A minotaur pulled two draks behind him as he ran into the corridor behind Kale. He crouched over the draks to protect them. “I’ve never seen anything like it! Where did it come from?”
Kale had no answer for him. In the distance, he heard a roaring howl of what sounded like a great beast descending from the heavens to devour the city. Dust and debris blew past, and what perplexed Kale most was the lack of rain. The walkways and bridges were empty now. The crack of thunder reverberated through the chasm, its sound amplified by the rock walls.
More thunder rattled the huddled masses, and though it seemed impossible, the wind intensified. Kale heard a deep, primal scream and then noticed a man-shaped mass fall past the entrance, down into the chasm dividing the two halves of the undercity. He strained to gain a closer look, clutching his mate to keep from being blown away. Pulling in his wings, he shrouded Kali within them.
The howling stopped, and the wind subsided. The dark, roiling clouds slid away and dissipated like a pinch of sand dropped in a swift river. For a moment, all was still, and then a bird chirped, as if to say, “All clear!”
Kale stepped onto the walkway from the side street, still holding his mate’s hand. He looked up, the clear blue sky showing no sign of the storm that drove them all to shelter.
“What in the name of Tinian’s lance was that?” A minotaur shielded his eyes as he glanced skyward. He stepped over to the railing and then noticed the body in the chasm. “By Anetha’s Shield!”
Kale peered into the crevasse. He felt his head swim as he tried to focus on the shape at the bottom. A human shape lay twisted and broken on the rocks far below. That can’t be… a human wouldn’t look that big from way up here.
“It’s a giant!” The minotaur reeled backward and squinted as he studied the sky. “Giants, falling from the sky! What does it mean?”
“It’s a sign! An omen!” A drak with dark-green scales ducked under the minotaur’s arm and scowled as he inspected the cavern. “Adranus is displeased! He will rain giants upon us and destroy us all!”
“What sense does that make?” Kali pulled the drak away from the edge. “That giant is dead, smashed to bits! Not much of a plan if all the giants he throws at us end up like that one.”
The drak squirmed, unable to free himself from Kali’s grip. “Not all of them will fall into the chasm. I’ll bet some of them will land on the walkway. Right now, there could be giants rampaging through the upper city! Our doom is at hand!”
Kali released the ranting drak. He bolted, screaming about the end times, an apocalypse of giant men.
“He’s cracked his nut, that one has.” The minotaur regarded at Kali and then Kale. “You! I can’t get my potatoes to market because of you!”
Kale recognized the potato-pushing minotaur. He held up his hands as he backpedaled. “Hey, I can’t help it if these draks go crazy when I’m around. They think these stripes actually mean something.”
The minotaur clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as he advanced upon Kale. “They mean something all right: trouble for me. I ought to throw you to the giant down there.”
Kale fluttered his wings before drawing them close to his body. “Yeah? Go ahead.”
“Kale!” Kali reached for him as the minotaur darted forward and seized him. He heard her shriek of despair as the potato merchant flung him through the air and over the railing.
* * *
Despite Pancras’s most fervent wishes, time did not speed up. In fact, it seemed to slow to a crawl. The land east of Muncifer was mostly farmland and grew flatter the farther from the city they traveled. Unlike the farmland south of Almeria, ample forests and groves dotted the landscape. Every few days, they left the comfort of the road and traveled through rougher terrain in order to avoid contact with, and pass, slow-moving trade caravans. They had nothing to trade and no desire to court trouble if any of the caravans harbored unfounded fear of fiendlings.
“Somewhere along this road, we left Muncifer’s area of influence and entered the extended reach of Etrunia.” Gisella attempted to stave off the party’s mutual boredom by engaging them in conversation once Qaliah grew tired of antagonizing Edric.
“I didn’t realize Etrunia had lands this far south. Is not the Icymist River the southern border of Etrunia?”
“The land between the Granite Tributary and the Greatbear Run are in dispute. Prince Gavril annexed the area east of the Greatbear a few years ago, including the Shadowfen Marsh. Gods know why.”
Now a sunken swamp and the castle in ruins, the grandeur and splendor of Abbar Castle once stood at the center of Shadowfen Marsh. Pancras scratched his head. “Of what value are those lands to nobles in Almeria?”
“Only the gods know.” Gisella continued. “Now Etrunia controls almost everything up to the Iron Gate Mountains, except the city of Muncifer. Of course, the mudders of Curton and the people in Cliffport don’t really see it that way.”
“I wonder if Princess Valene will enforce those claims.” Despite his time amid Almerian court, Pancras learned little about the political landscape. “She seemed to oppose many of her late husband’s policies.”
“Time will tell. If she’s smart, she’ll send soldiers to garrison the forts and reinforce the fact that Etrunia controls the lands.”
Pancras could vouch for Princess Valene’s intelligence. If there was strategic value to Almeria enforcing the Etrunia rule of these lands, she would figure out a way to make her intent clear to the population.
A tower appeared on over the horizon. Gisella spurred her horse. “Speaking of the forts—”
With the sun creeping toward the western horizon, Pancras guessed Gisella’s purpose. An abandoned fort would not be the worst place to seek shelter for the night. If it was garrisoned, it would be even better.
* * *
Panic gripped Kale’s heart as he fell. The last time he experienced this sensation, Bloodplume erupted and he thought he was falling to his death. That was years ago, before he encountered a chaos rift.
Wings! I have wings! Kale spread his wings, and the leathery flesh caught the air. Piercing pain tore through his back and shoulders as he lurched into flight. He swooped up and rolled. For a brief moment, he considered descending to investigate the bottom of the crevasse and the fallen giant but decided it would be better to reunite with Kali as soon as possible.
He pulled up and came about, realizing he was already below the level of the lowest part of the undercity. Kale flapped his wings, straining to ascend, but his muscles weren’t strong enough. He resigned himself to gliding and maintaining altitude while he searched for a place to land. Maybe if I find a perch, I can climb up.
Kale spotted a dark area on one of the walls. His eyes had not yet adjusted to the shadows of the chasm, but it appeared to be an outcropping of some sort. As he glided closer, the ledge seemed like a safe place to land.
Once he firmly planted his feet on the rock, a quick glance revealed the shadow he noticed while flying was a tunnel, which led from the ledge into the cliff. Kale folded his wings and ducked inside. The passage was tight and black like a starless night, but his eyes soon became accustomed to the absence of light.
The tops of his wings scraped on the roof of the tunnel, and in several places, he was forced to crouch as he followed its level path farther into the rock. Ahead, he spotted a clearing where the tunnel widened. Once upon it, he noticed the junction was not of nature, rather, the very rock had been scooped out to create the chamber.
The sigil placed on his chest by Terrakaptis throbbed as he crossed the threshold. Though he could not see his chest in the dark, he traced each line, each curve of the symbol. It was warm to the touch, warmer even than his skin ran normally these days. The discomfort faded after a few moments, his attention to it waning quickly as the workmanship of the walls caught his eye.
The drak was not an expert in underground construction, but it was obvious to his eyes some kind of claw created the chamber. Fine striations in the textu
re of the walls resembled the kind of gouges his claws made in dirt, but these were in solid rock. Sconces, each containing a gem, lined the hollow, set into the wall high above his head. He jumped to reach, but they were secured well enough that Kale could not dislodge them.
In the center of the room’s floor stood a raised circle of stone. Without better lighting, he couldn’t determine whether or not the stone matched that of the surrounding floor, but it appeared the stones of the circle were inlaid in the floor of the chamber. The center of the circle was smooth, like the obsidian walls of Drak-Anor, or perhaps glass. It was black, like a pool of perfectly still ink. Even though he could see in the dark, he saw nothing in the center of the circle. It’s like that hole I jumped into under Ironkrag. I wonder where it goes? He reached out to touch it, but he decided to retract his hand.
Better not touch what I can’t see.
Encircling the perimeter of the stone circle were raised runes of the sort he and his sister had seen in Ancient Drak writings. Kale recognized some of the words as magic but did not understand them. Other words were plainer: gateway and moon. He recognized sigils of Selene, goddess of magic and the moon, and one Terrakaptis taught him: Rannos Dragonsire.
Kale whistled. “Deli should see this.”
His eyes searched the room again. Other than the stone circle in the floor, the sconces on the wall, dust, and cobwebs, he saw nothing. No, not nothing!
Kale raced over to an area of one wall where the claw marks adjoined in an odd way. He ran his hand along the marks and felt a seam. Following the pattern of unmatched marks with his eyes, he discovered a door. The mechanism, elegant and complex, reminded him of the puzzle box Terrakaptis gave him. He found the hidden catch and flipped it with one of his claws. The door swung open with a loud clack, revealing a small antechamber dominated by a spiral stone staircase. It led upward.
Bookshelves lined the walls of the stairwell, each tome covered with a thick layer of dust. Kale wanted to open a volume and explore memories of the ancient past entombed within but didn’t want to risk destroying an important historical or arcane text. At least, not before he shared this place with his sister.
“Pancras and Delilah would both get lost in here. I’d never see them again!” He ran his finger along the spines of the books. The bindings crackled under his touch. A cool breeze sent a shiver down his spine, and he spun. Kale felt eyes on him, but he saw no one.
He quickened his pace.
Kale’s climb up the stairs became a sprint as he felt an unseen hand brush the back of his neck. Around and around and up and up he sped. Finally, at the top of the stairs, he found another door. The locking mechanism was visible on the stairwell side, and he easily deciphered how to open it. He passed through into a storage room filled with broken furniture and dusty, moldy linens. Kale shut the door behind him, taking note of its location as the door joined seamlessly with the wall, leaving a smudge in the dusty floor as the only trace of its existence.
More stairs led up, such as those leading up from a cellar. He found himself in what looked like an abandoned home. Upon further exploration, the living quarters were actually the back rooms of a store front. Long abandoned, the store gave no clues to its original purpose. Dust, cobwebs, and the distant squeaking of rodents were its only stock now.
A door allowed egress onto one of the deep streets of the undercity. Kale followed his nose to fresh air, taking note of the abandoned shop’s location. The street upon which he stepped led him to one of the walkways in the chasm. He worked his way up, eager to reunite with Kali.
He encountered her two-thirds of the way back to the spot where the minotaur threw him.
“Kale!” Kali enveloped him in a hug. They nuzzled each other for several minutes in relief.
At last, Kale broke their embrace. “You won’t believe what I saw down there!”
* * *
Delilah was still trembling when she left Grimstone Keep. Archmage Vilkan bade her to return to the Arcane University while he engaged in a private discussion with Archduke Fyodar. She understood he meant for her to board the carriage that brought them, but she waved the driver off when he opened the door for her. The drak sorceress walked through the keep’s gatehouse and onto the streets of Muncifer. While in the shadows of the gatehouse, she pulled off the itchy beige robe and discarded it.
She made her way through the twisting streets, trying to remember the route. In the end, she had to ask a guard for directions. Once he put her on the right path, she doubled her pace and didn’t slow until she arrived at The Granite Anvil.
The innkeeper looked up when she walked in. “No rooms; we’re all full.”
“I’m looking for my brother. He looks like me, but opposite colored with wings. Hangs around with a rusty-colored drak.”
The innkeeper shook his head. “Nah, haven’t seen them today. They go to The Stone Maiden a lot, you might check there. Up the street. Can’t miss it.”
Delilah didn’t usually trust the word of humans, but in this case, the innkeeper was correct. The Stone Maiden was impossible to miss. A pristine marble statue stood between two entry doors; over one shoulder, she stared down disapprovingly at whoever might choose to enter the tavern. The din from within indicated the building was packed.
She pushed her way through the crowd, scanning the seated customers for Kale or Kali. His face was obscured, but her brother’s wings were unmistakable. Though part of his table was hidden from view, she assumed Kali was with him. Delilah slinked toward them, using the humans to shield her approach.
Kale yelped as Delilah grabbed him from behind and hugged him against the chair. “That’s what you get for sitting with your back to the door.”
“Deli!” Kale laughed and tried to squirm around to look at his sister, but she held him too tightly. She released him, moved to his side, and stood between him and Kali.
He pointed past her. “Back’s to the door, but my front’s to the bar.” He waved at the barkeep and pointed at his sister. Kali inclined her head to Delilah.
The drak sorceress pulled the other drak into a hug. “I haven’t been fair to you. I’m sorry.”
Kali’s mouth moved in silence before turning into a smile. “Thanks.”
“Deli! Did you see that freak storm? Did you pass your trial?”
Delilah pulled over a chair to sit alongside her brother. She waited until the barmaid brought her ale, gulped it down, and wiped her lips. “Yes and no.”
Kali cocked her head. “Which?”
“I saw the storm. Oh, did I see it! I was right there in front. Whoosh! Giants flying left and right when they weren’t being fried by lightning.”
“Giants? Ha!” Kale slapped the table. “I knew they weren’t falling out of the sky just because Adranus wanted to kill us with them.”
“No, but they were marching toward the west gate. The archmage blew them away with a magic storm, whirlwinds, and lightning! It was…” Delilah searched for the right word to describe both the exhilaration and terror. “Awesome.”
Kali leaned forward, taking her mate’s hand. “Giants were marching on the city?”
Delilah flagged down the barmaid and ordered another round of ale. She intended to drown her fears in a deluge of alcohol. “It was only six of them. I don’t know what they hoped to accomplished. They’re big and strong”—she shook her head—“but six against the city gates and all the guards?”
“That doesn’t seem like an invasion or even an attack.” Kali furrowed her brow and nodded at her mate.
“No, it doesn’t.” Delilah shook her head. “Maybe if they were just attacking one of the villages between here and the mountains, but not Muncifer. They’d have to be crazy to attack the city with just six.”
“Sounds to me like the archmage overreacted.” Kale scratched his chin. “Hey, how long are you here for? I have to show you something!”
Delilah took the mug of ale the barmaid brought and took a swig. “Not long. I need to buy some comfortable
robes and go back. I’m not supposed to be out here to begin with.”
“Oh, well, maybe I can take you there on the way. I found this really, well, old place in the undercity. You have to see it.”
Delilah took another swig of her ale. “What kind of old place?” She didn’t want to play guessing games with her brother. Part of her was tempted to stay with Kale and Kali, and if she didn’t drown that part of her with booze soon, it might have its way with her.
“I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s in an old, abandoned shop on the very lowest level of the undercity.”
Delilah did not doubt Kale found whatever it was he found fascinating, but a decrepit storefront did not appeal to her in the least. Not now, not with all the other matters she was dealing with at the Arcane University.
The ale made Delilah lightheaded. The room tilted a bit when she stood up. “I can’t go look at it right now. I have to get back. The archmage will probably be looking for me when he returns.”
Kale stood up and grabbed his sister’s arm. “Want us to come with you?”
“If you don’t have anything better to do. I have to buy a new robe and then head straight back.”
“It’s no trouble, as long as Kale can avoid taunting any more minotaurs.” Kali tossed a few coins for the drinks onto the table.
Delilah decided she didn’t want to hear about her brother taunting any minotaurs. He should have learned his lesson with the minotaurs in Almeria.
Together, the three draks left The Stone Maiden and strode to the undercity. Throughout their trek, Delilah overheard people discussing the freak storm. In the undercity, the railings to the chasm were crowded with people gawking at the giant Kale told her about. Delilah managed to sneak a quick enough peek. Her curiosity sated, she left the dead-giant watching to people with nothing better to do with their time.
Kali led them to a clothier who sold a variety of cloaks and robes. Merchants in the undercity catered to either minotaurs or draks almost exclusively, and this particular merchant specialized in drak clothing. Though most draks eschewed full-body clothing, they set aside their pride during the bitter, raw Muncifer winters. Fortunately, the merchant still had stock leftover from winter, and Delilah spotted a beige robe with dark brown trim that suited her taste and fit her well enough. It was made from lightweight wool and didn’t itch like the one provided by the Arcane University did. On a whim, she rummaged for a similar robe in a larger size and one of each size in grey similar to what novices wore.
Lament (Scars of the Sundering Book 2) Page 17