon to travel on, but it was the most open space they had been in since entering the forest. They couldn’t see much to either side. There were ruins, much like in the city behind them, but they were hidden by the trees. On the path, the small light Tiberius had conjured shone much further than before. They increased their pace without really thinking about it. Tiberius was certain he was close to his objective and couldn’t wait to see what lay ahead.
At the end of the path was a dome-shaped building. It looked strange in its construction and in the fact that it was still intact. Everything else in the forest was in ruins, but the dome-shaped structure seemed untouched. The walls and roof were made of stone, and there was a heavy-looking wooden door blocking the only visible entrance.
“That has to be it,” Tiberius said.
“I can’t believe it,” Lexi said.
“We have to go in.”
“Wait, what if there is something living in there?”
“If there’s something alive inside, it would have to be a person. There’s no way in except through the door.”
“Humor me,” she said. “Let’s just inspect it from all sides before going in.”
Tiberius didn’t think that was necessary and he was anxious to see what secrets lay inside the dome-shaped building. But Lexi had supported him since they had left Avondale. He wouldn’t refuse her now, not when all she wanted was to inspect the building before going in.
“Okay, let’s check it out.”
The spaces around the sides of the dome were much narrower than the wide pathway that led to the structure. The trees grew close, forcing Tiberius and Lexi to walk beside the building. Tiberius put his hand on the stones, which were cool and solid. There were no windows and no other doors. The entire structure seemed to be in perfect condition. When they had completed their inspection, Tiberius turned to Lexi.
“Well? What do you think?” he asked.
Nothing else had been visible in the commune. The twisted forest had invaded and destroyed everything except the dome. Exploring the structure wasn’t just the best option, it was the only option.
“Let’s go,” Lexi said.
Tiberius reached out and touched the door. The wood was smooth and warm, seemingly unaffected by the damp air around the roots of the forest. There was a small iron ring attached to the door. Tiberius pulled it, and the door swung open, the rusty hinges grinding together to make a horrible screech.
Tiberius and Lexi froze, listening for some sound that might indicate danger. Ti half-expected the noise of the door to have roused some horrible monster, but the commune was silent. The light from Tiberius’ spell shone into the building and revealed a very plain-looking stone wall only a pace or two into the structure. On one side the wall ended abruptly; on the other, it curved along just inside the outer wall, forming a corridor.
“That is strange,” Lexi said. “What is this place?”
“I don’t know,” Tiberius said. “I guess we’ll have to go inside to find out.”
Tiberius led the way. The roof to the narrow hallway was low, and Ti guessed that the corridor led halfway around the building before opening up into a larger room.
“Is this a tomb?” Lexi asked fearfully.
“I don’t think so,” Tiberius replied. “Maybe they took everything when they left this place.”
The room seemed empty, and Tiberius let his magical light grow stronger. The interior of the dome was completely dark, but so was the forest, so the room didn’t seem all that different to Tiberius. There were no furnishings in the room, not even sconces along the walls for torches.
“Is it a temple?” Lexi asked.
“Possibly. The Balestone was in a temple.”
“What’s that in the floor?”
Tiberius wasn’t sure. He could see a dark spot, but the more he increased the light, the darker the spot became. They moved forward slowly. The floor was made of smooth stones, which were now covered with a layer of dust that made them feel slick. There was no moisture in the room and nothing to look at except for the dark spot on the floor. As they got closer, Tiberius realized the spot was actually a hole and around the hole was an inscription.
The pinnacle of all known magic is Nativus Magicus. It must only be practiced by the most dedicated of wizards.
“This is it!” Tiberius said in a quiet but excited voice. “We found it.”
“Found what? What did we find?”
“This is where they hid the stone. It has to be. Nativus Magicus is the Fourth Order of Magic. It must be down in this well.”
“Why would they hide the stone down a well?”
“I don’t know, but where else could it be in this place?”
Lexi looked doubtful, but she didn’t argue. Tiberius let his magical light shine brighter, and several feet below the floor they were standing on, they saw water. The dark liquid reflected the light back up toward th
em, and as they leaned over the well, they could see their reflection. At first Tiberius was startled, but he quickly realized he was only seeing a reflection of himself.
“At least we have water,” Lexi said.
“Maybe the stone is down there,” Tiberius said. “Maybe we have to go down into the well to find it.”
“Or maybe there’s some foul creature down there waiting to drag us under the water and eat us.”
“Come on, we have to know. We came all this way.”
“You sound a little obsessed, Ti. It makes me nervous.”
“Okay, what if I shine my light down into the water? Maybe we can see what’s down there.”
Lexi nodded, and Tiberius lowered his magical light. The tiny sphere dropped down into the hole. The reflection from the water only grew brighter as the light approached. They couldn’t see anything below its surface.
“Here goes nothing,” Tiberius said.
The light moved through the water without disturbing the liquid at all, but as soon as the light passed through the surface, their reflections disappeared. They could see inside the murky depths. The sides of the well below the surface were covered in a thick sludge, and as the light drifted down, they could see the bottom of the well far below. At the bottom was what looked like a metal box.
“That’s it!” Lexi said. “That box has to be it.”
“It is,” Tiberius said. “But we can’t get it.”
“What? Why?”
“Because that isn’t water,” Tiberius said grimly. “It’s some sort of oil. If you tried to swim in it, you’d drown—plus it would coat your nose and mouth. You’d suffocate even if you were able to reach the surface.”
“But there has to be a way to get it out,” Lexi said. “We can’t give up.”
“They put it down there so no one would be able to get it out. If you lowered a torch down there, the oil would ignite. This whole room would be filled with fire in an instant. No one could survive.”
“So the only way to know the stone was down there would be to use magic?” Lexi asked.
“I guess so.”
“Then maybe this,” Lexi waved her hands around her, “is all a test. Maybe the stone was left where only a wizard could find it.”
“You mean to get the stone you have to prove yourself?”
“That right. You have to use your magic to get the stone, Tiberius. It’s the only way.”
Chapter 16
Olyva
Coming out of the mist felt like a huge victory for Olyva. They had been forced to camp overnight in the gray mists that covered the blighted lands after fighting the brown-furred creature the day before. Olyva knew that Rafe would be worried, and Desyra was more than a little afraid, but more than any of them, Olyva was worried about herself. She had passed through the mists easily enough on the trip down the mountain, but the mist’s strange absence of light—combined with the steep uphill trek—had taxed Olyva almost more than she could bear.
It had taken half a day to emerge from the mists, and by the time they made it out into the bright sunlight above the foggy barrier, Olyva had no strength left. Desyra had been forced to carry their heavy pack and had gone without breakfast, but she was still in much better shape than Olyva.
“I just need to rest another minute,” Olyva said, collapsing on the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Desyra said. “Isn’t the sunlight helping?”
“It is,” Olyva said. “I’m just tired, that’s all. A few more minutes and I’ll be fine.”
The sun did feel glorious, and part of Olyva wanted to stand up, strip away her clothes, and let every inch of her skin soak up the intoxicating rays. But she was simply too tired. She lay on the ground instead, her whole body aching with fatigue.
She must have fallen asleep, although she didn’t mean to, for the next thing she knew, a group of soldiers had surrounded her, and Rafe was kneeling over her.
“She just collapsed,” Desyra said. “The climb was difficult.”
Olyva blinked in the bright sunshine. Rafe’s face was worried, and she could hear Desyra gulping water.
“Here, drink a little,” Rafe was saying.
He had a canteen in his hands. Olyva really wanted to pour the water over her feet, but she didn’t want to frighten the soldiers, who were already looking around nervously. They didn’t like being outside the city walls, but they would just have to get used to it, Olyva thought.
“Thank you,” she whispered, as she sipped the water. “I’m okay.”
“You look exhausted,” Rafe said. “What took you so long?”
“This!” Desyra proclaimed as she rolled out the brown-furred skin of the animal that Olyva had slain. “We were attacked, but Olyva killed it, and I helped her skin it.”
“You killed this?” Rafe asked, looking at the brown fur.
Olyva could smell the rotting flesh that was still stuck onto the animal’s skin. She had done her best to cut as much of the fat and sinew from the hide as she could, but she didn’t have the right tools.
“It attacked us,” Olyva said. “Yesterday. Just before we reached the mists.”
The soldiers were all talking in admiring tones about Olyva’s kill. Desyra was beaming with pride, but Olyva still felt weak. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, but she knew she needed time to recover.
“Come on,” Rafe said. “Let’s get you back in the city.”
The journey into Avondale was not what Olyva had hoped for. The rumors and concerns over the buildup of the earl’s war band had grown into a palpable sense of mistrust. Olyva could see it on the faces of the people they passed as Rafe escorted her to the earl’s palace. Leading them down the mountain would not be an easy task, and it was imperative that she regained her strength. If she didn’t bounce back quickly, she wouldn’t be good for anything.
“Take me up to the rooftop,” Olyva told Rafe.
“The earl wants to see you,” he explained.
“I need sunlight. I’m so weak.”
“What has happened?”
“I don’t know for sure.”
“She grew tired in the mists,” Desyra explained. “We shouldn’t have camped there.”
“Maybe she’s right,” Olyva said. “I don’t know. But the climb today was so taxing. And poor Desyra, she’s had nothing to eat.”
“Well, we can fix that,” Rafe said. “I’ll see that your hide gets tanned. Why don’t you run to the kitchens and find something to eat?”
“Okay,” Desyra said excitedly. She was eternally optimistic and full of joy.
“How was the trip?” Rafe asked in a worried tone, once Desyra was gone. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I did,” Olyva said.
“But you’re hurt. Did that animal injure you?”
“No, I’m not hurt. I’m just weak. I need sunlight and water.”
“Here, drink some more,” Rafe said, holding out the canteen.
“I need it on my feet,” Olyva said. “I know that sounds strange but—”
“No, it’s not strange, my love. It’s just you, and I love you. Come on, I’ll get you to the roof.”
Olyva would have preferred a grassy meadow, with soft soil to dig her toes into. Instead, she settled for climbing up onto one of the long planters that decorated the top of the earl’s palace. She let her toes wiggle into the rich soil as Rafe poured water over her feet. The sun on her face and arms felt wonderful, but the cool water soaking into her root-like toes was ecstasy.
“I’ll bring the earl to you,” Rafe said. “I don’t think he’ll mind the distraction.”
Rafe hurried away, but Olyva raised her arms and stood perfectly still. She had grown to love stillness. When she stood with her arms upraised, her feet rooted in the ground, she felt strong. But she was also more perceptive, with every sense attuned to the air around her and the earth beneath. She could taste the different scents that drifted through the air. In Avondale, she could smell the wid
e variety of cooking meats and baking breads. She could smell the animals that were used by the farmers on the lowest level of the city and the tanneries where skins were stretched, scraped, softened, and sometimes smoked to add color. The waste that was the bane of any city was especially pungent but not repulsive.
Each scent told Olyva a story. And sounds carried on the winds, too. She could hear the buzz of hundreds of voices. From the forest that surrounded the lake at the center of Avondale’s cone-shaped summit, she could hear the swaying of branches and the scratch of pine needles rubbing together. And even though she wasn’t planted on the ground, she could still feel the movement taking place deep inside the mountain. There was a great pressure building, and heat was rising, changing the very pressure of the air above the mountain. The palace roof was one of the highest points in the city, and Olyva felt the currents that flowed through the air, reading the scents and sounds from faraway places. And all because she had learned to be still and listen.
She heard Rafe and the earl coming up the steps to the rooftop before they arrived and decided that it might be better if she came down from the planter and met with the earl in a more common fashion. She didn’t want her changes to distract him from the important news she brought.
Stepping down from the planter, her legs felt weak. She leaned back against the stone planter for support as Rafe escorted the earl onto the roof. The tension on the earl’s face was easily recognizable. It radiated out from him like a bad odor, but Olyva felt only sympathy for the man. His own son was bringing an army to destroy him, and she couldn’t fathom what that kind of pain felt like.
“You have returned,” the earl said, trying to smile.
“Yes, my lord. And I have found a suitable place to take the citizens of Avondale when the time comes. There is ample water, and the journey will be relatively easy.”
Avondale V Page 10