by M. H. Bonham
“You try to summon him yet?” Elryn asked.
“Yeah, nothing.”
Duncan looked down the mineshaft. “We’re on our own, then.”
Chapter Four
Despite the magical forest’s protection, we heard the lich claws scraping around us. Damn, I knew Elryn was formidable, I just didn’t know how much. Creating a shield that not only protected us from the mine liches and just about everything else with a forest bordered on Elder Mage magic. Sure, I could create a shield, but I was constantly feeding it energy while it was up, and it wasn’t impenetrable. It could stop physical attacks like bullets and even monsters, but a good solid hit from something powerful could punch right through it.
Elryn’s magic created an actual freakin’ magic forest and then didn’t require maintenance. No wonder she and my dad were partners. Powerful wizards tended to attract each other. Which didn’t explain why she bothered hanging out with me.
You did kill Bailey, a little voice inside my head said. And he was a master alchemist.
Beginner’s luck, I replied. And I couldn’t save Camille.
Great. I was arguing with myself. Soon, I’d be hearing voices.
Instead of continuing the internal conversation, I focused on the mineshaft that would lead us down to the Argo Tunnel. I used my magical sight to see if there was anything alive down there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell if there were undead waiting for us. The problem was obvious: once the liches figured out where we had gone, they’re be after us, possibly while we were stuck in the mineshaft.
The mineshaft wasn’t a straight shot either. For some reason unknown to me, the shaft was crudely cut with boulders causing it to veer to the left about twelve feet from the entrance. It’d be a pain in the ass to climb down. Assuming we had anyone left to rescue, the tough part would be getting them—and ourselves—back alive. Call me a cynic, but a horde of undead kind of put a damper on the rescue plans.
I turned back to Elryn and Duncan. “Rest time’s over. Everyone back on their head.”
Duncan smirked at the reference to the joke but Elryn looked blankly at me. The Elf looked like shit and her comprehension level had dropped into the negatives. “On my head?”
“Old joke.” I grasped her arm. “Come on. Time to get moving again.”
Elryn shook her head. “Leave me here. I’ll catch up as soon as I’m rested.”
The lich scratching grew louder. “No can do, sweetheart,” I said in my best Bogie imitation. “You’ll be lich bait if we leave you here.”
“We’ll be lich bait when we enter that tunnel,” she pointed out.
“Leave that to me,” I said in the best Darth Vader impression on the planet.
Elryn rolled her eyes.
While the liches were whittling away the magical forest to kindling, I told them my plan. I fully expected both of them to say it was crazy, but given the dire circumstances we were in, they agreed to it. “Unfortunately, my shield won’t cover both of you if I take point. I’ll have to go in the middle.”
“I’ll take point. Elryn is too weak.” Duncan replaced the magazine in his rifle. “And if we’re attacked, I’ve got enough rounds to knock them back.” He paused. “How strong is your shield?”
“Nothing should be able to get through, at least for several hits,” I said. “If there’s something powerful, it could knock out the shield fast, but now that we don’t have liches crawling all over us, I should be able to keep them back.” I focused my will. “Ascendit quoque scuta!”
The magical shield that went over all of us glistened a translucent blue. Duncan touched the shield out of curiosity and it rippled like someone had thrown a rock in the middle of a pond. He grinned like a kid. “Magic is cool.”
I laughed. “Yeah, it is.”
He became serious again. “Will this keep us from getting shot up?”
“It’s bullet proof, at least for a while. Blades and arrows will bounce off, but repeated serious impacts will weaken and eventually destroy it. We’re talking hard hits like maces, trolls, RPGs, dragons, IEDs—that sort of thing. The more destructive the weapon or creature, the less likely the shield will stay up.” I shrugged. “As Clint Eastwood would say, if you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.”
“Well, I’m not a rookie,” Duncan replied and I snorted. Yeah, we were both a couple of movie nerds. Elryn looked like she was going to be sick, but I suspected that had more to do with her being drained of power.
Duncan carried the climbing anchors and safety rope, while we each carried our own ropes for the climb down. Duncan had prior climbing experience, so he set the anchor and clipped in. He then slung the rifle over his back and climbed in head first.
I decided Duncan was nuts, but we really didn’t have much choice but to go in head first. Going headfirst, while unconventional, meant that Duncan would be able to see the danger before it attacked and hopefully would be able to neutralize it before it got to us.
This was a one-way trip and while Elryn’s forest would keep the lich occupied for some time, they would sense us if we came back to the Gold Nugget Mine. It was unlikely the Lich would follow us down to the Argo Tunnel. Lich were the equivalent of skeletal zombies: they were stupid, even when controlled by a smarter creature like a necromancer or a vampire. Unless they saw us enter the shaft to the Argo Tunnel, they wouldn’t figure it out, unless some other lich sensed us in their territory. The best thing to do with a lich was to get as much distance between it and you. Once you were out of its range, you were safe.
Climbing down the shaft was agonizingly slow and terrifying all at the same time. I’ve never been one to suffer claustrophobia, but I was certain after this I would never get into tight spaces again. The rocks were slick and smelled slightly of sulfur and other minerals I didn’t recognize. With each slow crawl in the descent, I was glad I had a strong shield. Sure, it wouldn’t feel like a soft pillow if we fell and landed on our heads, but it would prevent a major concussion or snapping our spines.
As we climbed down, my mind went back to Camille. She didn’t deserve becoming prey for the mine liches, nor did she deserve becoming one herself. I hadn’t counted on undead creatures inhabiting the mine, but I had agreed to put the girl in danger.
It was clearly my fault. It didn’t matter that she knew the assignment was dangerous. It didn’t matter that we didn’t have any help coming from outside. I should have considered all possibilities.
How would I have known there would be mine liches?
It doesn’t matter, the little voice told me. You’re here to serve and protect.
There I went, arguing with myself again. Why the little voice couldn’t speak up when I had to make a decision was beyond me.
I could see Duncan’s boots and lower legs just ahead of me in the glow of my headlight and the light that glimmered from my shield. Dragging myself along, even downward, was a difficult experience because gravity pulled on us and the twists and sharp rock kept us from sliding face first into who knows what. My sword pommel kept digging into my side and the scabbard slapped my legs with each forward movement. Once or twice, I tried looking back toward Elryn, but whacked my helmet. I gave up trying to see her and had to assume that if the rope was tight, she was still back there.
The last part of the passage went straight down at a 45 degree angle. Despite Duncan’s climbing experience, the rope remained taut as he scrabbled for purchase against the slick rock and lichen. I arrested his descent and then slowly moved forward, allowing him to move forward as well. Duncan stuck his head out of the tunnel and glanced back at me. “All clear.” His voice came out as a raspy whisper.
At that moment, I hit the slick rock which propelled him forward. I scrambled to regain a grip on something—anything—and failed miserably. I could feel Elryn’s weight behind me but she was apparently too weak to hang onto me. We all came tumbling out of the mineshaft in a heap.
The shield prevented us from getting seriously injured, but the as we untangled our
selves, my face turned red as I felt Elryn’s body against mine. She felt good, which simply meant the new moon couldn’t come soon enough so Luna and I could spend some time together in bed. Elryn scowled and pushed me away, but I could tell she wasn’t up to her normal strength. She needed food big time.
“You okay?” I asked both of them.
Duncan rubbed the back of his head. “Fine. That shield took most of the brunt, thankfully.”
“Good, what about you, Elryn?”
“I’m fine. Let’s find our tourists before something happens to them.” Despite her statement, both Duncan and I could tell she was lying.
“That’s good,” came another voice that seemed to come from all around us. “Because we’d like you in good shape when we torture you.”
The darkness lit up with magical purple and black flames that licked the walls of the Argo Tunnel, giving us enough light to see. Dark Elves surrounded us and aimed their arrows and spears at each member of our party. We were trapped.
Chapter Five
“Well, shit,” I said, and I meant it. Out of the lich frying pan and into the Drow fire. It was enough to piss off Spiderman. Dark Elves and Light Elves are two different species of Elves. Where the Light Elves had fair skin and blonde hair, Dark Elves had gray skin and black hair. They were sworn enemies of each other, and apparently the Drow were sworn enemies of humans. Light Elves like Elryn killed Dark Elves on sight, and I assumed the reverse was true.
Damn, I could use Tuzren here right now. I glanced at Duncan, who had is jaw set, ready to double tap every single one that rushed my shield, and at Elryn, who stood by with her short sword out ready to kill any that got through. That was really the problem: at some point, that many arrows and that many Dark Elves would wear down the shield. It wasn’t a matter of if the arrows would make it through but when.
“Who’s in charge here?” I demanded, for no other reason than to stall for time until I thought of something.
A Dark Elf walked forward with a sneer on his face. He stood about my height or an inch or two taller, with long black hair braided back into a single plait. Like Elryn, he had the pointed ears and arched eyebrows of an Elf, but his skin was ash gray. He wore red-scaled armor that I assume came from a red dragon. A sword that looked adamantine hung in a scabbard at his waist. “We are Lord Vindar, ruler of the plains of Dre-nar to the Fire Seas. We demand you and your people surrender to us.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Just a lord? Seriously, dude? You didn’t even make Count yet? How lame is that?” I glanced at Duncan and Elryn. Duncan had the rifle aimed at the Dark Elf leader and a slight smile creased Elryn’s lips as she concentrated on our next step.
“Who is this insolent pup who dares mock the Lord of Dre-nar?”
“Duuuude,” I said, “that is soooo 90s. Haven’t you got the Net yet? What is it with you inbred types that you have to use ‘we’ and ‘us?’ Shit, you even talk like you ain’t even here. I mean, what person really refers to themselves in third person? That’s like totally lame.”
“Kill them!” Vindar roared.
I held up one finger to Duncan to be sure he knew to wait. Duncan nodded in reply. I wasn’t sure if Vindar had a shield in operation or if he was foolish enough to think he could get by without it, but even though Dark Elves could handle iron, I doubted their magic was strong enough to keep out armor piercing bullets. I had already strengthened my shield, so when the arrows flew, I was prepared. My shield flared blue but didn’t buckle. Amateurs. Apparently my magic had gotten stronger since the troll attack in Washington Park.
I began to hum an old Pat Travers song. I didn’t know if Elryn knew the words to it, but Duncan did. He nodded. “No kiddin’—I’m ready to fight!” Duncan sang.
Elryn looked askance at me. “I’ve been lookin’ for my baby all night!” I sang. “If I get her in my sights…”
With that, Duncan double-tapped Vindar with what had to be armor-piercing rounds. “Out go the lights!” Duncan sang as Vindar dropped to the ground.
“Globus Ignis!” I shouted and threw a fireball at the group in front of us. Their shields blocked it. “If I get her in my sights, Elryn, boom! Boom!”
Elryn smiled. “Out go the lights!” Suddenly, we were enveloped in pitch darkness.
Despite being weakened by the magical forest spell, shutting off lights didn’t have the same energy drain. In fact, it seemed to strengthen her. I switched to my magical sight, which allowed me to see where the enemy was. “Now for our rendition of Pink Floyd’s Run Like Hell.” I grabbed Duncan, knowing Elryn had magical sight, and pulled him in the direction of where we guessed the tourists were.
Although dim, there was light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. I couldn’t keep my shield up as we ran, so I let it drop, hoping us as moving targets would make it far more difficult to hit than while we were standing still. Arrows flew past us as the Dark Elves’ vision adjusted or they used their own version of magical sight.
Duncan cried out and I stopped to help. “Don’t stop!” Elryn shouted as she ran past me, a weakened shield around her glimmered green in the darkness.
I casted another shield and ran back to him as arrows snapped against my shield. Duncan had been hit in the leg. I widened the shield to protect him. “Can you run?”
“No, leave me.” Duncan croaked through the pain. I picked him up in a fireman’s carry. “Don’t be stupid. I’ll slow you down.”
“Fuck you.” I tightened my grip on the man, turned, and ran, keeping the shield behind us. Okay, ‘ran’ is maybe optimistic. I stumbled along as fast as I could go with that amount of weight. I splashed through gungy water, laced with hard metals as I carried Duncan through the tunnel. I could feel the arrows snap on my shield and weaken it, but I had no choice but to concentrate on it. I ran/lumbered toward the light as it grew bigger and my eyes held a dreadful sight. More Dark Elves, only this time their attention was on the giant demon standing between them and a small group of humans. All the humans had been shot with arrows, even the kids.
Tuzren was shot full of Drow arrows but it seemed to only enrage him. He saw me and took a huge swipe with his claws cutting a path for us. “You didn’t have a plan for getting out?” he asked as we ran to him.
I smiled, despite our situation. “She’s the brains, sweetheart,” I said. I cast my shield over the entire group, stretching my powers thin. I set down Duncan and saw the shaft protruding from his leg. I knew better than to pull the arrow out. To my shock, it fizzled and smoked, disappearing in thin air.
“Elfshot,” Elryn said. “They’re shooting Elfshot.”
“Elfshot?” I said. “Like disease?”
“If the arrow doesn’t kill you when it hits, you’ll die of some deadly disease.” Elryn looked back as Drow continued to shoot to weaken my shield. The shield flashed with each shot, darkening as though the magic was running out. “We’ve got to get them to Eir.”
“Eir? Who’s Eir?” I gasped as an Elfshot penetrated my shield and hit the ground about a foot away from me.
“Someone who can help. She’s a goddess and the healer of the Elves. She will take us in.” She frowned. “I don’t have enough power to create a gateway. Can you help me?”
“I’d have to drop the shield,” I said as another Elfshot wormed its way through. “Tuz, we’re creating a portal. Can you keep the Drow busy?”
“What do you think I’ve been doing?” the demon replied.
I turned to Elryn. “What do we have to do?”
“It’s like closing the gates, only in reverse.” She grabbed hold of my hand and began chanting in Elvish.
My shield collapsed and as it did, Tuzren charged the Dark Elves’ ranks, skewering Drow with his scimitar-like claws and pounding them into the ground with a tail that looked more like it belonged on a dragon than a demon. I looked over at the people shot with arrows. The worst hit was a little girl who couldn’t have been more than ten years old. Her dark brown hair was done up in cornrows and from w
hat I could see, the Drow had shot her in the chest. Would she even make it?
“Pay attention and concentrate on creating a portal.” Elryn grabbed my other hand and held both with her arms outstretched.
“What are the focus words?” I looked at her pale skin, getting paler by the moment.
She glared. “Make something up.”
“Twinkies?” I said.
“Concentrate, dammit!”
I imagined a portal made from a giant Twinkie. Okay, so it wasn’t the best idea I ever had. “Gawddammit, Elryn! I don’t know what to focus on!”
“Thurisaz!” Elryn gave me a word. I could hear it thrum with power.
“Thursday!” I said.
“No! Listen—Thurisaz!”
“Thurisaz! Yeee-owww!” At that moment, one of the Elfshots found their mark in me, slamming through my arm and shoulder.
“Concentrate, or we’re all dead.”
The pain was excruciating, but somehow it forced me to focus. “Thurisaz, thurisaz, thurisaz…” The mental image of a door between two worlds appeared in my mind. I used my will to thrust the image out of my brain and into the cavern.
“Sweet Jesus, Ironspell.” I heard Duncan exclaim next to me. He stared at the Gateway.
“Go! Go! Go!” Elryn yelled and Duncan stumbled forward, bleeding profusely from his leg. He scooped up the girl and pushed a man and his wife forward and they lurched into the gateway. The other people stumbled into the door with glowing light on the other side.
I grabbed Elryn and pulled her toward the door. As I did, I could swear I saw the demon join us, but not before I heard another barrage of arrows. Elryn screamed as we staggered through.
For a moment, all I could see was bright light. Then, I collapsed and passed out.
Chapter Six
I came to in what looked like a hospital crossed with a fortress. My bed was clearly one of those hospital beds that also served as a gurney, and I had tubes and wires connected to me. Something told me I wasn’t on Earth and wherever I was, had to be sure that the people I brought with me were safe. I pulled out all the IVs and found my clothes on a chair next to the bed before I pulled off all the electronic gizmos. I knew from experience that when you flatlined, whether for real, or whether you pulled out all the sensors, someone—and usually several someones—came running. I didn’t need to have the embarrassment of seeing them in my birthday suit, so I waited until I at least had my pants on before I pulled the rest of the sensors off my body.