Daughter Bosand cleared her throat and Gaidel quickly nodded.
“Ghile Stonechosen, allow me to introduce Daughter Bos-”
Ghile held up a hand. “Stop.”
“Listen, I have something I need to say first.”
“Ghile-” Gaidel began.
“Please,” Ghile said.
Gaidel only glanced at Daughter Bosand before nodding.
“What I did back in the village. When I left like that. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was taking responsibility for myself and keeping those I had come to care about away from danger. I was wrong. I had no right to make that decision for you. I also should have heeded your advice. Had I reached the Fallen City as I originally planned, I would have walked into a trap I don't think I could have escaped on my own.”
Ghile bowed his head and held his hands up in a show of respect. “For that, I am sorry.”
“Ghile, you don't need to apologize,” Gaidel said.
“Oh, yes he does,” Riff said. “I almost died again because of him!”
Riff stepped towards Ghile and pointed a finger at him. “Lotte and your valehounds did! At the hands of cullers who were looking for you. The very one who tried to cull you in the Cradle. The one who destroyed Last Hamlet. So, yes, Gaidel, I think an apology is only the beginning of what he owes us!”
“Riff-” Gaidel said.
“No, Gaidel, he's right,” Ghile said. He moved up to stand before, Riff. He looked down at the sorcerer, his hands hanging at his side. “Ast and Cuz are gone?”
Riff nodded, some of the venom taken out of him by the pain on Ghile's face.
Dagbar had thought the two dogs belonged to the boy who died in the inn. Riff's words and the look on Ghile's face proved otherwise.
Ghile stood there silently for a long time.
“I'm sorry to hear about Lotte,” he finally said.
Riff nodded. “More important is what are we going to do about it?”
Daughter Bosand spoke up then. “Ghile Stonechosen, I am Daughter Bosand and I have been sent by Mother Brambles to escort you to her.”
Riff huffed and rolled his eyes, but held his tongue.
Now was the time Dagbar was going to find out if Islmur had shared her knowledge with Ghile.
“Where is Mother Brambles?” Ghile said.
“She awaits you in the Nordlah Plains,” Daughter Bosand said.
“Does she?” Ghile looked at Riff and then Gaidel and Two Elks in turn. Finally, he eyes came to rest on Dagbar.
“She will have to wait a bit longer,” Ghile said.
“Mother Brambles was most clear you were to come at once,” Bosand said. Her back was straight and her tone brooked no arguments.
Ghile stared at her for a moment before a smile appeared on his face, but never touched his eyes. “I go to the Fallen City and I would like to see anyone try and stop me.”
Riff clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly. “Now we're talking!”
Dagbar knew now was the time. He stepped forward and bowed his head.
“I am Magister Dagbar. If you journey to the Fallen City, there is much I must tell you.”
Ghile's face tightened as if pained.
“Have I offended you?” Dagbar said.
“No, Magister. It's just…your accent reminds of Akira.”
Dagbar looked down, suddenly uncomfortable looking Ghile in the eye. “I see.”
“Greetings to you Magister. Islmur and Akira have told me all I need to know about you, Ashar, and the prophecy,” Ghile said. The momentary lapse in demeanor was gone.
“So, he too has fallen for Islmur's trickery,” Daughter Bosand said. “The Elves are not our friends, Ghile. The Great Purge should be enough to prove-”
“Enough!” Ghile said. His shouted word was enough to stop Bosand and even the nearby Alvar from singing.
Ghile spoke to one of the nearest Alvar and his voice rang out in clear Alvarsong and Dagbar was already smiling when Ghile motioned towards Daughter Bosand.
“The Alvar will take you and your shieldwarden to the edge of the Deepwood, Daughter Bosand,” Ghile said.
“My instructions were to find and stay with you,” Bosand said.
“It was not a request,” Ghile said as he turned away from her.
Two of the Alvar moved to stand behind the druid and her shieldwarden.
“Daughter Gaidel, it appears the wisdom of the Redwood Druids is no longer needed or wanted here,” Bosand said, straightening her robes.
“I am staying, Patron Sister,” Gaidel said.
She stepped up to stand beside Ghile and Riff. Riff reached out and took her hand, giving it a reaffirming squeeze.
“You will do no such thing, Daughter,” Bosand said.
“You heard her,” Ghile said without looking at the other druid.
Ghile walked away, motioning for the others to follow.
Daughter Gaidel only looked at the other older druid for a moment before she followed Ghile, Two Elks right behind her.
Dagbar fell in with the others. He looked back to see Daughter Bosand and Rachard standing there, staring. Rachard seemed…amused. Daughter Bosand held a look that could have melted stone. Ghile Stonechosen had made an enemy this day.
“You have lost your spear?” Two Elks said to Ghile as Dagbar caught up with them.
Ghile shook his head. “No, I left it. I realized I no longer needed it.”
“And the dwarf blade?” Two Elks said.
Ghile ran his hand along a dwarven made blade sheathed at his side. Dagbar recognized it as one of the fangblades the Magister of the Cradle gifted to the settlement's human protectors.
“This reminds me of where I came from and who I fight for,” Ghile said.
“Ghile Stonechosen, where are all the Alvar going?” Dagbar said.
“They go with us, Magister. The sorcerer Ashar plans to use the mists of the Fallen City to attack the Deepwood. We journey there to stop him.”
“Is that even possible?” Dagbar said.
He knew Ashar was gifted and had the power of Akira's soulstone behind him, but could he truly do something of that magnitude? What dark secrets had he uncovered in the Fallen City?
“Akira believes so and I believe Akira,” Ghile said flatly.
“The Fallen City holds many dangers, least of all the Dream Mists. They befuddle the mind of human and dwarf alike. I have a few vials of an elixir that will protect us, but I do not know for how long. The Alvar fear the mists and are blinded by it. If they enter then they will be all but helpless.”
Ghile nodded as he walked and listened. “They have told me as much. But the threat is to the Deepwood and they will not be deterred.”
“Most likely the cullers will be there,” Dagbar said.
“I'm counting on it,” Riff said.
“Much of the blame for Ashar and the rest lies on my shoulders, Ghile Stonechosen.” Dagbar said.
Ghile stopped and placed a hand on Dagbar's shoulder.
“There is more than enough blame to go around. Islmur spoke for you, Magister. You know the truth and what is at stake for my race and still you try to help us. She also said I will need your help if I am going to have a chance to defeat Haurtu.”
Dagbar felt his eyes moisten. Lady Luck had not left him, she had picked him up and cuddled him against her plump bosom. The boy planned to fight.
“I am at your disposal, Ghile Stonechosen,” Dagbar said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Am I the only one who feels left out of the conversation here?” Riff said to the air.
Ghile nodded. “There will be time to explain things later, Riff.”
Riff was still holding Gaidel's hand and Ghile looked down at it and smiled. “Besides, you are not the only one who deserves an explanation.”
29
Eye of the Storm
The winds blew over the mists of the fallen city causing them to billow and roll. It reminded Finngyr of t
he waves on the Innersea. The thought brought Daomount to his mind and he tightened his grip on the handle of his hammer in irritation.
Where was the stonechosen?
He turned and paced across the uppermost floor of the ruined building. He leaned slightly to the side to make up for the building's uneven tilt. It was one of a scattering of ruins that pierced through the strange mist like desiccated fingers. He stared out from the other side of the ruin and had to shield his eyes from the light of the dying sun.
They should have been back by now to report. He chose this building due to its wide exposed landing and close proximity to the center of the city. As close as he could find anyway.
When they first flew over the Fallen City, they noted the darkening of the mists the further they flew towards its center. The city rested in a deep crater. Few of the ruins were tall enough to reach up from those depths and the few that did were little more than single jagged spurs, vegetation clinging to every available purchase as if for their lives. Finngyr supposed they did since nothing living seemed to survive within the mists except some noxious smelling slime. At least in the areas they had tried searching.
Upon their arrival a few days ago, they entered the mists looking for signs of the stonechosen. They had found nothing. Not that they had much time.
It affected Knight Kjar first. The dwarf began jumping at shadows and reporting movement out of the corners of his eyes. Then he began stopping every few feet when he heard something that neither Knight Horth or Finngyr could hear. It was when Knight Kjar attacked empty space and Knight Horth started seeing things at the edges of his vision that Finngyr realized something was affecting them. The effects wore off once they were free of the mists.
They patrolled above the city since then, only entering when something caught their attention and only for short periods of time.
Finngyr paced back across the uneven surface, kicking at a tile that had come loose under his boot. He watched it clatter down the slope and over the edge to be swallowed by the very mist that thwarted him. The city was just too big to search effectively.
Finngyr knew this was Ghile's destination, just as strongly as he knew that the traitor Dagbar was somehow involved. His suspicions had been confirmed yesterday when they discovered the golems standing a couple of leagues away during their patrols. The golems' path was as straight as the griffon flies from the settlement towards the Fallen City. He didn't know why they had stopped where they did, but knew enough about the artificers' creations to know someone holding the command gems and who knew the correct words would have had to have been there to stop them. His next meeting with Magister Dagbar would be most unpleasant for the freakish eyed traitor.
Safu vocalized a series of high pitched squawks at him from where she rested a short distance away. His constant pacing must be agitating her. She rested on her rear haunches with her wings folded in close to her sides. She tilted her head quickly and eyed him before squawking again.
Finngyr made a comforting motion towards her with his hand, but continued pacing.
Where were they?
He sent them to patrol opposite sides of the city and to circle clockwise along the forest's edge. He reluctantly admitted the sun had not yet touched the trees, and he had told them to return then, but he was tired of all this waiting.
Finngyr played his encounter with Lord Knight Gyldoon over in his head. There was no room for failure. He had to find the stonechosen. He would not fail this time. He could not. When news of the encounter in the inn reached the High Council, he had little doubt how they would twist what had happened. Even though the humans and the dwarven guard had attacked them! He would like nothing better than to bestow Daomur's justice on the entire settlement. Especially that impudent sorcerer. Finngyr still felt phantom pains on his skin from the burns. Daomur's blessed healing restored the flesh, but did nothing for the memories. At least the creature was consumed in his own tainted magic. Finngyr would have to find some consolation in that.
A distant screech drew his attention. It was followed almost immediately with another coming in the opposite direction.
Safu answered the call as she stood, extending her white tipped wings and shaking out the dark feathers along her neck. Finngyr hastily made the hand gesture for her to stay and ran over to gather her reins in his free hand.
“What do you know?” he called to Horth as the knight circled nearby.
“Elves! In his blessed name, hundreds of them. They are attacking the city!” Horth said.
Finngyr was already in Safu's saddle and clipping into the riding harness when Kjar circled in from the other direction.
“Elves attack the city, Knight Justice! Too many to count. As far as I could see,” Kjar said.
Safu's front talons clacked across the tiles as she gathered speed and then bounded into the air. He motioned for the others to follow him and then dug his knees into Safu's sides. “Make haste, girl!”
Finngyr directed Safu straight towards the closest edge of the city. Were the elves attacking from all sides? More importantly, what were they attacking? Finngyr had seen nothing but slime and mist down there.
He could hear their singing in the distance. It didn't sound like the battle chants his people sang, but more like a funeral dirge. As they flew closer, a wind buffeted them, followed immediately by another. Finngyr banked Safu tightly as he struggled to maintain control. The sky was a mix of reds and oranges as the sun touched the treeline. It was clear of clouds as far as he could see in every direction, but the winds lashed him harder than a winter's gale over the Innersea.
Finngyr could hear Horth cursing over the winds as the younger knight fought to keep control of his mount. The winds lessened as they were pushed away from the edge of the city. Finngyr realized the winds were pushing back the mists. Below he could see the remains of buildings and what might have been a defensive wall.
It was the elves! They were somehow controlling the winds and using them to push back the mists. Finngyr directed Safu to climb and as she rose in a slow circle the winds lessened.
The other knights joined him as he made his way along the edge of the city. He could tell the Elves efforts were futile. The mist fought against the winds like something alive. When the winds weakened, it surged forward to reclaim the grey dead ground and slime covered buildings like a prized treasure.
“There, look! Something attacks from the city,” Kjar called.
As the sun dipped lower and the shadows of the Deepwood touched the edges of the mist, small fast moving creatures emerged. It reminded Finngyr of pale maggots pouring from a bloated corpse. Their numbers were nowhere near those of the elves, but they charged forth without fear.
It appeared the Fallen City was the source of the Dead Ones infesting the Deepwood and attacking Dagbar's settlement. Had Dagbar sent the golems back to deal with these creatures?
No, they would have resumed their patrols of the city. Even if Dagbar had sent them to fight, someone had to be there to tell them to stop in such an arbitrary spot. It was just too much coincidence they began returning to the city so soon after the stonechosen's allies arrived in the settlement.
“Do we help the elves?” Knight Kjar called.
“No. Our mission is to capture the stonechosen,” Finngyr said.
Finngyr turned Safu and they followed the edge of the city, high above the fighting. Why had the elves chosen now to attack the city? The human whelp said they had the stonechosen and now they attacked the city Dagbar felt sure was the stonechosen's destination.
I know you're down there…somewhere.
“We stay together,” Finngyr said. “Follow me!”
30
Into the Mists
Ghile slid down the remains of the stone wall. It was still mostly intact and offered the quickest way down to the lower level of the ruins. It was also covered with the same pale slime which seemed to grow unhindered on everything in this place. He landed with a grunt and hastily scrambled over wide tiles
and up against the base of a jagged column of greenish-black stone.
He pushed himself up against the column and waited for the others. Absently, he began to wipe off the excess slime with one hand, while the other hand unconsciously tightened on the grip of the fangblade, its deer horn handle solid and reassuring in his grasp. The groove along the flat of the blade still held traces of black blood. He had not had time to properly clean the blade since their last fight against the fallen.
The battle to break through the fallen's lines at the edge of the city hadn't been difficult, with the creatures of the Deepwood who answered the Alvar's song along with the trees and winds themselves to help keep the creatures distracted. They were able to fight their way through. But since then, the fallen seemed to know where they were and continued to attack them as they traveled lower and lower within the city. Every level they descended had been hard won. Worst of all, the fallen seemed to feed off the mist. Ghile had to re-engage with more than one fallen who he thought he had dealt a mortal blow. Thankfully, most of the fallen seemed to be fighting the Alvar.
The Alvar had surrounded the sprawling ruins and unleashed their fury upon it. The Keepers had taken the threat of the fallen spreading some kind of poison into the Deepwood as a serious one. All the Alvar who gathered for Islmur's awakening had come. They would keep the mists at bay and no fallen would leave or enter the city while Ghile and his companions dealt with Ashar.
Ghile saw the cullers flying over the city as night fell. Luckily, they were far off and hadn't spotted them. Riff seemed ready to fight the cullers then and there. Ghile knew he would have to face them eventually, he just hoped he could find and deal with Ashar first.
He listened, but heard nothing over the sound of his own breathing. He took a chance and peeked around the pillar, but night and the ever present mist turned everything into indescript grey shapes, even to his enhanced vision. He could make out a line of broken columns leading away from the one he sheltered against. He was in some sort of plaza.
The mist lay heavy over the ruins, the moisture of it clung to his clothes and covered his skin with an oily film. It reminded Ghile of how his hands felt after helping his mother render mutton fat into tallow for candles. The remnants of the fat covered his hands and refused to wash off. The mist made him feel unclean.
Time of the Stonechosen (The Soulstone Prophecy Book 2) Page 31