Anilyia

by Carroll, John H.

  They looked contrite, but did not answer. “Is that clear?” Liselle asked more forcefully, crossing her arms. “Yes, Milady,” they said in unison. When she turned her attention back to Tathan’s foot, the two looked at each other with grins. Tathan decided not to bring it to his cousin’s attention.

  “I think I can help a little,” Liselle said quietly.

  Tathan reached down to put a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t want you wasting your energy, Cousin.”

  She smiled. “Don’t worry. It’ll take only a small amount.” Liselle took a firm hold of his foot with one hand while gesturing with the other. Blue glow came from her palm and fingertips to envelope the foot. The flower in her hair moved forward in interest.

  It felt wonderful. Tathan breathed deeply, laying his head back. A moan of relief escaped his lips. The magic massaged the sore muscles and cooled the skin. It worked its way into the bones, strengthening them as well.

  When she was done, Tathan looked at his foot. It wasn’t so pink or tender anymore. Wiggling the toes, he could feel that the muscles had relaxed. There was no longer any pain.

  Liselle sat down next to him and took a drink from her waterskin. “Put your shoe on and try walking a bit, Cousin,” she told him.

  He did so. The foot still didn’t feel completely normal, but it was much better than before. The tightness of new skin was gone. Muscles felt as they were supposed to instead of unexercised.

  “I sent some healing into it, but also tried to age everything so it would fit the rest of the body,” Liselle said with a frown. “That’s not exactly what I did, but it’s the best I can explain and I’m learning as I go.”

  “Thank you so much,” Tathan replied with a happy smile. He even did a poor version of Vevin’s happy dance, causing them all to laugh.

  After pausing awhile for a snack so Liselle could rest and regain the small amount of energy she had used, they set out.

  There were benches all along the road like the one they had stopped at. Wherever the tunnel widened seemed a good place to put another. On occasion, the party would pass a traveler or group sitting on one.

  Sometimes the tunnel widened more than usual, or a side cave appeared. In these areas, benches would be set up in a circle for camping. One of the caves they passed had a pool at the back of it with crystal clear water, which was wonderful to the taste. The companions ate a late lunch there.

  Globes placed at intervals along the length of the tunnel provided light. They glowed yellow, casting light that was comfortable to the eyes. When Tathan asked a woman driving a wagon if she knew how they stayed lit, she merely replied “Magic”.

  The Cavern road angled downward gradually, going deep beneath the mountains. In some sections, the tunnels had ribbed braces providing strength. In others, the rock was strong enough that braces weren’t needed. Liselle asked one of the Rojuun who passed if the tunnel was safe and he assured her that minor collapses only happened once or twice a year and people rarely died in them. Oddly enough, that did little to comfort the companions.

  Sound echoed in the tunnels. It was possible to hear a wagon train for a long time before they could see it. The rolling creaks of wagon wheels mixed with clip clopping horses to create quite a racket. Wagon drivers hollering at each other and the horses added to the din. The companions covered their ears the first few times a train would pass, but gradually became used to it.

  Voices were another thing that echoed. Even when they tried to whisper, the noise carried for a long way. At any distance, the sound became garbled to the point of being unintelligible. Murmurs ebbed throughout the tunnel that the human ear could not separate.

  Vevin, on the other hand, could tell exactly what people were saying for miles in any direction. He would tell his companions some of the more interesting bits like a woman who had an affair with her husband’s best friend. Most of it was just gossip, but every once in a while he would hear information about something that could help them.

  Tathan finally asked, “Why haven’t you done this before to find out where the princess is?”

  Vevin looked at him in surprise. “Why, I never even considered it. Most of the time, people are boring. It’s all about kids, work and . . . boring stuff.” He shrugged. “Plus listening to all those voices gives me a headache after a while.”

  Tathan considered for a moment. “Sometimes I think of a word or two, like princess, then listen for that word when I’m in a crowd. Can you do that? Then listen for what’s said about it.”

  Vevin stopped walking, tilting his head in each direction. The rest of them stopped as well. “I think I can,” he said slowly. “I don’t hear it right now, but I can tune my ear to that word. That’s very clever, Tathan. I’ll have to remember it.”

  Tathan clasped Vevin’s arm. “Yes, definitely. Let us know if you find out anything that might be useful.”

  Vevin nodded enthusiastically and did a listening dance.

  The temperature became cooler as the party traveled deeper into the ground. Soon plants began to appear on the walls and ceiling. The plants were rich with oxygen, which made it possible to breathe the air.

  Bioluminescent fluids creeped through the plants, creating light. It was similar to the glowflies in the forest, but much more powerful. They were different from plants on the surface. Their powerful roots dug deep into the rock, but at the same time secured the stone so that ribs and braces were no longer needed to keep the tunnel secure.

  Plants that grew in the ceiling and walls of caverns and tunnels tended to be unfit for human consumption, though the Rojuun could eat many of the varieties. The roots collected nutrients from deep within the rock. This made them metallic and heavy in a way humans couldn’t digest. The floors of Rojuun caverns often had softer and more fertile dirt distributed by extensive underground rivers flowing throughout the world of Ryallon.

  From this softer dirt, grew plants edible to humans. They glowed and produced copious amounts of oxygen as well, but were softer than their hanging counterparts were. Animals of all sorts fed on them. Meanwhile, other animals fed on those animals. When the animals died, they lay in the soil adding their nutrients to it. It was a vast cycle of life underground that had taken thousands upon thousands of years to develop. From that life came the Rojuun, later than humans had developed upon the surface, but perhaps that was the way the gods intended it.

  “Vevin,” Liselle said thoughtfully. “If the humans came from the surface of Ryallon, and the Rojuun came from the caverns, where did dragons come from?”

  Her mate, who was still listening for the word ‘princess’ in conversations, considered the question absentmindedly. After a moment he answered, “Why, from the stars of course.”

  Near the end of the day, the party came to a small town set within a cavern. There was a lake nearby providing water and fishing for the citizens. They chose the simpler of the two inns and spent the night.

  Chapter 17

  For a week, they traveled east along the Cavern Road. Other tunnels and caverns appeared along the route. Most were either barricaded with locked gates, protected by guards or both. Humans were allowed in other areas though, including caverns that were beautiful to the point of inspiring awe.

  Vevin insisted they explore each one. Tathan originally wanted to push on, but the dragon insisted. Most of their meals were taken in those caverns while Vevin examined every nook and cranny.

  Water running through rock brought colored minerals into many of the caves. The multicolored luminescence of the plants would cause the caves to glow in soft hues. Sometimes tiny crystals would tumble through the water, acting as prisms. The sight would entrance Vevin, who stood there swaying from foot to foot with a wide smile on his face. Sir Danth called it his ‘trance dance’. It would last awhile before he would eagerly suggest they go find another cave.

  Air currents underground created breezes and winds within the caves. It seemed odd to feel air moving underground as they traveled. There was no rhyme or
reason to how it moved either. More than once, they wondered where a particular breeze came from and what happened to it when the air shifted in a new direction.

  A feju they met along the way talked to them about the caves. She explained that most caves throughout the world weren’t connected to each other naturally, instead forming over millennia.

  The world of Ryallon had a great deal of water running through it, which played a vital role in the existence of life in the caverns. Plants deposited their seeds in this water, either directly or through animals that drank from the water or swam in it.

  Many animals could breathe underwater for amazing lengths of time and swam from cavern to cavern. Some animals even gave birth in the water, letting their offspring travel to other caverns.

  Another Rojuun told them about buutor: large, stone-eating creatures that spent their entire lives creating tunnels. They did so using claws and hard head to break rock. Buutor could tell where caverns were and dug through the ground, joining them together.

  Nine days after starting the passage into the tunnels, the party entered Rainbow Caverns. A cool mist filled the air hours before they arrived and with each step, the roar of waterfalls grew louder. Moisture glistened on the surfaces of the walls and on the plants. Vevin was hopping and skipping in his dances, creating a new one Sir Danth labeled ‘The Rainbow Dance’.

  The party began to see small rainbows everywhere. Light from plants and birds reflected through the mists. It was odd to see one appear nearby and then disappear when a hand would reach out to it. Ropes cordoned off the road from the plants alongside in order to keep travelers from destroying them.

  When the tunnel opened into the first of the Rainbow Caverns, the companions stopped to stare in awe. A large waterfall fell from high above, creating a roar as it hit a deep pool of water. An extraordinary amount of spray was created, which was cool to the touch. Droplets of water began flowing down their faces and their hair became soaked. Within this spray, rainbows performed a ballet. Each one flickered through the mist, disappearing then reappearing a short distance away. It was mesmerizing to watch them move.

  The moisture nourished a myriad of lush plants. The sheer number drew animals and insects by the droves. Tiliiflits were a large, flying insect similar to dragonflies above ground. They were everywhere, each one glowing brightly as they flew through the mist. Something about the waterfalls attracted thousands to the cavern. The companions would duck and jump every time one buzzed by.

  So many tiliiflits attracted flying predators, which also glowed. There was a constantly moving lightshow around the waterfalls. Other birds like the huumpeek moved from plant to plant, collecting pollen just as birds and insects did above surface.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Liselle yelled to her companions. It was very difficult to hear each other talk over the din.

  Numerous footpaths led off the main road, going around to the various caves. These were marked so people could follow them without disturbing the natural beauty of wildlife. The companions turned right onto the first one they came across. Vevin led the way, skipping and dancing as he went from sight to sight.

  The others followed him, enjoying the experience just as much as their dragon friend. Even Sir Danth was excited and spoke animatedly about the waterfalls. He enjoyed the sounds, explaining that they reverberated within his armor and tickled his soul.

  There were various smaller cascades throughout other caves. All of the waterfalls either fell directly into, or had streams flowing to three different lakes. What couldn’t be seen was that the lakes extended for miles beyond the rock wall. They were also miles deep in many places.

  The largest waterfall fell to a pool in the center of the main cavern. Guardrails ran along the lakes to protect people from falling in while chasing rainbows. The lakes, and especially the center pool, had strong undertows that were deadly to anyone trying to swim in them. A few Rojuun had explored by using spells enabling them to breathe underwater for long periods, but even that was dangerous.

  The companions walked along meandering paths, pointing different sights out to each other. Liselle stopped at each flower to smile at it. Vevin spent most of the time leaping to catch rainbows that were always dancing away from him. He even developed a new version of the rainbow dance as they explored.

  They came to a quiet area with tables, and took the opportunity to have lunch. A stream ran near their table, but no waterfalls and they could talk without yelling. It was refreshing not to have to deal with the constant roar.

  Tathan wiped moisture from his face. “I’m soaked from walking through all this mist!” he exclaimed with a laugh. It pleased Liselle to see her cousin happy instead of dark and brooding. “Why are you staring at me with that grin on your face, Cousin?” Tathan asked.

  “I’m grinning because I’m happy that you’re happy.”

  Tathan’s mouth twisted in amusement. “Well that makes me happy.”

  Vevin tilted his head to the side. “So you’re happy that she’s happy that you’re happy?”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what I mean,” Tathan said, pounding his fist on the table.

  “Excellent! That makes me happy as well,” Vevin declared.

  Sir Danth chimed in. “Vevin is happy that Tathan is happy that Liselle is happy that Tathan is happy. I’ll be happy if this doesn’t go any further,” he said in a wry tone, eliciting laughter.

  Suddenly, Vevin stopped laughing. “I hear something. Shh.” He gestured for them to be quiet as he stood and walked a few steps toward the opening of the cavern.

  Tathan also stood, looking to see if anybody was trying to sneak up on them.

  Vevin waved him off. “It’s about the princess. There are two Rojuun talking by one of the waterfalls, both meju. One sounds like a guard and the other is his brother,” Vevin said. “They don’t think anyone can hear them over the noise. They’re talking about the princess.”

  No one interrupted, waiting for him to continue.

  “The guard said he wants to kill the princess,” Vevin said. Liselle gasped in alarm. Vevin shushed her. “The brother asks why. The guard says, ‘The silly thing keeps talking to me like I am the servant, not her!’ He seems very upset about it.”

  Sir Danth chuckled while a corner of Tathan’s mouth turned up in a grin. They thought it amusing that a Rojuun would get a taste of their own medicine.

  “The brother says, ‘Can you not kill her for disobedience? Humans must behave after all.’” Vevin rolled his eyes. “The guard says, ‘No. She is human royalty and needed for political reasons. I don’t understand human politics. They are unnecessarily complicated.’” Vevin grinned. “I agree with him.”

  “As do I,” Sir Danth said with an emphatic nod.

  “The brother is speaking again. ‘That is not acceptable. Humans must obey us. The world will turn upside down if they don’t. Do they not understand this?’” Vevin frowned at his companions. “I seriously doubt the world will turn upside down if humans don’t obey.”

  They all shook their heads.

  “The guard says, ‘They do not seem to understand, Brother. I almost killed the girl the last time she told me what to do.’”

  “The brother seems to be consoling him now. I hear patting on his back,” Vevin explained. “He’s saying, ‘I believe it is time to kill the girl then. Our family is not happy with the decision to hold this human vermin any longer. The human emperor makes too many impudent demands of the Rojuun. For too long, our family has been dismissed by others while we make advances and new discoveries.’”

  Liselle put a hand on Tathan’s arm. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “The guard replies, ‘You are right, Brother. What do we do?’” Vevin looked back. “He sounds rather eager.”

  “The brother’s answering, ‘It will take time to arrange the details, but you and anyone sympathetic to the cause will execute the princess and her servants. I will arrange for you to have refuge in the family dwelling after it is
done. We have unlimited access to the fortress from our territories.’”

  “The guard is agreeing, ‘I am ready to fulfill my duty whenever you give the word, Brother.’”

  “And the brother again. ‘Excellent. Thank you for meeting me here. I will be in touch.’”

  Vevin straightened. “That’s the last of it. They’re walking away.”

  “So what do we do now?” Liselle asked. “It sounds like we need to save the princess soon or else she’ll be killed.

  “And the world will go ‘poof’.” Vevin made another ball of light go ‘poof’, causing them to laugh.

  Tathan was the first to speak. “I don’t believe the world will go poof, but I do believe those two meant it when they said they were going to kill the princess. We also learned for certain that she’s in the fortress. Liselle’s right. We need to save her soon.”

  “Can you tell where the guard and his brother are going, Master Vevin?” Sir Danth asked.

  “No. Their footsteps are too quiet, like all the Rojuun. They don’t make any noise when they walk and they’re not talking anymore.” Vevin sighed. “You know, sometimes I like Rojuun, and then we run into something like this where they behave badly and I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  “Humans are like that too, Vevin,” Tathan replied. “Some try to do good. Others are decent most of the time, but have moments of darkness. Every once in a while, a truly terrible person commits crimes against others that make all of humanity appear evil.”

  Sir Danth rubbed his chin in thought. “Your words are wise. So it is your belief that individual Rojuun can be good or evil and this does not indicate that all Rojuun are one way or the other. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” Tathan answered simply.

  “I like that,” Liselle responded with a smile. “I think we’ve all been trying to look at them as one race instead of individuals. These Rojuun don’t fit with others we’ve known, like Marrraa.”