Harmonic Magic Series Boxed Set

by P. E. Padilla

“Did you see anything?” Sam asked.

  The others shook their heads or gave soft negative answers. All except Rindu.

  “Please do that again, Sam,” the Zouy said.

  Sam did so. As he passed the exact spot where Rindu had said the feeling changed, the monk stopped him. “Wait there,” he told Sam as he walked to stand next to him. Suddenly he let out a breath and his mouth twitched. Emerius thought that maybe the man was smiling, though he never seemed to have any emotion at all on his face.

  “Ah,” Rindu said, “you have found it, Sam.”

  “Uh, found what, exactly?” Ix asked.

  “I think I saw a flicker, as if the surrounding stone was a flame,” Nalia said. “I was not sure the first time, but the second, I was watching for it and saw it. I believe I did.”

  “Correct, Iba,” Rindu said.

  “But what does that mean?” Ix said, insistent.

  “I believe,” Rindu said, “that we have discovered a defense system for Orum, the drum artifact. Using some manner of energy I am unfamiliar with, the trap shifts perception away from the drum. In effect, it turns us around, causing us to go back from whence we came, though we believe we are walking forward.”

  “How is that possible?” Emerius said. “I have a tracker’s sense of direction, but I don’t feel turned around. How could it do such a thing?”

  “I do not know,” Rindu said, “but perhaps I may defeat it. To accomplish such a thing, there must be a trigger or a projection point. Please give me a moment. Now that I know better what I am looking for, I might be able to find it.”

  The Zouy closed his eyes but remained perfectly still. Emerius looked more closely at the man. He didn’t even seem to be breathing. What was he trying to do?

  The minutes dragged on, with only the sound of the mounts shifting, claws scrabbling on the floor in subdued tones as if in reverence for their location. The remaining party members looked at each other, but said nothing. Skitter appeared to have gone to sleep, curled up in his litter on Sam’s wolf.

  Rindu’s eyes snapped open. He turned his head toward a particularly large stalagmite and walked up to it. The monk began to wave his arms in the air as if he were trying to catch insects, swirling and moving them with a mesmerizing rhythm. With a sharp exhalation of breath, he slapped his palm to the surface of the stone and there was a loud crack.

  A chunk of rock twice the size of Rindu’s fist broke off and dropped to the ground. He put his hand inside the massive cone and did something that caused a door to swing out, revealing that the entire stalagmite was hollow.

  Sam immediately poked his staff into the doorway, lighting up an object inside. It was a simple box with some sort of words engraved in it, in a language Emerius had never seen.

  “What is it?” Sam asked.

  “It is the item of power that causes our perception to be bent.” Rindu answered. “I have never seen its like.”

  “Did you disarm it?”

  “Let us see.” Rindu went to pick the box up, but it would not budge. He squatted low, wrapped both arms around it, and heaved. It still would not move.

  “Please step back,” the monk said. When everyone did, he took three deep breaths, letting each out in a long hiss. On the final exhalation, he motioned with both palms toward the box as if he was pushing a great weight. The box spun a half turn and stopped.

  “I do not know how it manifests so much weight,” Rindu said. “It is not attached to anything, but simply resting there. In any case, I believe I have moved it enough so that we may find the way. Shall we try again?”

  The party, roused from watching Rindu find the hidden box, turned back toward the section of the pathway they had been walking. As Sam’s light swung toward it they could see that there was now a passage against the cavern wall, a passage that had been hidden before.

  “You did it,” Sam said to Rindu. “That has to be the way to Orum. I had been wondering how such a thing could be hidden for all those centuries when there were people constantly exploring for new parts of the cave. Now it makes sense. Every time someone got close, they were turned around without knowing it. It was hiding right in front of them the entire time. Let’s go get it.” He started toward the passage.

  Rindu put a hand on Sam’s shoulder to stop him. “Wait, Sam. We must use caution. The first artifact had a guardian. I do not believe the ones who hid the drum would have used only a tool of misdirection. Let us tread carefully.”

  Emerius couldn’t tell in the light of Sam’s staff, which he had allowed to soften to a glow rather than harsh light, but he thought he saw the yellow-haired man flush. He felt empathy for him, though. He himself had become excited and would have rushed into the opening, though he could now see the folly of it.

  “Of course,” Sam said. “You’re right. Better to be careful. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 57

  Sam was starting to get excited. So excited he forgot himself and had to have Rindu correct him. He needed to curb his enthusiasm so he didn’t make any stupid mistakes. What they were doing was serious, life or death. It wasn’t just his life or death, either; all of Gythe was in the balance. If they didn’t get the artifact and get away before Rasaad caught them…well, he didn’t want to think of that. They had to succeed.

  He wondered how long it would be until the army caught them. They had wasted quite a bit of time trying to find the hidden passageway. It was too bad that Rindu didn’t know more about the box they found. If he did, they could use it to hide the passage again, thereby hiding them from Rasaad. They could just wait her out if she did catch up. Better not to think of what could have been, though, and concentrate on what they were doing.

  “Are we ready?” he asked the others. Between the light from his staff and the new torches the others held—the first set had burned out long ago, as had the second—he could see them all nod. Skitter sent a ready straight to his mind. “Okay, let’s finish this. I, for one, would like nothing better than to soak in a bath at Whitehall just before eating a good meal.” The joke fell flat. The seriousness of what they were doing had settled in upon everyone.

  They started down the passage, Sam in the lead, with Rindu right behind him, then Nalia, Emerius, and Ix. The mounts were scattered in between the humans, with Skitter still riding on Shoynb.

  The corridor they were in was smaller than what they had seen in the rest of the cavern. It was only ten to twelve feet high and maybe eight feet wide. It allowed them to walk two abreast, but with its winding manner and the abundant projections, they found it was better going single file.

  The stone was rougher here, too, probably the result of not having the thousands or millions of shuffling feet on its surface over the centuries, Sam thought. How many people had actually traversed this section of the cave? The ones who placed the artifact had, obviously, but had any other human ever used this passage? It was a sobering thought.

  The tunnel widened suddenly, and the ceiling sloped up out of sight. Sam held Ahimiro as high as he could and increased the light coming from the tip of it until he could just barely see the stalactite-covered ceiling almost thirty feet above. The walls had raced off to either side so they were twenty feet apart. He let his light fade back to a soft glow.

  Emerius sighed loudly. Sam had forgotten the big hunter’s claustrophobia. He had been quiet the entire time while going through the narrow passageway. Sam felt a bit embarrassed that he hadn’t considered it.

  “You all right, Em?” Sam said.

  He could hear the bigger man gulp. “Yeah. Fine.”

  Sam walked toward the left wall to see if there were side passages. There were not. He had only walked ahead for another thirty feet when he came to the edge of a precipice. Swinging his staff down, he could see the sharp edge and then blackness swallowed up the light.

  “Uh oh,” he said at the same time Nalia said, “Sam, we have a problem.” She was on the other side of the chamber, following the right-hand wall as he was following the left. She swung
her torch down into the void, showing everyone that her side, too, dropped off into nothingness. They walked toward each other on the edge of the pit and their worst fears were confirmed. It cut the room completely in half.

  Sam held out Ahimiro over the abyss, increasing the light until the far side was visible. It was at least thirty more feet, too far to jump. Even for Rindu.

  The other side was much like the side they were on. It had a scattering of formations, some large stalagmites, a few of which were actually joined to stalactites to form the beginnings of pillars. Just at the very edge of what he could see, it appeared that the passageway narrowed again ten feet or so from the edge of the pit. Sam could see nothing there that would help them get across, however.

  “What now?” he asked as he sat down on the rough floor. “I refuse to believe that after all we’ve been through, we’re going to be foiled by a hole in the ground.”

  “The ceiling is too high and too wet to scale and traverse,” Rindu said, as if any reasonable person would have ever thought of scuttling across a ceiling thirty feet above a bottomless pit. Remembering the way Rindu had scaled the walls of the Gray Fortress, punching his fingers into solid stone, he thought that maybe Rindu thought he was being reasonable in thinking of trying.

  “And it is too far to jump, even for my father,” Nalia put in. Sam smiled at her. He liked it that she had exactly the same thought that he had.

  “Even the rakkeben can’t jump that far, right?” Sam asked.

  “Perhaps with a bit of luck, one of the wolves could make a jump that far, with a running start, but I am not willing to risk it,” Rindu said. “The uneven floor, the damp…no, it is too risky.”

  Ix was leaning against the wall, watching and listening with a smirk on her face. Nalia noticed. “Is something funny to you, assassin?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh,” Nalia said, smacking her forehead with her palm—a gesture she picked up while in Telani—“of course. You can teleport to the other side.”

  “That’s right,” Sam said. “I always think in terms of how my teleportation works, but yours works differently. You can easily jump across with the rest of us in tow.”

  “Yeah,” Ix said with a wink. “I was wondering when you would figure it out.”

  Rindu’s face tightened. “Enough levity, Ix. We must get the artifact before Rasaad catches us. Please teleport us to the other side so we may continue.”

  “Okay, okay. No need to get huffy. I was just having a little fun. Everyone gather round.”

  They arranged themselves carefully, making sure the assassin was touching them all. She checked to make sure they were all accounted for and then looked toward the other side of the pit.

  Nothing happened.

  The party waited.

  After a half a minute, Sam looked over to Ix. Her brows were drawn down and a frown was deepening on her mouth. “Ix?”

  “I…it’s not working. I don’t understand it. I’ve never had that happen.”

  “Perhaps there were safeguards other than just the box of misdirection,” Rindu said. “That is troubling. Sam, can you use your teleportation?”

  Sam sat down on the floor and immediately entered the khulim. First he learned the location so he could get back. After that, he went through the familiar process, recalling the vibration of the area at Whitehall they used as a staging area. When he tried to match his own vibration to the location, it was like trying to play tug of war with a greased eel. The vibratory signature seemed elusive, not allowing him to reach it.

  “No,” he said, sighing. “That…complicates things.”

  “It does,” Rindu agreed.

  Sam could see Nalia’s expression clearly in her torchlight. She was disappointed they could not get across, but the glitter in her eyes and the smirk that was fighting to burst its way through the thin, tight line of her mouth was evident to Sam. He would really have to figure out how to make the two women reconcile with each other. If they all survived this.

  Sam saw that Emerius was staring at the other side of the pit. He could almost see the parts in his brain moving, calculating, figuring. “Em, do you have an idea?”

  “Maybe,” the hunter said. “I was just thinking. With the draw weight of my bow, I could easily put an arrow into one of the softer stone formations. I could tie a rope to the arrow, too, and with luck, still get it to stick. It won’t be enough to hold anyone, but if we could figure out how to use that to get a loop of rope around one of the formations, maybe we could get across.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Sam said. “Maybe you could get an arrow to wedge into something so it’s strong enough to hold one of us.”

  “An arrow won’t hold a person, no matter how I wedge it in,” Emerius said. “Let me think some more.”

  Me, Skitter sent to Sam. Let me do it.

  What? Sam sent back. What are you talking about?

  Let Emerius shoot his arrow with the rope. Then I will cross the rope to the other side.

  No, Sam sent. It’s too dangerous.

  Sam, everything we do is dangerous, more so for all of you than for me. I want to do my part. I am the only one who can do it. Let me try. Let me help. Please.

  Sam frowned. There was a chance, he guessed. He didn’t like it, but… “Skitter says he’ll do it.”

  “Do what?” Rindu asked.

  “He says Em can shoot the arrow and then Skitter will cross the rope and tie it securely on the other side so we can go across. Emerius, will it be able to hold forty or fifty pounds?”

  “Yes, it should,” the hunter said. “If I get a solid shot.”

  Do you know how to tie a knot? Sam sent to Skitter.

  I have seen in your memories how to do it, the hapaki answered. I have clever fingers. I can do it.

  “Okay,” Sam said. “Let’s give it a try. I’m going to tie another rope to Skitter, though, in case he falls. He’ll get battered swinging on twenty or thirty feet of rope and hitting the wall, but at least he won’t fall into a bottomless pit.”

  They took out two sections of rope, fifty feet long each, one from Emerius’s backpack and one from Sam’s. The ropes themselves were a marvel to Sam. They were thin and much lighter than the ropes he was used to, but still very strong. He mentally reminded himself to ask Dr. Walt about how they were made.

  One of them they tied to Skitter and the other they tied to an arrow. The knot that Emerius secured was ingenious. As they pulled on it, it not only tightened, but the force was directed perpendicular to the shaft of the arrow so that they didn’t have to rely on friction alone to keep it in place.

  Even better, the hunter took out two arrows that had slits partway up the shaft. Through these, Emerius tied a fine thread—so strong that Sam couldn’t break it after trying several times—and wove it throughout the rope. It was as solid a knot as Sam had ever seen, definitely strong enough to hold the weight of the little hapaki. Now the only thing that concerned Sam was the arrow itself, and if even with Emerius’s strength it could make it across the chasm and strike its target with enough force to stick.

  Sam held Ahimiro out and increased the light until it reached the other side of the pit.

  Emerius wasn’t taking any chances. He rolled his shoulders and took a few deep breaths. His face lost all expression and his gaze drilled into one of the large fan formations on the other side of the pit. He stood in a wide, stable stance and nocked the arrow, averting his eyes to the coil of rope to ensure it would play out smoothly. Nodding his head, his eyes found his target again.

  Massive shoulders bunching, the hunter drew his bow as he raised the arrow toward the target. The string and the wood creaked as he pulled the fletching to his cheek. He paused for only a moment, visualizing the target, then the chamber was filled with a sharp twang and the slap of the string, immediately drowned out by the whizzing of the rope playing out as it was pulled across the pit by the arrow.

  The arrow struck the rock with a dull tchunk. A small smile cr
ept its way onto the big hunter’s face. “I think that’ll do it.” He pulled the rope tight. The arrow didn’t budge.

  All eyes went to the hapaki, standing on the stone floor, diminutive and shivering. My turn now, huh? he sent to Sam.

  “Be careful,” Sam said to him, while sending it mind-to-mind. He patted his furry friend and then tugged on the rope knotted around him. “Take it nice and slow.”

  Skitter’s eyes were wide as tea cups as Emerius threaded the rope through a hole formed in a nearby rock formation and then wrapped it around another one. The hapaki climbed up on the rope with the ease and grace of a lemur.

  With a quick look back at Sam, Skitter started forward on the rope. He moved easily, maintaining his balance much like the squirrels Sam used to watch running across telephone and electrical lines back home. At least he didn’t have to be afraid of the hapaki stumbling or falling off the rope.

  As Skitter went forward, Sam played out the rope attached to him. He was starting to feel better about what they were doing. He had been afraid for nothing. His friend would make it across with no problems and then they would move on.

  Just as Sam was finishing that last thought, the arrow came loose. He watched in horror as Skitter fell into nothingness. All of the others gasped.

  Sam was too surprised even to react. Thankfully, he had a tight grip on the rope as he felt it go taut. There was a small impact through it and he winced to think that it was his friend hitting the wall of the cliff.

  Skitter, are you all right? he sent.

  Yes, I am fine, the hapaki sent back. I only fell a few feet. I hadn’t gone far. It scared me more than hurt me.

  Even as he was sending his thoughts to Sam, the hapaki was climbing the rope Sam was holding. He pulled himself up onto the ledge and scuttled across the floor to curl into a ball at Sam’s feet, shivering.

  That’s it, Sam sent. We’ll find another way. It’s too risky doing this.

  No, Sam. There is no other way. I’ll try again. Tell Emerius to shoot another arrow.

  Are you sure? Sam sent. You don’t have to do this.