by J D Franx
“The cave?” he prompted. Getting a nod and a mutter in response, he said nothing else and followed her. The initial cavern was small, about the size of a clan mead hall and he could see only one exit on the far side. Yrlissa headed for it immediately and he followed after her. Pick scars and magical scorches marked the tunnel, telling him that the Skeyth had carved the tunnel from the bedrock by tool and magic. For a time, they followed the passageway along its steep, sloping path until they exited into a spacious cavern.
“Well done,” Yrlissa whispered pointing to the cavern’s center where a large, round, yet smooth eighteen inch high platform of granite was carved from the bedrock. Almost twenty feet in diameter, it was an impressive sculpted platform that contained a lone pedestal rising from the center. “Look,” she said, approaching the platform. “Four rune marked lines of granite head out from the center, one to each compass point. It’s an interesting design. They used both their magic and the power of your Northmen runes to create this device. It sits on a large bed of onyx. I can feel it begging to enhance magic but there is nothing left here for it. That will certainly make it easier.”
“This is the magic they used to keep the island afloat before?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s a spell dam. Designed to slowly funnel magic from a power source into four points across the island. If the Skeyth used their own wizards to supply the power, I am surprised they survived.”
“They didn’t,” he said, pointing to the pile of robed bodies on the cavern’s far edge.
“I thought not,” Yrlissa said. “This device drew power from their wizard’s life force.”
“Ten lives worth by the look… I wonder of Eira knew” he began, but Yrlissa held up her hand as she stepped onto the granite surface and glanced around, studying the markings, especially those around the centerpiece set into the platform’s center.
“Questions for another time. Ten, you said?” she asked, and he nodded. “That means five points then, not four. Yes, here.” Pointing to the center of the device, she rushed over. “The fifth goes straight down from here. It must create a support web under the island to keep it afloat. Perhaps I can use that to anchor the island to the ocean floor instead.”
“Can you activate it?”
“Not as it was,” she said. “But I helped create a similar design for a sepulchre locking system powered by a strong-willed soul, and not so long ago.” Beyond confused, he stared at her and shook his head. “Never mind,” she said, carrying on. “I can do better here, perhaps use a similar idea to lock the island in place. By using this center point as an anchor, I can lock the land mass in place to the ocean floor. The island will remain right where it is now.”
“How long will it last?” he wondered, realizing he said it out loud.
“I… I can make it permanent,” she replied. “But in return I’ll need something from you, Jarl Engier.”
“Anything.”
Yrlissa lifted a necklace out from under her armor and pulled it from around her neck. A small black crystal roughly the shape of a large arrowhead hung from a length of leather. It hummed and throbbed in her palm as if it had a pulse or heartbeat, a life of its own. “This is the very last piece of an incredible power I once controlled. Power only a god should wield. I cannot use it any longer... I haven’t for over a year now and it never brought anything good, perhaps it can now for your people. That being said, someday, I or someone else may come to your people and ask for this stone back. If that day comes, Jarl Engier, your people need to obey. It is extremely unlikely it will ever happen, but if it does, you must bring whomever it is in here to this cavern and if they can remove the stone, you must allow them to take it. I will tell no one of what happened here today, but your people must understand that this stone may be extremely important to Talohna one day. Even if it is a many millennia from now.”
“You’re not a normal Human, are you?” he asked. “You have knowledge and magic no mortal person should. I agree with you, only gods should wield such power. Even your warriors and second in command look upon you with awe. It has not passed my notice.”
“You are an insightful leader, Jarl Engier. It will serve your people well in Talohna. I can only tell you that even gods make mistakes, but when they do the results as well as the punishment are far more severe. What you must know is that I belong to a race of people called the Elvehn and we live many years longer than Humans or even you Northmen. For reasons that no longer matter, I already have and will continue to live longer than most. If I ever come for this crystal, your people must surrender it, Engier. You must ensure the events that have transpired here during the last month become part of your common history so that even countless generations from now, your people understand the importance of this crystal. It is a stone of incredible power that can be used to create as well as destroy and it must be protected at any and all costs. It is useless to me and everyone else in this world at this point in time and may never be of value again. But I suspect it may just have the power to anchor your island and secure it in the ocean, but the Northmen people and this island will become a part of Talohna now, a part of its magic, and its soul.”
“You have my word I will do all I can to ensure its safety and to pass the knowledge of it down through the generations.”
“That is all I can ask,” she replied. “Thank you.”
Without another word, she turned and black energy filled her hands before she eased the crystal into the small centerpiece in the middle of the platform and then pushed the entire mantle into the floor. Magic raced out along the four lines of rune marked granite and the island shuddered to a stop. Engier held his breath as he felt the land mass around him lighten, as if the island bobbed up and down on the waves in the sea like the mermaids in old tales. A rumble deep beneath his feet set off a chain of explosions that felt similar to the magic Yrlissa’s people were hurling against the Orotaq. Only when the fifth detonation came and went without any others to follow, did he realize their significance. The five points of magic had triggered five explosions and as he finally released his breath in a long, low whistle, the island slowly settled into place and the earth stopped moving around them. The quakes died away completely and an unnerving calm settled over the cavern and the island.
“It is done,” Yrlissa said with a sigh, but stood with a renewed vigor he hadn’t seen since he met her. “The island is secure and it is connected to the earth energy of Talohna. Your new island home will hold where it is, and your runecasters’ magic will work, but so will the magic of Talohna. It tries to refresh me even as we speak, but I know not how it will affect your people over the coming generations especially with the effects caused by the dark chasm.”
“A problem for another day,” Engier said. “I assure you.”
“When that day comes, seek us out, the Guardians will help, you have my promise. Now come, Jarl Engier,” she said, holding out her hand once more. He grabbed it and the strange magic whisked him away. They reappeared at the very top of Freyja’s peak.
“I am feeling much better now, I thought you might like a view of your new world and of Talohna.”
“That would help,” he agreed. “But Talohna is still breaking apart.”
“It will continue to do so for several days, I would guess. This island is now many miles out to sea with Talohna to your east. If you turn you can see another set of islands far to the southwest. I’m not sure what part of Talohna it used to belong to, perhaps DormaSai or the Dragon Isles. You will have plenty of time to discover and explore. My only recommendation is that in the future you go forward not looking for war, Jarl Engier. There are many races and countries capable of matching the Orotaq for power, some even surpass them. However, you can see that your island is ringed in mountains and steep cliffs. A secure land if I have ever seen one, it’s like a fortress.”
“Kastalborg Eyland,” he muttered.
“What was that?”
“A new name for the island, perhaps,” he answered. “Kastalborg Eyl
and, it means Fortress Island in the Northmen tongue.”
“Very appropriate,” Yrlissa said with a smile. “I hope you enjoy exploring your new world, Jarl Engier of Kastalborg Eyland.”
“For now, we will keep to ourselves,” he said, frowning. “We have a lot of rebuilding to do.”
“I understand,” she replied, holding out her hand. “I should jump you to your people. Now that the spell has completed, I doubt it will be long before someone comes to take my jump magic.”
“Something I can help with?” he asked. “We certainly owe you that much.”
“No,” she replied. “I must face those who will come alone. You’ve dodged one crisis, Jarl Engier. You don’t need to face the wrath of Talohna’s gods as well. At least, not yet.” She laughed and offered her hand.
He grabbed it and the rush of magic carried him away back to his people and the new beginning for the Northmen people in a new world called Talohna.
The End