Seth watched the ground speeding below him. His throat closed. Perhaps this was how Bruin proposed to finish them off; by dashing their brains out on the rocks below. However, the king did not drop him or Nevis – instead he carried them down the ravine, up across a knife blade of peaks and into the Valley of the Tors. They flew over the giant monoliths of rock and followed the valley down to where it widened out into the foothills of the mighty Rock and Pillar Range.
Dusk was settling in a grey cloak when Bruin landed and set his two passengers gently on the stony ground. Struggling to keep his composure, and worried that at any moment the Malwagen would break his word and slaughter them, Seth turned and faced Bruin once more.
“Why the grim faces?” Bruin teased. “I will keep this promise – although I do admit I am not usually to be trusted. You have given me Edessa, a great prize.”
Bruin studied them both for a moment, his keen gaze raking over them as he weighed his next words.
“I have brought you to this spot, at this time, for a reason. Shortly, I will let you go. The Andra Valley lies before you and the lights of Mirfaran beckon. But, first, I have something to show you. It’s time – look to the west. Watch the sunset, although I counsel you to shield your eyes a little as you do so, or you will blind yourselves.”
Seth turned west, as bid. He looked out over Mirfaran and the land beyond, at where the sun was about to set. The town twinkled in the dusk and a fine haze settled over the roof tops. The townsfolk had just lit their fires for the evening. Beyond Mirfaran, the Andra Valley formed a wide, craggy basin for as far as the eye could see before it too blended with the dusky rose sunset.
The sun was an orb of fire. The sunset had dimmed its white heat. As Seth watched, shielding his eyes with his hand, he saw a fine crescent of darkness appear at its edge. He watched the crescent widen and the sun’s glow dim.
“Seth,” Nevis whispered, stepping close to him. “It’s the eclipse!”
“Indeed,” Bruin spoke up. “Quite a sight indeed, for it heralds the coming of a new age for this world.”
Seth glanced back at the Malwagen and frowned. He let Bruin’s comment pass for the moment and, instead, returned to the eclipse. He squinted, as the brightness of the sun hurt his eyes. Slowly, like black ink staining parchment, the moon swallowed the sun. Then, the rosy hues of sunset disappeared and the world plunged into shadow.
Seth’s skin prickled and, involuntarily, he took a step closer to Nevis. It was as if all warmth had suddenly drained from the land and sky. Before them, the lights of Mirfaran appeared to dim.
“It is but a taste of what will come,” Bruin stepped up behind Nevis and Seth and placed his hands on their shoulders. “Long have I sensed this approaching darkness.”
Seth and Nevis stood, transfixed, as the stain began to disappear and the sun’s warmth reappeared. The fires in the town below once more flickered into life.
Nevis shuddered. Seth glanced at her face and saw, for the first since their meeting, a glimmer of uncertainty and fear.
“You feel it, don’t you witch,” the Malwagen murmured. “You know of what I speak.”
Nevis nodded and turned her back on the sunset. Her gaze met Bruin’s unflinchingly.
“What can be done?”
Bruin smiled, before shaking his head.
“The Sisters of Sial cannot stop the tide, nor can the Malwagen.”
The Malwagen King turned his attention to Seth, and fixed him with a hard stare.
“Man has woven this web, and so he must unweave it.”
Seth stared back at him, uncomprehending.
“You and your brothers are the last of the order,” Bruin continued. “You must survive the coming days or Palâdnith will fall into dark times.”
“What must I do?” Seth asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“You must travel to the Citadel of Lies. You will find your brothers there. Only then, will the way be shown to you.”
Seth frowned. “How do you know this?”
Bruin smiled once more, although the expression did not reach his eyes. “I am old Seth Falkyn, older than ten lifetimes of men. I have seen kingdoms of men rise and fall countless times. I have my own kind of magic – and there are many things I know that I wish I did not.”
The Malwagen's voice hardened, his chiselled face as forbidding as the mountain range at his back.
“You must travel fast and watch your step. Your hunter is waiting for you. Even here, I have perceived a shadow that has been lurking, sniffing around our borders while you were my captive. Now you are free it will come for you. Lock and bolt your door tightly tonight.”
“But why do I...”
Bruin stepped back from Seth. “I have spoken. Heed my words.”
With that, the King of the Malwagen extended his wings and beat them hard, causing the dust around Seth and Nevis to swirl. Through stinging eyes, Seth watched Bruin rise into the darkening sky and disappear back into the Valley of the Tors.
“Heed my words,” he shouted once more and then was gone.
For a moment, Seth and Nevis stood there, as the last rays of light slid behind the western horizon. Then Nevis turned to Seth. Her brow was furrowed but her eyes gleamed.
“He speaks true Seth. He’s a ruthless, cruel creature, but in this I would listen to him.”
Seth felt the world tilt. He did not understand half of what Bruin had just told him. It was like catching half-glimpses, fragments of something through a series of broken mirrors. Confusion made his head ache. He wiped the grit out of his eyes and felt despair well up within him. It was too much. His temples pounded.
“Nevis, help me. I’m lost in the dark – and I don’t understand any of it,” he whispered.
“Come,” Nevis took hold of Seth’s hand. Her skin was smooth and warm, and Seth tightened his fingers around hers. She smiled.
“When you’re lost there’s nowhere to go but forward. One step at a time – and the way will show itself.”
Seth took a deep breath and looked around him. Somewhere in the gathering darkness danger lurked. They should not linger out here any longer.
“Very well,” he replied, “but for tonight, let us return to the world we know. I need to see people and hear voices and laughter before I start this journey.”
Mirfaran lay before them, glowing warmly in the darkness. They set off at a jog down the hillside, towards the glowing street lamps, while the night cast the world into shadow.
Chapter Twenty
The Voice in the Well
“Avalon!”
Eni thrashed around in the darkness and fought to keep his head above water. “Can you hear me?”
Above the roar of the subterranean rapids, he heard her voice – faint and hoarse.
“Eni!”
Then, the water dragged him under again. It was freezing and the force of it threw him up against the rock walls as he hurtled through the pitch black of the mountain’s belly. Eni came up spluttering, before clawing at the sheer walls for something – anything – that would slow his passage. His fingers grasped only water and air.
After he and Avalon had stepped off the ledge into oblivion, all fear of the Malwagen had dissolved. Capture by the sprites was not such a terrible fate after all.
Eni took a gasp of air before being plunged under water once more.
We’re going to drown.
Panic rose within Eni. He fought to stem it; calm had been the only thing that had saved him since he had fallen into this torrent. His body was bruised, his throat raw from choking on water and exhaustion dragged at him.
I can’t manage for much longer, he thought as his back slammed against a wall of rock. Then, the force of the rapids propelled him forward once more. It’s beating me...
Eni’s flailing hands caught the edge of a rough rock ledge. He grasped on to a spur of stone, but nearly lost his grip when Avalon collided with him. With his free hand, Eni pulled the girl against him, and managed to keep her
from being dragged past by the force of the rapids.
“Grab hold of my shoulders!”
Wordlessly, Avalon obeyed. Eni grappled with both hands, his fingers sliding on the slick stone. Eventually, he managed to pull them up onto the narrow stone ledge, just above the water line. They collapsed, choking and wheezing, while water roared in their ears.
It was a while before either of them had the strength to speak.
“Is there a way out of here?”
Eni could hear the fear in Avalon’s voice. He was having trouble controlling his own panic – it felt as if the darkness was pressing down upon him.
“I don’t know. Let us check.”
Blindly, for there was not even a glimmer of light to guide them inside the mountain, they felt around the perimeter of the ledge. It was nothing more than a narrow rock shelf. The walls were smooth stone; there were no tunnels or crevices leading away from the underground river.
“We’re trapped here.” Eni did not bother to hide his despair.
Avalon remained silent, although Eni could hear the ragged sound of her breathing.
The ledge was not high enough for Eni to sit up without hitting his head, so he lay back and listened to his heart pound in his ears. His mind whirled and fear pinched his belly.
“If we stay here we’ll die,” Avalon eventually spoke.
“I know.”
“What shall we do then?”
Eni reached out and placed his hand on Avalon’s shoulder. She was wet and cold. Although she was trying to control it, she was shaking.
“There’s only one way out of here,” he said softly.
“But we’ll drown.”
“We might drown,” Eni corrected her, “but if we stay here on this ledge, we shall die for certain.”
Silence fell between them for a moment before Avalon broke it.
“I’m scared Eni.”
Eni reached down and felt for her hand. He squeezed it gently.
“And I’m not?”
Truthfully, Eni felt ill. He was not sure that he could throw himself back into that torrent. Yet, he knew he had spoken the truth. They could not remain here.
“Keep hold of my hand and we shall leave this ledge together.”
“Very well,” she whispered.
Eni took a deep breath and cleared his mind of thought. He held Avalon’s hand tightly in his. Without speaking again, they slid off the ledge into the river.
The chill of the water slammed into Eni and he went under.
Moments later, the force of the current ripped Avalon’s hand from Eni’s. He could not keep hold of her. In trying to do so, he risked drowning. Eni took a gulp of air before the river pulled him under.
Further downstream, Eni bobbed up and took a succession of gasps. His lungs burned and his throat stung.
I’m going to die here.
It was then that Eni heard a thundering noise up ahead. The sound was even louder than the roar of the rapids. A moment later, he shot out of the mountain and plummeted down the rock face in a column of churning water.
Eni left his stomach behind him as he fell.
The force of the waterfall shoved him under, like a heavy hand pushing him down. Eni fought back with all his remaining strength. He kicked and clawed his way out from underneath the waterfall. His lungs were burning when he surfaced, just yards away.
He drew in great gulps of air and glanced back at the foaming water.
Avalon.
He saw her surface, face-down in the froth. Then she floated towards him, unmoving. Eni kicked out towards the girl, turned her over and dragged her towards the bank. His limbs trembled with exhaustion as he pulled Avalon up onto a large flat rock.
It was still dark, although the moonlight illuminated their surroundings enough for Eni to see that they sat on the edge of a deep pool with a magnificent waterfall thundering down from a chasm high above.
“Avalon?”
He shook her, but Avalon’s body was limp and heavy. She was still unconscious, and she was not breathing. Eni remembered how his father had saved his brother, Seth, years ago when they had been learning to swim at a water hole near Barrowthorne. Seth, frustrated that his older brothers did everything first, had jumped into the deepest pool and nearly drowned. Hath Falkyn pulled the boy out and pumped his hands on Seth’s chest, until he vomited water.
Eni copied his father now. He brought his fists together and pushed down on Avalon’s ribs – just below the rise of her breasts. He repeated it, again and again. Panic resurfaced within him.
I’m losing her!
Suddenly, Avalon heaved up a lungful of water. Eni sat back on his heels and watched her choke and cough. She rolled on to her side and Eni slapped her back to help expel the remaining water.
“Gods,” Avalon finally wheezed. “I thought that was the end.”
“So did I...” Eni replied. He sank down on the rock next to Avalon, his body spent. The pair of them lay in silence, basking in the miracle of their survival. Eni sank into his stone mattress, as if it were made of feathers.
He must have drifted off, for when he opened his eyes again, the cool light of dawn stained the sky.
Eni sat up and groaned. He ached all over. He felt as if he had been in a tavern brawl. His knuckles were skinned from where he had clawed at rocks during his journey through the rapids. His shoulders, back and hips were bruised. Avalon stirred and stretched her limbs. She sat up and replaited her thick, dark blonde hair, which had come free of its leather thong and curled around her face.
The roar of the waterfall cocooned them; they sat just beyond the misty veil it cast over the rock pool. Looking around him, Eni guessed they were somewhere in the western foothills, in a steep rocky gorge.
Avalon turned and gazed back at the waterfall.
“How did we survive that?”
“Maybe you were right when you said someone was watching over me,” Eni admitted.”It’s not my time yet – nor yours...”
Avalon swivelled round and rewarded Eni with a shy smile.
“Thank you Eni,” she said, casting her eyes downwards. “It seems we’re even now.”
Eni chuckled, before immediately regretting it – his throat was still raw.
The sky was gradually lightening but Avalon and Eni made no attempt to leave the rock. The Malwagen seemed like a distant memory, a forgotten threat, compared to what they had just survived.
“Have you noticed where we’re sitting?” Avalon’s voice intruded upon Eni’s thoughts.
He glanced over at her and saw that the girl was running her hand over the smooth surface of the large flat rock they sat upon.
“What do you mean? Looks like a rock to me.”
“Not just any rock,” Avalon replied with a knowing smile. “It’s a Call Stone. There’s one just outside Rathmir Gorge. The elders of my village remember when witches and warlocks used to come and go from it – although it’s not been used for years now. Not in my lifetime, at least.”
“A Call Stone, is that its name?” Eni looked around at their resting place with renewed interest. “There’s a stone, just like this one, a short walk from Barrowthorne Tower. My father said it was a magical place but I thought he was just teasing. We used to play on it as children.”
“Feel it,” Avalon placed the flat of her palm on the stone, “the rock’s warm, even though it’s cold this morning.”
Eni reached out and touched the stone, away from where their bodies would have heated it.
“You’re right!” Eni leant down and placed his ear to the stone. “It’s humming – listen!”
Avalon laid her head against the rock, before shaking her head. “I can’t hear anything.”
“You must – it’s loud,” Eni insisted.
Avalon shook her head. “Maybe you hit your head last night.”
Eni sat up and placed both his hands against the stone. He could feel a warm, throbbing energy there; it was almost as if, upon taking notice of the stone, he had
awoken it. The sensation unnerved him.
“Those witches and warlocks that used the stone in your village – how did they access it?” he asked Avalon.
“The elders said that they would call out a word in an old tongue: Artiseth. We used to try it when we played on the stone, but nothing ever happened.”
Artiseth. Eni recognised the word. He had used it in the charms he wove into weapons.
“It’s a word from Ancient Goranthian – it means to open,” he told Avalon.
Her eyes widened.
“Ancient Goranthian – what’s that?”
“It’s an old tongue, once spoken by warlocks, and more recently, the Sentorân. I learnt a few words from my master.”
Eni stood up. He could feel the warmth and vibration of the stone through the soles of his boots.
“Artiseth!”
A grinding noise split the air – the sound of rock sliding against rock. Eni stepped back in surprise, pulling Avalon with him.
“I don’t know what I’ve done,” he muttered, “but we’d better get off here before...”
“Look Eni!” Avalon pointed to the centre of the stone. Before their eyes, the rock appeared to hollow itself out. Then, stone steps materialised, leading down into the earth.
“I opened it!” Eni breathed.
“Why didn’t it do that when I said the word?” Avalon huffed.
Eni shrugged and edged forward, peering down the stairs.
“The steps lead down to a tunnel. There’s light down there.”
“Shall we take a look?” Avalon’s voice was tight with excitement.
Eni hesitated. They had just extricated themselves from trouble, and he was not in a hurry to find more. Still, those steps fascinated him. It could not hurt to take a look inside.
“Go on then. I’ll go first.”
Slowly, they descended the stairs. Eni had to bow his head to avoid bashing his skull on the narrow opening. They reached the bottom and found themselves in a narrow tunnel. Torches hung from the smooth stone walls, burning with a strange white flame. Beneath their feet was more of the same featureless grey stone. The air inside the tunnel was cool.
Journey of Shadows (The Palâdnith Chronicles Book 1) Page 21