“Run to each of the other defence positions. Tell them they must stay on their barricades at all cost. They are not to move away to help others. Leaving their position exposed will give the Tharsians entry.”
The boy sped off, his eyes wide with fear. His feet felt as though they had wings. As he had stood listening to the Traders shouted words, the Trader had been calmly dispatching Tharsians as though it were all in a day's work. The boy was mightily impressed and would remember this day all his life.
The Trader strode up and down his line encouraging defenders and taunting the enemy, drawing them to himself. Brave men were using long poles to dislodge the dead from the spikes. The line was holding, but only just.
The Trader could see Tomas the blacksmith rolling barrels from a wagon and emptying them into the pit that had been dug along the inner perimeter.
What was he doing? A smell of raw oil filled the air moments before a roaring fire leapt out of the pit along its entire length. The blacksmith had poured his entire stock of quenching oil into the pit and set it alight. The hotter the oil became the higher the flames roared. Orange flame and thick smoke was billowing into the night sky. The impenetrable wall of fire stopped the Tharsians in their tracks. It gave the villagers time to catch their breath and gather their strength, and weapons. The fire would die down and the Tharsians would come again. A cheer went up for Tomas. He was much embarrassed but took it with a grin. He knew the men were as much relieved as grateful for the short break he had given them. Already the flames were beginning to die down. The yelling and shouting of the Tharsians told that they too had noticed. Some even now ignoring the flames to race over the fallen on the barricades and leap through the wall of fire. Oblivious to burnt hide they were never the less immediately cut down.
Annan climbed up onto a wagon bed to see if he could spot a leader in the Tharsian lines. He peered into the gloom across the distance, the flames from the oil casting a sickly orange glow into the thin tree line along the river's edge in the distance. There was no leader it seemed. The Tharsians simply flung themselves into battle with no plan or order – just sheer numbers. He was about to climb down again when the seal went ice cold against his chest.
Annan looked out into the darkness again. Somewhere out there was one of the Dark Lords Chosen Ones. The Tharsians had a leader after all. The Trader peered into the distant tree line. There – just on the edge of his eyesight! A figure shrouded in a black cloak. Blacker even than the night. It was this deeper shadow that had drawn Annan’s sight. The person didn't move, but Annan was aware that the person had sensed him. Suddenly it came to Annan that he could end this carnage now. He raised his massive arm and pointed directly at the dark figure out in the trees.
“My name is Annan Hamar, I am the Keeper of the Seal” he shouted.
In an instant a bar of pure blue light streaked from his fingers. The sudden scream that rent through the sound of battle cut off like a door slamming as the Chosen One exploded in a shower of particles that lit up the whole countryside.
The Tharsians seemed to lose all direction. Those still on the cleared ground ran off in all directions or turned on each other. Those engaged in battle on the walls simply stood still, arms at their sides looking around. The villagers quickly dispatched them all. Within moments all was quiet apart from the moans of the wounded, and the sounds of a girl on a roof top somewhere crying her heart out.
The Trader was still standing up on the wagon, his arm outstretched and a look of shock on his normally expressionless face.
He had no idea that his call to the Seal would be answered so swiftly and with such force. He knew now that he would be able to protect the village against all comers. He only needed to find the leaders of an attack and destroy him. He wondered at the cost to the village, but it had to be better than the alternative.
Antonin awoke with a start, blinking in the gloom. Luan was bending over him.
“It is time for your watch young one.” Said Luan and turned to where he had a blanket spread on the stone floor. His saddle he used as a head rest.
Antonin grunted and got to his feet. The others were all asleep around the small fire that burned in the centre of the room. Just a few small flames flickering in the coals. Antonin added a few twigs from the little pile that they had gathered earlier on. He saw no need to worry about time. He was completely rested. Luan had let him sleep longer than arranged he was sure. It was hard to tell though. The fire looked like it had been burning for some time. White ash thick around the edges. The air in the vast room was very still, and a haze of smoke had collected in a blanket up by the ceiling of the room.
Antonin prowled around the room at first, his soft leather boots making no sound on the stone floor. The night sky was a glittering blanket of starts now and the light was enough to filter thinly into the room. To Antonin’s night accustomed eyes the street outside appeared to be softly lit by lamps.
Peering into corners, down passageways into the gloom Antonin continued his investigations. The sound of water trickling came from somewhere by the cistern but he could not find the source of the sound. He glanced out of the windows and the doors. Nothing moved. There was not even a breath of air stirring. The horses were moving a bit. Blowing air and stamping, they seemed a little restless. Antonin decided he must be making them nervous and squatted down by the door. His back against the door frame, peering into the night.
Antonin didn't know this place. He thought he had ridden all over the Star Field Plain, but he had not been here before. The buildings were unlike any he had ever seen for a start. Not like the fairly crude freestone dwellings of the farms and villages. In fact now that he looked closely, he could see that all the buildings were made of smooth faced dressed stone, and all were neatly interlocked together. They were very strong buildings indeed. Antonin could see that the buildings were in orderly rows along wide paved streets. Even from where he squatted he could see across streets in the distance. The buildings continuing along these as far as he could see.
The designs were old. He recalled having seen the drawings in the old history books. They were from a past age of wonders. An age of plenty, when man had wondrous machines to help build vast cities. Much like this one he supposed. This must be a surviving relic of that past age of glory. The books had told of many strange things and Antonin believed very little of it. He put it down to the fancies of the authors. After all the books had themselves been written long after the passing of those ages.
Now there was no sign of anyone surviving or living in this long abandoned city. Antonin could clearly see that the buildings were mostly in a crumbling state. The streets and wide boulevards littered with rubble.
To pass the time he decided to investigate some of the nearby buildings.
Antonin walked out into the street and noted where he was and the building in which the others slept. Just in case, he left a small pile of stones on the bottom step of their building. He strolled along in the centre of the wide street and now that he looked closely he could see that this was a place that had somehow survived the upheavals of the last great age. A place not destroyed completely by the war to conquer the Dark Lord. The ancients had managed imprison the Father of Lies but at what a cost. Humanity itself was almost destroyed. Even now so long after the battles there were vast areas of the world that remained scorched and blackened and where nothing lived. Where nothing could live. Tharsians were a curse that held the Plains since those days, and it was rumoured that in the lands far to the east dragons still lived.
Antonin wandered along the wide avenue marvelling at the completeness of the ruins. He would not turn off the way. It would be too easy to get lost in the darkness. Only the starlight showing the way. He had gone a little way when he saw a set of stairs let into the pavement on either side of the road. Did they simply lead under the road, providing a means of getting from one side of a busy street to the other? Could there be rooms down there? Antonin could not guess the purpose. He ventured a
little way down the steps of one entrance but it was as black at pitch after only a few steps down. With no idea what lay below, he returned to the street level. If he could he would have liked to explore even further but already he noticed there was a faint grey smudge along the skyline. Dawn was on the way. Antonin returned to his position by the door, leaning his back against the door frame. The city was utterly deserted and still and as he squatted motionless against the door the night slowly turned into the hazy light of a new dawn. He heard the soft footfalls of Catharina as she came to stand in the doorway. Without turning he said,
“Catharina, this is a ruin from the age of legends. I have never seen it before, have you?”
“No, I have not.” She replied, yawning sleepily.
“Did we bring any oil lamps with us?” He asked.
“Yes. There are some along with flasks of oil in our packs. Riadia insisted that we take them.” Replied Catharina.
“Well before we decide to move on, I would like to explore a very strange place I found. A set of stairs that lead down into the earth from street level.” Antonin pointed down the road. “Just along the way a little.” Catharina looked at Antonin for a few moments, but with the unfocused gaze of one in deep thought. With a glance up the street she said quietly “We are on a search for the key after all. It would seem as good a place as any to start.” Catharina looked back into the darkened room where their companions still slept. She quietly fetched two oil lamps and a jar of oil from her packs. Her fellow warriors woke at the slight noise, instantly alert. Luan and Mei’An sat up on their beds of coats and rugs.
“What is happening Catharina?” said Mei’An.
“Nothing, Mei’An. Antonin and I will just be up this road away exploring some steps that Antonin found. We will return shortly.” Mei’An settled comfortably, sitting cross legged on her bedding.
“Don't be long Catharina, we must discuss our plans, and where we must go now in our search.” Catharina nodded and went out the door with the waiting Antonin. It was really only a short distance up the street Catharina discovered. Actually within sight of their resting place now that there was a little more light. The stone balustrade was almost green with lichen but still appeared strong and untouched by time. There must have been a little moisture blowing up from the depths for the lichen to live in this otherwise desolate place. The broad stone steps led down to a landing from where they appeared to branch right and left again into the darkness, and then continue on down. This was as far as the light of the dawn was penetrating and that very weakly. The two stood at the top of the stairs, the empty buildings around them eerily quiet in the dawn. Dust wafted along the broad street. There were no foot prints in the dust apart from their own, and those of some small creature that had passed along the street in the night. It’s tiny tracks disappeared into a crack in a wall across the way. There were most likely lots of small animals, even birds in the old ruins. Where humans no longer lived the smaller creatures soon took over again.
●Chapter 8
Antonin filled and lit the oil lamps, their smoky flames flickering steadily in the still air.
“We will not go far into this I think Catharina,” he said. “We can leave the oil jar here at the top of these stairs as a marker to others.”
Catharina didn't answer, just pointed to their footprints in the dust. Antonin grinned sheepishly.
Holding a lamp each, up high so the light would not be in their eyes they started down into the gloom. The smooth walls were tiled with a shiny glass like surface and strange scenes were patterned into them. Both Catharina and Antonin studied the murals but apart from the strangely dressed people depicted, nothing else seemed remotely recognisable. A mystery that perhaps the Wind Reader could explain.
They hesitated on the first landing. Go right, or go left? Peering into the dark on each side, the still descending steps angled at a lower landing so that they both descended together.
“Well Catharina. One is the same as the other it would seem.”
Antonin beckoned Catharina to follow, and began down the steps where he stood. Reaching the next landing, they peered downwards. It was very dark. No light penetrated down those stairs save the weak light from their flickering lamps. They eyes were accustomed to the fait glow now though. They had started out in the pre dawn light after all. Holding the lamps high and steady they could see that the stairs branched right again at a lower level again. They had to meet the other set of stairs that descended from the upper level. Antonin realized that this was simply a design to handle large numbers of people going up and down at the same time. Where were they going to or coming from though? Antonin again led the way and they started down. The structure was still solid. No signs of wear or decay. Only a coating of mosses and lichens. Trickles of moisture came from cracks between the stone work and fed the mosses. The mysterious murals followed them down, depicting people in strange garb going about their business in a city much like that above, but with strange vehicles in the streets and in the air that were unrecognisable to either Antonin or Catharina. The people were dressed in strange clothing that appeared to cover them from neck to ankle. Men and women alike in the same cloths, distinguishable only by their physical shapes. The designs were intricate and colourful, despite their obvious great age. Antonin could not believe such wondrous treasures remained hidden and untouched.
Sure enough, the descending stairs rejoined at the next level down and then continued on down in one wide stairway. Twenty people could have fitted shoulder to shoulder across the stairway.
"Shall we continue on?” Said Antonin looking at Catharina.
“Yes,” she replied. “At least we should see where these steps lead to. We have come this far after all.”
Her voice cracked slightly at the end as her first words came floating back up from the dark depths. They looked apprehensively at each other. With a shrug Antonin started down the broad stairway.
They continued down some distance before the stairs ended on a broad smooth area that stretched away on either side into the darkness. It was pitch black outside the small circle of light from the lamps. Antonin stepped carefully forward, the lamp held high. Catharina was close beside him. A short way forward, directly in front the smooth area ended abruptly. Blackness in front of it. It could only be the edge to a precipice that fell away into the depths of the earth. The grey of the strange stone work was smooth and unbroken, and was clearly visible in the faint light from the oil lamps. This only emphasised the abrupt cut off edge further out from the bottom of the steps. Slowly the glow of the lamps penetrated the darkness, bringing the vastness of the cavern into view. It extended away into pitch blackness however as the feeble light could not penetrate so far. Looking about them, they could see small rooms set along the walls. There were sign boards still mounted on doors and covered in layers of fine dust. The vast space was interspersed with huge pillars that disappeared up into the darkness, obviously holding up the roof of this huge room.
Catharina edged closer to the edge of what she thought must be a drop into the depths of the earth itself.
“Take a care Catharina.” Said Antonin. It was obvious though that she was taking great care. Suddenly she let out a relieved laugh.
“What is it?” Cried Antonin in alarm. His voice reverberated back and forth in the vast chamber.
“Come and see, Antonin, but take a care you don't fall in!” She laughed.
“Harrumph.” Declared Antonin and strode over to where Catharina stood casually at the very edge of the grey expanse. His eyes opened wide when he looked over the edge. There, just a small drop below him was another level. Three hand spans at most. There was an accumulation of strange rubbish strewn along the bottom of this drop but neither Antonin nor Catharina were inclined to jump down to see what it was. Strangest of all was the structure that ran in either direction along the pit that they stood above. That it was a pit had become obvious now that they had moved to the edge. The other side could be seen in the lam
plight. It appeared to be exactly the same as the side on which they stood. It’s surface disappeared away into the darkness.
The structure that could be seen on the floor of the pit was perhaps a long stride out into the centre and stood perhaps knee high above the floor. It appeared to be a continuous iron rail, bolted to a supporting platform. The surface glittered like a highly polished sword, and the sides were coated with a scale of rust. This could only mean that something still used this strange device. Neither had ever seen such a structure. No blacksmith that lived could forge such a piece. It ran off into the distance in either direction. It had to have been made, like the rest of this strange place, in the age of legends. That they had stumbled into the heart of it was pure chance. They would have a tale or two to tell the others. Antonin stood scratching his chin. He looked again at the iron rail. A polished surface meant constant use. Anyone knew this, from warrior to farm hand. The hair prickled on the back of his neck as he tried to imagine what it could be that rode this rail, so far down in the earth. In such darkness. What kind of beast still lived down in these depths that would move along this strange road, ever polishing the iron rail that guided it in the darkness.
The Dragons of Sara Sara Page 12