by RG Long
Lord Evan walked in front with him as Ealrin, Elise, and Blume followed behind.
“Why did Commander Polk attack us?” Blume asked. “Why did he say that the two of you were involved in a plot against the king?”
Ealrin looked at Elise who was looking determinedly forward.
“We were in the king’s tower before the explosion,” Ealrin said, weighing his words carefully. “He made some pretty wild accusations while we were there. The problem is we don’t know how to convince him we had no part in it.”
Lord Evan stopped and turned around.
“Of course you had no part in it,” he said as he halted the procession. “He’s been paranoid for years now. Seeing shadows in every corner and assassins in every visitor. Accusing you two though is beyond ridiculous.”
He glared at Ealrin and Elise.
“The death of the king is no small matter,” he said under his breath. “We’ll tell the mayor when we arrive. Until then I need you two...”
Blume cleared her throat.
“You three,” Lord Evan said with a slight smile. “To follow and to listen.”
Ealrin and Blume nodded. Elise looked towards the tallest building around.
“Is that it?” she asked.
The Porter Master had been giving them space to speak. Elise had spoken up loud enough to call his attention.
“Yes, mam,” he said. “That’s the place where the Governess sees to the necessities and the business of Poral. I believe she is in the middle of a meeting right now, but afterward can be interrupted.”
Commodore Evan nodded.
“Lead the way.”
It didn’t take long for them to find their way to the building where the Lady resided.
“What do you call this building?” Ealrin asked as they approached the steps.
“The House of Poral will be fine,” Grannar explained. “I believe its official name is the Manner of Poral’s Governing Body, but most of us just call it the House.”
“Let’s go see if the Governess has finished her meeting,” Lord Evan said.
As they walked into the House of Poral, Ealrin noticed that the decorations were much less ornate and magical than the ones he had seen in the capital. Anyone of the three towers of Rerial had much more splendor than the entire city of Poral had and its disposal. Ealrin supposed that was because of the airships that were made there, but he wasn’t sure. There was definitely an air of former glory in the city.
Many of the banners that were inside of the House of Poral were faded and worn. Unlike the great towers of Rerial’s capital, the statures here did not shimmer and gleam. Rather, they appeared dusty and neglected. Some had been cleaned, but it appeared that they were only haphazardly taken care of.
“Just a moment,” the Porter said. “I’ll need to go and introduce you to the staff. It shouldn’t take long.”
He ran off to see that Gregory had already appeared at the door that had just opened up down the hall. The two spoke in whispered tones. A pair of guards stood at the door as they spoke. Ealrin felt slightly uneasy about the whole situation. But he wasn’t sure if that was because of what was going on in front of him, or because of the accusations, Commander Polk had made of him and Elise.
And how he couldn’t really refute some of them.
“The Mayor will see you soon,” Grannar said as he made his way back over to them. “Her meeting is over, and she is expecting the Commodore of Rerial.”
Something felt off about the way that he had said that last part, but Ealrin and the others made their way down the hall all the same. The two guards opened the doors that led into the Lady’s study.
The same feeling of unease came upon Ealrin as they walked into the room. Much of the furniture was ornate, but very old and seemingly neglected. It had been a while since someone had come into the room to dust. Though there were bookshelves that lined the walls of the study, couches and chairs in one corner and a table with several chairs pushed out in another; the room had a certain stuffy feeling to it. Heavy curtains were pulled closed on each side of the room.
Lord Evan walked right to the woman in the middle of the room. She looked at him without bowing.
Grannar made a large bow as they came past him.
“The Lady and Governess of Poral, Mistress Swol.”
“Commodore Belouve,” she said. “I hear your ship is in need of repair and that Rerial is at war with the Court of Three again. What dire times you find yourself in my city.”
“My Lady...”
Lord Evan begin to answer, but the Governess spoke over him.
“In fact,“ she said taking a step in his direction. I don’t believe we’ve received a visit from the Capital in a decade or more. Perhaps they had forgotten how important Poral was to them when the country relied solely on the armada of ships that sit in our docks, waiting to be used.”
Ealrin definitely got the feeling that the Governess had a chip on her shoulder and was glad to have someone she could finally challenge with it. And he definitely wasn’t sure how his father would react to such an attitude and welcome.
Lord Evan stood up straighter and looked the Governess in the eye.
“I do not believe now is the appropriate time to bring up old grudges,” he said with the tone of finality. “Our nation is at war, and I need to lead our fleet. I cannot do that when my airship sits damaged in your port.”
“No, you cannot.”
Ealrin put his hand down by his sword. He didn’t know if his father felt the same way, but he heard that statement made with a very threatening tone. A part of him wished he was grabbing onto Edgar, his trusted blade, rather than this one issued to every guard in Rerial’s army.
Lord Evan took a step towards the mayor.
“You understand,” he said slowly. “That failing to aid me will be considered treason against the crown and his Majesty‘s orders?”
Swol looked determinedly back at the Commodore as she folded her arms across her chest.
“And you realize that the house of Poral has sat in squalor these last twenty years while we watched Rerial and the king continue to spend all of its wealth on your ships?”
“Ships that defend you!” Lord Evan replied, his voice rising slightly.
“Do they?”
The mayor walked over to one of the heavily current windows and flung it open.
Ealrin stepped over towards it to see what she was pointing out.
A section of the city they had not yet explored appeared to be in ruins. Structures were destroyed and lay in rubble. People were running back-and-forth taking loads of stone and rock away from large piles.
Some people just sat as they watched the other work happen. Ealrin wondered if they were the ones you lived in whatever buildings used to stand there.
“Not only,” the mayor said through clenched teeth. “Was this devastation the work of airships, I have yet to receive word from the capital about what they intend to do about this violence that occurred. A week had passed since this attack occurred and no word has yet to return from the capital.”
Lord Evan looked out of the window at the devastation.
“What happened here?” he asked after a long moment of silence. “We could go tomorrow with word of this.”
He shook his head.
“I had heard no word of this. No messages to come from Poral to the military. Surely this would have been told to me.”
The Governess went over to her desk and sat down on it. She kept her arms crossed as she looked over at them all.
“I will aid you, of course,” she said with the stern expression. “But you will forgive me if I put the needs of my own people who live in the city that has been neglected over the needs of a Commodore who crashes his ship into my port and expects precedence over the lives that were taken already.”
“Lives will be lost all over Rerial if we do nothing,” Lord Evan said.
“I intend to help,” she said again. “The Port Master’s mess
age reached me, and I have already sent word back, authorizing the use of our docks as well as the dismantling of any ships necessary to fix your vessel.”
“It will be done, My Lady,” Grannar said, bowing.
She nodded at him.
“But I do expect that Poral will receive protection in this war you say is coming.”
“War is here,” Commander Evan said looking out over the devastation. “But why would airships attack you here?”
“Why, indeed?”
The Governess set up and walked over directly to Ealrin and Elise. Ealrin let his hand fall from his sword. He wondered if she could see through his expression of guilt at thinking they were unsafe. He felt foolish for believing so.
“Ealrin and Elise, is it? The Commodore’s children? Perhaps they can address the reason. Not long ago, the rebellion was whispered about in the capital. I believe they had a hand in orchestrating it.”
Ealrin’s hand twitched for his blade again. Perhaps his feeling had been right.
“What is this?” Lord Evan asked with a look of disbelief on his face. “I will stop hearing baseless threats and accusations made against my children. They are loyal servants to the crown and to me.”
“And that is what every father would hope for their children of course,” Lady Swol said. “But as fate would have it, I’ve been having a most interesting meeting with someone who is familiar with your children.”
As she looked over in the direction of the other curtain, the fabric was pulled back by a guard who stood behind it. Ealrin saw that it was not a window like he had thought, but rather a curtain that hid a small meeting room. One that had three people inside of it.
On his knees in that room with a sword to his throat and looking much worse for wear, was Tucker.
“Sorry lass,” he said weakly as he looked pleadingly at Elise. “Told them everything.”
“Yes he did,” the Governess said with a smug look on her face. “Would you be interested in knowing the exploits of your children, Commodore?”
Ealrin was ready to defend himself. To make up a story or disavow any knowledge of being involved in a rebellion. He might have possibly been able to convince his father that even if it had been something he had done before, he had no interest in such thoughts now. Surely he would listen. All they needed was a brief moment to explain themselves.
But the opportunity was not given to him.
Before Elise could take a step towards the Governess or their father could confront them with his questions, Ealrin felt a tug on his sleeve, following by a blinding flash of light that entered the room and then quickly dissipated. A great cracking noise filled the air. When he opened his eyes, Ealrin saw that he was standing just outside the House of Poral.
Several guards were stationed close by and shouted at their sudden appearance.
“Aye! You there! Stay where you are!”
In reply, Blume sent a blast of energy in their direction, scattering the guards and sending earth flying everywhere.
“What are you waiting for?” she shouted. “Run!”
9: Creatures in the Dark
Teresa shook herself as she woke up in a pile of debris. Her whole body ached, and her mouth felt incredibly dry. She was disoriented and confused.
Why was she laying on the floor? Why was everything so dark? And what was the thing next to her that was moving slowly and felt warm and full of hair?
“Urt?” Teresa choked out. “Is that you?”
“Yes,” came a grunt from beside her.
Slowly, Teresa pushed herself up into a sitting position. Every muscle in her body was sore, and her bones ached. Fortunately, at least as far as she could tell, none of them were broken.
She didn’t know how long she had been laying here. All that she knew was that it was very dark. Whether that was because it was night or they were somewhere where the light of the suns did not touch, she didn’t know.
She tried to remember what had happened before this moment. It was all in a foggy blur as her head swam with the motion of sitting up.
Blume had asked her to go to the Headmistress of the school of Magic and request the book Blume had tried to take from the library. When she and Urt had arrived to talk to the headmistress, she discovered that Headmistress Cactus had already had a visit from Dangler and Jeremy.
The two of them had requested the very same book. She must have told them no because it was still in her office.
It had sat on a table between them on her desk.
Teresa remembered Headmistress Cactus giving them a stern look, telling them no, and then getting up to leave because the king had requested her presence.
And then... Nothing.
So how did they end up here?
And where was here anyway?
Teresa stood to her feet and swayed only a little bit as she tried to orient herself. Urt was rising up just as slowly beside her.
A noise echoed throughout their surroundings. It reverberated through the large blackness that they stood in. She couldn’t tell if it was behind them, ahead of them, or even if it was close or far away.
After a few moments, the echo died away; the sound did not repeat itself. They both stood still as they waited. Teresa heard Urt sniffing beside her. He was probably trying to tell if they were in imminent danger. It didn’t appear that way.
At this point.
Well, at least one of her questions was answered. They weren’t outside somewhere. They were certainly inside some very dark and very large building. Or maybe a cave. But that didn’t make any sense either.
“Any idea where we are?” she asked.
Urt stood up fully and looked around. Teresa knew that his eyes worked better in the dark, but hers did.
“Somewhere very deep,” he said.
Teresa didn’t find that exceptionally helpful until she felt his arm rising up beside her. He pointed with a finger up to a spot she had not noticed yet — a small pinprick of light.
“So do you think we’re still in the tower of magic?” Teresa asked.
“Under it,” he replied.
He looked down, and Teresa tried to follow his gaze. Her eyes were still not yet adjusted to the blackness so she could not see what Urt was looking at on the ground.
He kicked some of the rubble from beside them over to where he was looking. Instead of hearing it hit the ground and roll, Teresa realized that she heard nothing. It was falling deeper into the blackness.
“What’s this chasm about?” she asked.
Urt didn’t respond. Instead, Teresa felt him grab her hand and lead her along. He placed her hand on what was definitely a wall. It didn’t feel like stones placed on top of one another; rather, it was rough and earthy. Like the stone had been cut for this purpose. It felt like they were able to walk next to the wall and that the incline was steadily going up. They were making very large circles, but still, they were heading towards that small pinprick of light.
What had happened up above that they would end up in this deep cavern? And why did the nation of Rerial have to dig so deep for it?
After a time, Urt stopped, and Teresa nearly bumped into him. She heard him sniffing the air again.
“Do you know any words of speaking?” he asked Teresa.
“Only a few,” she said truthfully.
As princess of Thoran, it had been a part of her studies to understand some of the magical school that her country sponsored. When it came to actually speaking to the elements however, she was neither skilled nor had she been particularly interested in learning.
She much rather would put her trust in the sword.
Teresa whispered one of the words that she knew and was surprised to see Urt’s hand begin to glow softly from small bits of dust.
The glow spread from them and along the wall and tiny pricks of light. It stopped after it had spread about ten paces or so.
“Rimstone,” Urt said. “A mine.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Teresa said. The natio
n that relied so heavily on the magic stone would need quite a lot of it.
Their way was lit by the dust that ran along the wall. Every twenty steps or so, Teresa spoke the word again, causing the walls to illuminate slightly.
She felt a pang in her stomach and her eyelids beginning to droop.
“I can’t keep doing this,” she said. “It’s too draining, and I haven’t had enough food to Speak.”
She felt foolish admitting that, but she also did not want Urt to have to carry her the rest of the way.
“I can see well enough,” Urt said. “The light was for your benefit.”
She knew he was right. She held on more firmly to his paw they continued to climb upward. The higher they went, the larger the circle became. Teresa didn’t know how long they had been down in this hole, nor what they would find when they got out of it.
“Do you remember what happened?” she asked him.
“As we were leaving, there was an explosion,” Urt replied. “Madame Cactus performed some type of shield that kept us from the worst of it. Though how we ended up down here, I cannot recall.”
“For some reason, I keep seeing that fool Dangler in my head,” Teresa said.
Urt didn’t respond.
After what felt like hours of walking, the pair finally got close enough to the source of light, but they could see what it was. A small hole, perhaps no wider than Teresa’s hand, that was opened up to the city above. The light that had once been bright and shining, however, was much dimmer now. The day had passed as they had climbed the spiraling path.
Once they arrived at the hole, Teresa was able to peer through it and see beyond. She saw a garden that looked like the entrance to the tower of Magic. If she was looking at the gardens, then that meant the mines for Rerial’s Rimstone were right underneath the tower itself.
Beyond the gardens, Teresa saw the devastation.
The city of the capital lay before them, but it was in ruins. Even from this vantage point, Teresa could see that the rubble they had fallen in with was not just limited to the deep cavern. The wall that had surrounded the tower’s gardens lay in ruins.