by Jeremy Dwyer
“I hear the thoughts of others. They are within that storm. It may be an illusion,” Hesperos said.
“You may be able to hear thoughts, Hesperos. But you cannot feel cold from an illusion. The bitter winds of that blizzard reach us even here, before we enter it, so it is quite real, I assure you. If you are eager for an early death, you may attempt to verify that by walking into the storm yourself,” Pandaros said.
“They are hiding from someone,” Hesperos said.
“Much the same could be said of anyone here. You do know why people come here, do you not? It is to be concealed in the shadows,” Pandaros said.
“They have found a safe place within the storm. I sense the thoughts of men and women, and they have taken refuge in a dark building,” Hesperos said.
“How far from us are they? Walking any notable distance into the blizzard ahead will be perilous, and diminish our ability to pursue our goals,” Pandaros said.
Telamon drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from his vial and was energized. His strength and speed were thus multiplied, giving him some residual endurance, as well. He began walking toward the storm.
“Use caution, Telamon. Only the Trerada waters will give you the protection from the storm that you need. Your strength and speed will give you only slightly more resistance to the bitter cold than we have. Be quick, but do not think yourself to be invulnerable,” Pandaros said.
“It won’t be necessary! Look,” Hesperos said. He had felt the thoughts of someone approaching, but now he saw them, and so did Pandaros.
A streak of blue fire soared through the air and landed at the edge of the storm. It then had the form of a man who had fire in his hands, and whose skin was blue. Fire poured forth from the man’s hands and the snow melted as he walked and the fire lit the way.
Pandaros began walking behind that man, and Telamon and Hesperos did so as well.
~~~
Inside the black, curved building, Zoe was standing watch near – but not at – the entrance. By her Lujladia-given powers of bending light, she looked around the corner, out through the entrance, so that she could see, while not being seen. She caught sight of figures out in the distance, even past the trees that surrounded the building. The figures were moving through the raging blizzard and approaching, and one (1) of them had fire. It was a fire she recognized…a blue fire.
“We’re not alone!” Zoe said.
“Who is it?” Brant asked.
“Remember the torches? The ones with the blue skin? It’s one (1) of them. I see others behind him,” Zoe said.
Brant carried his weapons with him for the trip, and he drew forth a heavy sword and prepared himself by drinking anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from the vial that he carried. His strength and speed were both energized as a result. Zoe drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from her own vial, so as to be ready to shine more light, or to bend it in other ways, as needed. She also carried weapons, and she readied her bow and arrow.
“Stay back!” Brant said, pointing to Emerond and Taesa, Caroline and Judith.
However, Judith stepped forward, so as to see what might happen up close. She backed away from where she thought that the combat would occur, not that she was worried for her own safety: that had already been established. She drank anew of the waters of the Ursegan Ocean from her own vial and was energized. Time slowed down within her, giving her a form of quick sight, whereby she was able to see even fast-moving events proceed at a pace where she had time to record them.
~~~
Blazer Endrit was masterful over the blue flames and burned the snow ahead of him by sending forth more fire before each footstep. He saw a large, black and curved building ahead of him, with the trees nearby matching the description that the spirit had given him. He suspected this to be the building that the spirit had described and he entered.
~~~
The trio of Explorers trekked through the melted snow for only five (5) minutes, trying to keep up with the man with the blue flames, when Pandaros and Hesperos found themselves quite uncomfortable in the blizzard conditions. Telamon was not yet bothered. After another five (5) minutes of walking as quickly as possible past snowdrifts and snow-covered trees, they found a large, dark and curved building and went in, seeing that the man with the blue flames on his hands was already there. They remained in the doorway, however.
They saw that there was a woman with a bow and arrow and a large man with a sword, both aimed at the man with blue flames on his hands. A woman with a book was also there, writing down what she saw.
~~~
“Step out of my way, unless you are allies of the darkness,” Blazer Endrit – the man with the blue flames on his hands – said to the woman with the bow and arrow and the man with the sword.
“We’ve seen you before! Why are you here?!” Zoe asked, aiming an arrow at Blazer Endrit’s head.
Brant moved in as well, ready to strike, and waiting for an answer.
~~~
Hesperos immediately sensed the thoughts of those in the room and realized that they knew about the black objects – there were five (5) of them, all onyx, with wicks like candles. A man in the back of the room held one (1), and the other four (4) were in the hands of the skeletal figures inside the diamond pillars. Hesperos sent the thoughts into the mind of Pandaros, so that he would know what secrets were held by these people.
After receiving the telepathic message, Pandaros knew that he had come to the correct place by the unlikely event of an intelligent suggestion from Hesperos. He waited for his moment to act.
~~~
“To end the darkness, and kill the enemies of the sky kingdom!” Blazer Endrit said in answer to Zoe, and he sent forth flames.
Because the Lujladia waters gave Zoe the power to bend light, she had another form of quick sight, and could see fast-moving objects as if they were moving slowly. This made up for her ordinary – albeit well-trained – reflexes, allowing her to dodge out of the way of the Blazer Endrit’s fire. Brant, whose strength and speed were enhanced by the Nabavodel waters, did have heightened reflexes, and he also stepped out of the way to avoid the powerful flames, which struck the diamond columns in the room, melting them and exposing the skeletal figures within.
“Why attack us?!” Zoe asked. The question was almost pointless – she released an arrow to deliver swift vengeance and justice against Blazer Endrit, but the flames he emanated just enveloped and melted the projectile.
“You’re just as bad as before!” Brant yelled.
“I have not come for you!” Blazer Endrit said.
~~~
Pandaros then realized that the proper moment had arrived and he held a thought that Hesperos read and complied with.
Hesperos then used his vast telepathic powers to take over the mind of the man with the blue flames on his hands – whom he knew was called Blazer Endrit – and commanded him to send flames directly at the female archer and the male swordfighter, who then stepped further out of the way. Blazer Endrit did not stop, and continued to send forth blue fire, so that Zoe and Brant were forced into evasive maneuvers.
Hesperos then relayed the thought to Telamon who ran to gather the four (4) black onyx luminaries from the skeletal hands of the figures in the now-melted diamond pillars. Telamon brought these luminaries over to Pandaros who put them into his coat.
Taesa, Caroline and Emerond stood in the back of the room, while Judith watched all of this, up close, in horrified fascination, recording what she saw into her book. The flames from Blazer Endrit lit the room in flashes, along with the light that Zoe provided by her own powers to see her potential targets.
Hesperos then sent the thought to Telamon that there was one (1) black onyx remaining: the man in the back of the room held it. He also sent the thought to Blazer Endrit to send still more flames at the archer and the swordfighter, faster and faster, so as to catch them off guard.
Zoe and Brant stepped out of the way, quickly, again and
again, with Brant moving quickly to push her out of the way, given his own faster reflexes. He never could comprehend how she was able to bend light to slow down her view of fast-moving events, thereby gaining an almost prescient awareness of incoming attacks.
Telamon went toward the back of the room and grabbed Emerond’s arm quickly. Being a drinker of the Nabavodel Ocean waters, his strength was overpowering and he easily pulled the black onyx luminary from Emerond’s hand.
Telamon, by his great speed – due to those same waters – then moved quickly to hand the last black onyx luminary to Pandaros. However, Brant was just as quick and grabbed hold of Telamon and they struggled. In their conflict, Telamon dropped the black onyx luminary that he held.
Pandaros saw the struggle as a useful distraction – and, therefore, as an opportunity – so he quickly ran from the building, hoping to keep the four (4) black onyx luminaries that he had just gained.
Zoe watched what was happening and saw that one (1) man seemed to be standing conspicuously in the center of it all, but not moving. She drew back her bow and fired it into that man. It was not Blazer Endrit, however.
Hesperos was concentrating on controlling Blazer Endrit when, suddenly, he could concentrate on nothing, as an arrow pierced his head, and all went dark and his death came quickly.
Now that Hesperos was dead, Blazer Endrit was freed from the mind control and decided for himself to send flames at Telamon, thereby incinerating him and ending the struggle with Brant. He did this not for Brant’s sake, however.
Blazer Endrit then picked up the black onyx luminary that Telamon had dropped and felt that it was cold to the touch and had a wick like that of a candle.
~~~
Pandaros had managed to escape the building and he disappeared into the blizzard. He did not believe that he could survive the storm or evade the man with the blue flames for more than a few minutes. The risks of contacting spirits were great, but the risks of not doing so were now far greater. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized. He called for a spirit of protection, who came to him and shielded him from the storm and enabled him to move quickly through it and also to escape the man with the blue flames. Pandaros had only four (4) of the newly acquired black onyx luminaries with him, but that was a worthy gain, if even a single one (1) of them was a true luminary and not a forgery.
~~~
Both Telamon and Hesperos, after their deaths, appeared in a dark and twisted place, filled with haze and fire and screams. They did not see each other, but they were separately confronted with the voice of a terrible spirit in the darkness. The spirits of Telamon and Hesperos both trembled and each asked: “Where am I?”
The terrible spirit spoke to them, individually, saying: “This is the Maelstrom of Vengeance – a realm of darkness, pain and confusion – which you shall now explore, and your journey shall be one of suffering without end.”
The spirits of Telamon and Hesperos were each terrified, and they asked: “Why am I condemned?”
Again, the terrible spirit spoke to them, individually, saying: “This is the reward you have earned during your life, which was spent searching for darkness and bringing suffering to others.”
The spirits of Telamon and Hesperos were each mystified, and they asked: “Who are you?”
Yet again, the terrible spirit spoke to them, individually, saying: “I am Gadamalto, the Master of Spirits in the Maelstrom. I shall confuse you and frighten you, break you and control you, according to my will, for all eternity, because you now belong to me.”
The spirits of Telamon and Hesperos each wandered aimlessly, enduring eternal pain and confusion in the deepest darkness. They searched for hope, but none was to be found.
~~~
“How did you know to strike him?” Blazer Endrit asked.
“He was in the center of it all, but he wasn’t moving. That suggested that he was in control, and he had your mind. I could tell by the way your behavior changed,” Zoe said.
“Yeah. You went from nasty to totally rotten pretty fast, even for you,” Brant said.
“Why did he take those things?! What are they?!” Emerond asked, approaching from the back of the room.
Taesa stayed in the back with Caroline, not knowing if it was yet truly safe to move about. Her curiosity was tempered by a need to stay safe, and she had no delusions of possessing combat skills or resistance to fire if the man with blue skin were to suddenly send forth more.
“The world has grown darker. This luminary candle, and others like it, bring darkness when they are lit,” Blazer Endrit said, holding up the unlit black onyx candle in his hands.
“What does that even mean?” Zoe asked.
“A darkness is spreading over the many suns, and the world is growing colder. You will see, if you leave this place,” Blazer Endrit said.
“We don’t…and won’t…trust you or your stories,” Zoe said, holding up her bow to him, but only as a threat against lies, because she wasn’t interested in an actual fight for the sake of it.
“After what you did to the Paladins, we know you’re a bunch of killers, and probably liars, too,” Brant said.
“While you still can, open your eyes and see the danger of the darkness,” Blazer Endrit said.
“I see the danger of the fire…and you’re the fire,” Brant said.
“These luminaries must all be extinguished. In time, you will know the truth. Now, I must find and take the other candles, before more are lit,” Blazer Endrit said, still holding up the black onyx luminary candle. He then turned and left the building. Once outside, he ignited a blue flame around himself and soared through the air, searching for the man who escaped with the other luminaries.
~~~
Judith recorded all that was said and done, and was puzzled. She had never heard of any such thing as a candle that brought darkness. She was able to catch a detailed view of the one (1) luminary that Blazer Endrit held, as time moved slowly for her despite the actual speed of Endrit’s movements. She drew a sketch of it in her book, but not a very good one, as her artistic talents still hadn’t improved.
“What darkness are they talking about?” Caroline asked.
“Can we even believe him? Remember what they did to the Paladins. The torches can’t be trusted,” Brant said.
“I agree…that we can’t trust him or his kind,” Zoe said.
“If those candles bring darkness, we have to help find them and put them out,” Taesa said, stepping forward and absorbing the story with all of her usual curiosity.
“Not so fast. You’ve had enough adventures,” Zoe said.
“She’s right. Whatever the troubles of the world, you still need to settle down and keep safe,” Caroline said.
“We can’t fight every battle,” Emerond said.
“We fought a lot of battles back in Waderav,” Zoe said.
“Are you saying that you’re planning on going out there and helping them? When you don’t even trust them?” Emerond asked.
“Are we?” Brant asked Zoe. Brant was also confused by her comment.
“No. Fighting gets old. We did it for a long time. But even we need a rest. We’ll wait this storm out, right here, and move on when it’s safe – or necessary – to leave,” Zoe said.
“You’re right. Fighting gets old. And it makes us old,” Brant said.
“It’s too late to worry about that. You’re older than me, remember?” Zoe said.
“I thought you said you liked older men,” Brant said.
“I said I loved older men,” Zoe said and she gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
Judith recorded all of this into her book. She wasn’t sure how much Zoe cared for Brant, despite the kiss, as the woman seemed more tough and cynical than most she had met. Still, she admired Zoe’s decency and determination, and her reliably high accuracy in battle.
~~~
Under the protection of a summoned spirit, Pandaros escaped through the blizzard and made his
way to the clearer weather at the seaport. There, he found transport – slowed by the darkness and a lack of star-based navigation, however – back to the Colossal March Warpath land bridge. Upon arriving, he made his way through the villages and returned to the cave up in the mountains. There, Abrax was waiting in the darkness, guarding the candelabra with the eight (8) luminaries they already had. He saw Pandaros arrive alone.
“Where are the others?” Abrax asked.
“There was conflict and they were lost. Yet, as many as four (4) new luminaries have been found,” Pandaros said.
Pandaros took the four (4) new black onyx luminaries from his coat and lit each of them using a flint and steel from his own supplies. He then placed them into the candelabra, so that it now held twelve (12) luminaries. He then said to Abrax: “Let us go outside and see what is to be seen.”
They went outside the cave and looked up into the sky. Each of the suns had more than one third (1/3) of its surface covered in darkness, and a bitter wind blew, worse than earlier, although not nearly so intense as in the blizzard.
“How dark is dark enough that we may find the Quiet?” Abrax asked.
“When there is dark enough to bring havoc, whereby the world is consumed and kingdoms are made to fall, leaving only the Quiet,” Pandaros said.
CHAPTER 48: Departure from the City of Myth
“That man from another world is going to call for reinforcements. When they arrive, this place where we are standing will be on the front lines of the battlefield,” Yared said.
“How can you be sure?” Claudia asked.
“They will return. That was the intention, after sending him as a scout,” Yared said.
“I know that, but how can you be sure they will return to this particular place?” Claudia asked.
“They will travel by the path of least resistance. Their scout was able to travel to this place before, so the will use it again,” Yared said.
“That’s a fool’s tactic. No military worth anything would make the mistake of choosing the same entry point to invade again,” Claudia said.