Dark Quest

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “The temperature will drop rapidly after the sun goes down,” said Egam, “then we will start our search.”

  “How are we going to find him?” asked Jenneva.

  “According to what Lord Habas heard,” explained Egam, “he lives under the desert. We need to look for some way of getting under the sand.”

  “That should be real easy,” quipped Jenneva. “All we have to do is search half of Sordoa looking for an entrance sign. He may even have the entrance concealed with an illusion.”

  “I’d be surprised if he didn’t,” replied the old Master. “That very illusion may give him away, though. I wanted to start at this oasis because I cannot imagine him being west of here. We’ll head towards Trekum. Lord Habas said that his student was seen in the capital and I should think that would rule out the northeast corner of the desert. There are other large cities up there that his student could go to.”

  “Will he see us if we do find him?” Jenneva asked.

  “I think so. He likes his solitude as do I, but I do not think he will be hostile. He just doesn’t like to be distracted from his studies. It has been many years since I have talked with Mustar. He will see us because he will be curious as to why we came. When he finds out the information we seek, he may be brief. I just don’t know.”

  “I still don’t feel good about looking at the desert and trying to find a speck of sand out of place,” stated Jenneva.

  “It won’t be that hard,” chided Egam. “Look at the geological features of the desert. He has to have found a cavern under the sand. He probably found it the same way we are going to. An outcropping of rock or a dried up stream gully would be worth investigating, anything that breaks the constant flow of sand.”

  “Wouldn’t he cover that with the illusion?”

  “I don’t think so. Mustar is not hiding from anyone. He just wants to be left alone. This will be easier from the air. Let’s go.”

  The eagle and the owl flew high over the Great Sordoan Desert, their keen eyes searching for clues in the vast arid wasteland. For several hours they flew, occasionally swooping down to check a formation that broke the monotony of the wind swept dunes. The end of the desert appeared on the horizon before they came to an old, dried up oasis and landed.

  The pool of water that used to be the lifeblood of the oasis had long ago ceased to be a source of nourishment for the land around it or the passing travelers. An old well that bore the passing of time poorly was the only adornment visible. Egam peered down the old well, but it was much too dark to see anything. He took a small coin from his pouch and dropped it down the well, listening carefully. Egam waited to gauge the depth of the well from the amount of time it took for the coin to hit bottom. The coin produced no sound and Egam tried it again with the same result.

  “I think we have found our entrance,” said Egam. “Now we have to figure out what the illusion is and how we enter Mustar’s domain.”

  Jenneva surveyed the oasis. The small, dried up pond obviously used to be the center of the oasis. Now, petrified tree sections lay crisscrossed there. The well sat off to one side about the same distance away from the center as the trees were from the center in the Koman Oasis. There were no dried up gullies extending away from the old pond area, indicating that it was at one time a spring fed pond. There were no signs of any trees having ever been at the oasis except for the two petrified ones in the center.

  “This was never an oasis,” stated Jenneva. “A well may have, indeed, been here, but not a well and an oasis. I think the well is an illusion and the real entrance resides at what appears to be the old pond.

  “Of course,” exclaimed Egam, “Zarlu’s Dispersion. It distorts wavelengths to jumble images.”

  Egam gently pulled Jenneva away from the well and cast a spell. The well and the petrified logs shimmered and exchanged places. He walked over to the new well and peered down. Inside of the well was a spiral staircase and Egam started his way down. Jenneva followed him down the long, spiraling stairway until they came to the bottom. As Jenneva cleared the staircase into a large underground cavern, a cage suddenly surrounded the two of them. A young man walked up to them.

  “Who are you and what do you want here?” he demanded.

  Egam reached for Jenneva’s hand and held it before he answered. “I am Egam and this is Jenneva. We have come to speak with your Master, Mustar.”

  The young man whirled and stormed off down a corridor.

  “Why not just disperse with this cage, Egam?” Jenneva asked.

  “Mustar’s student might be frightened into tossing a nasty spell and we have not come seeking a confrontation. Patience, Jenneva. The boy is only protecting his Master.”

  A few moments later, a short, elderly man came up the corridor shaking his thin, gray hair and laughing. The tall, dark student followed him closely.

  “You must forgive Hakim’s caution, Egam. We do not get many visitors.”

  “There is nothing to forgive, Mustar. It has been a long time since we last met.” Egam waved his hand and the cage disappeared. “Allow me to introduce my student, Jenneva.”

  “Greetings, Jenneva. I believe you have already met my student, Hakim.”

  Hakim nodded to the new arrivals and with a wave from Mustar, returned down the corridor. Mustar led his guests down the corridor to a small room hollowed out of the stone by water ages ago. Hakim arrived moments later with chairs for the two visitors to sit on and Mustar sat in his own chair behind his desk.

  “What brings you to my home, Egam? I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with troubles above.”

  “No, Mustar, I have come for information that you may possess. We do have troubles above, but I believe they will be over soon.”

  “Good,” Mustar said. “I do not like getting involved with all of the petty positioning that occurs in our world. What knowledge could I have that would interest the great Egam?”

  “You are too kind, Master Mustar. I come seeking information on the Book of the Beginning. We have a scorpion among us and I fear only knowledge contained in the book will allow us to return to our studies.”

  “Well, Egam, I can tell you that I do not possess the Book of the Beginning. My first Master did possess it when I was in my youth, but that was many a year ago and I have not seen it since. He had it with him when a petty crook in Trekum killed him. Imagine, a Master with all of his knowledge --and some youngster with a knife could steal him away from us. It is one of the reasons that I seek the solitude of the desert.”

  “Understandable, Mustar. I have also secluded myself from the population, but I must admit, it was to hide from one of my former students who was devoted to the Dark Side. He is our scorpion. His name is Sarac and Jenneva has placed him in a new Universe.”

  Mustar gave Jenneva an appraising look. “I heard that a woman was searching for the Origin Scroll some years back, but you do not appear to be that old, Jenneva.”

  “No, Mustar,” answered Jenneva. “That was my mother, Kirsta, and she was seeking the Origin Scroll for Sarac. She found it, but refused to let him have it. I ended up using it on Sarac, but I am not sure where he went.”

  “One must be careful playing with new toys, Jenneva. Why is this Sarac deserving of such treatment?”

  “Sarac seeks the power to control Universes,” replied Egam. “He has assembled a large organization called the Black Devils. His student, Mordac, runs them in his absence. Mordac managed to gain control of Targa and pitted it in war against Sordoa. The war has ended and Mordac fled. Targans are searching for him and I believe that he will be found; but what concerns me most is his search for the Book of the Beginning. I think he believes he can bring Sarac back with the book, but I do not know for certain.”

  “Are these Black Devils the ones responsible for the temple attacks?” asked Mustar as he leaned back in his chair.

  “You are more informed of happenings on the surface than you let on, Mustar,” laughed Egam. “They are the group responsible for the a
ttacks. Many seats of knowledge have been destroyed with their insatiable search for the Book of the Beginning.”

  “Then I shall help you all that I can,” declared Mustar. “Hakim stumbled into one of their attacks in Dubar and they sought to kill him. I do not take kindly to people who seek to cause me ill. What help can I offer?”

  “We possess little knowledge of the Book of the Beginning or its contents,” began Egam. “We are not sure where Sarac is or how Mordac may seek to retrieve him. In fact, our knowledge of Universes is slight.”

  “The best I was able to determine from the Origin Scroll and other writings,” interrupted Jenneva, “is that the Universes exist sharing geological formations, sort of like an onion skin with thin layers that can be peeled off.”

  “Not exactly,” answered Mustar. “Mind you, I only know what my first Master divulged and that was many years ago. I believe that part of your analogy is correct. Some geological features are shared, but the Universes do not interact like an onionskin. From what I remember, the Universes have intersecting points with each other. An onion has skins that are concentric and do not really intersect. The picture that was implanted in my mind from my Master’s discussions was more like a series of interlocking rings. I believe he considered the thought that some of the rings might even intersect with more than one of the others.”

  Mustar stood and began pacing the floor with his hands behind his back. “I remember him theorizing about travel to different Universes if he could find any of the intersection points. I know he wasn’t sure if the points were even stable or if they changed over time.”

  “Did he know for a fact that there were intersecting points?” asked Egam. “I mean, was that just a theory or a fact disclosed in the Book of the Beginning?”

  “I’m not sure, Egam. He talked about the elves and the dwarves and their long histories and lost tribes. He thought that the elves and dwarves each came here from different Universes. In elfish history for example, King Gondoral’s lineage goes back to a young elf prince that separated from the main tribe. Now the main tribe is gone, but King Gondoral’s tribe remains. My Master thought that the main tribe still exists, but in a different Universe. If this is true, then King Gondoral’s ancestors traveled through one of the intersecting points.”

  “An interesting theory,” considered Egam, “but it is possible that the main tribe was eliminated in their war with the dwarves.”

  “True,” replied Mustar. “Your theory is probably just as valid, except I believe you will find a very similar situation with the Dwarves. King Tugar’s line was also a splinter group from the main tribe. Don’t you find that awfully coincidental?”

  Egam pondered Mustar’s theory a long time before responding. “If this is true, then the goblins and Yaki may be from other Universes, as well.”

  “Yes, and some humans may even exist in other Universes. A fascinating topic for discussion. It does explain why my old Master was so absorbed with the Book of the Beginning, if, indeed, it answers these questions. Unfortunately, I have no greater idea of where it is today than you do.”

  “If there were intersecting points between Universes,” queried Jenneva, “wouldn’t people be walking through them all the time? Surely, we would have heard of elves just all of a sudden appearing, wouldn’t we?”

  “Perhaps,” replied Egam, “but people have a tendency to walk in straight lines. Depending on the size of an intersection, one might actually walk through a portion of another Universe and back out again without ever knowing it. I should think, at an intersection, you would have to make a turn of some sort.”

  “Perhaps,” offered Mustar, “the sharing of geological features comes into play here. Suppose the entrance existed at different elevations? We have a tendency to think of our world’s surface as all there is to our world. That is not the case, as you are aware. The intersections may be above us or below us, making a chance entrance to a new Universe rather rare. Suppose the dwarves were tunneling down through a mountain and hit an intersection or the elves were climbing over the mountains and passed through one?”

  “Yes,” exclaimed Egam, “as long as they didn’t retrace their paths exactly, it would appear as the same world, but the inhabitants would be different. And if the intersecting points move over time, they would never be able to get back.”

  “Even if they didn’t move, returning would be problematic,” added Jenneva. “Remember, we don’t even know the size of these intersecting points. Egam, we need to spend some more time with the elves and the dwarves. I would like to learn more about their history and the sagas of old.”

  “I agree,” stated Egam. “We have much to learn and probably little time to learn it in. Before we go, Mustar, there is something puzzling me about your home. When we first came to the oasis, I threw two coins down the false well and heard no noise. What became of those coins?”

  Mustar howled with laughter. “Egam, my old friend, I thank you for your contribution. I hope they were gold pieces. This well, as you can tell, is very old and very deep. At one time it did, indeed, provide water to the surface. It was known as the Bottomless Well. Many considered good fortune would come to those who cast their gold into it. Dropping other than gold could bring death or despair. The illusion we created causes the coins to drop soundlessly into the sand. Hakim cleans out the coins that come from our few visitors. You would be surprised how much we used to profit from the illusion. Sadly, these days we have precious few pilgrims who visit. I wish you a safe journey to the Northlands and thank you for your gold.”

  Egam and Jenneva joined in the laughter as they bid farewell to the Sordoan magician and his student.

  Chapter 17

  Talman

  Egam led Jenneva down the dank corridor towards the sound of hammers venting their fury on solid rock. Jenneva heard singing far off down the twisting tunnel, but all sounds stopped abruptly when she reached the intersection. Egam gripped Jenneva’s hand. “We’ve been detected,” Egam whispered. “Stay close to me and don’t overreact.”

  Egam took a few more steps into the darkness that pervaded the dwarf tunnels. “I am Egam,” he called loudly, “and I have come to seek the guidance of King Tugar.”

  Swiftly, silent dwarves materializing out of hidden dark alcoves surrounded the two magicians. From around a bend in the underground passage, a dwarf carrying a torch came to greet them. He inspected the pair and nodded a silent signal to his companions and the diminutive miners disappeared. The dwarf with the torch gestured to Egam to follow and turned back down the corridor. The torch lit only a limited portion of the tunnel and its flickering light played with the shadows and Jenneva’s sense of perception.

  The dwarf led them along a series of interconnecting tunnels that wound up and down and left and right so many times that Jenneva would be hard pressed to repeat the trip. Finally, she could see a lighted section of the tunnel before her and their escort led the mages into a large chamber. Torches around the wall lighted the huge chamber and the illumination was probably considered bright by dwarf standards, but Jenneva still had trouble capturing all of the details of the room.

  Around the edges of the torch-lit room were benches hewn out of stone. Back against the far wall were two magnificent gold thrones, both occupied by dwarves. Dwarves in chain mail armor guarded the two entrances to the chamber. An elderly dwarf came over to Egam and greeted him.

  “Egam, you have returned. And this must be your student whom we have heard so much of.” He turned to face Jenneva and said, “I am Doryelgar, Advisor to King Tugar.”

  “Doryelgar, this is Jenneva,” greeted Egam. “We are honored to be so welcomed to the House of Talman.”

  Jenneva was unsure whether to bow or offer her hand. She felt inadequate in her knowledge of dwarfish ways and promised herself that she would expand the horizons of her studies. “Doryelgar, I am pleased to meet a friend of Egam’s and hope that I am worthy of such welcome to Talman in the future.

  The dwarf’s gruf
f face broke into an imitation of a smile -- or perhaps that is what a smiling dwarf looks like, she thought. “Jenneva, your Master and your man are both welcome in Talman and both speak highly of you. I cannot imagine your welcome ever wearing out. Come, and I shall introduce you to King Tugar and Queen Gilas. It is customary for visitors to bow to our royalty,” he added in a low whisper.

  Jenneva nodded her thanks for the dwarf’s hint at protocol. When she bowed to the royal couple she was close enough to see the two figures. King Tugar’s appearance was similar to the other dwarves they saw on the way to the chamber, but the Queen had quite a different look. She was taller than the males and certainly more slender. Her gray hair was long and fine and her skin was very fair and smooth. Her nose seemed much more in proper proportion to her face than the large, bulbous noses of the males. Only her large, circular eyes held a dwarfish appearance and those eyes were very busy inspecting Jenneva.

  Jenneva blushed and found herself bowing again to the Queen. The Queen’s face broke into a broad smile and she addressed Jenneva. “Welcome to Talman, Jenneva. I apologize if my inspection has made you uncomfortable. I have not laid eyes on one so fair.” Queen Gilas stole a glance at her husband and added, “Obviously, the same can be said for King Tugar. We forget our manners.”

  Jenneva glanced at the King as he coughed into his hand. King Tugar faced Egam and spoke. “Yes, welcome, Egam and Jenneva. Tell me, how is Alex and what brings you to Talman?”

  Egam smiled. In all the years he had known the ornery King, Egam had never seen him distracted before. “Alex is well, thanks to your gracious gift, King Tugar. I am sure he would have liked to accompany us, but his task is not yet complete. Jenneva and I have come seeking information on the lineage of Talman.”

  King Tugar looked rather surprised. “Of what use is Talman’s lineage to a wizard?”

  “We have theories regarding your origins,” began Egam, “that we will make known to you, but if Your Majesty will permit, I would prefer to hear the lineage before answering the question.”