Embremere

by William Kenney

CHAPTER THREE

   

   

   

  They gathered together in a dark alcove, Grivivin, Lyrica and the six wild-haired youngsters. After the incident with the guards, they had run for some time, stopping now to catch their breath. Glancing at the skyline above, shining turrets and soaring manors, Grivvin felt a sudden sadness. He could never return to this world, not on a permanent basis. This was the only home that he had ever known and he loved the city. With his new discoveries of the treachery of the royal family, his mind was in shambles. He could not believe that Embremere, the city that he adored was ruled by such evil tyrants. With this new information, even if returning were possible, he could never do so. What would happen upon his sisters' return? They were completely unaware of what had transpired. How could he warn them?

  He turned to the children, hidden in shadow.

  “How did you do that? You have the magic? You are of Wychan blood?” he asked, but they did not answer, simply staring at him.

  “You can speak,” Lyrica said and they nodded. “Then why don’t you speak to us?”

  They shook their heads in frustration, pointing to their open mouths.

  “What? What is it? Just say it!” she commanded.

  “The voice is the power…” one of them whispered and suddenly the ground shook and a crack ran up the wall behind them. The children looked around in fear, staring at the damaged wall.

  Grivvin and Lyrica looked at one another in shock. Even the simplest of words spoken by one of the six would create a dangerous and dramatic effect. They could not speak without releasing the magic.

  “Pox Fen did this to them? What is in that water?” asked Grivvin.

  “All we know is that it was dropped from the Over and it gave these unborn children the magic of the Wychan,” said Lyrica.

  “And I thought my family were the last ones in the bloodline,” Grivvin mumbled.

  “Now, you have six more brothers,” Lyrica said with a laugh. “I’ve heard that at one time, Embremere was filled with Wychan. Is that true?”

  Grivvin shook his head. “I doubt that, Lyrica. There is no mention of it in the history books. It is a fact that there were more of us in the past, and that we were much more powerful, but I don’t think the city was filled with us. It seems that there were only a handful of us alive at any given time. It is a rare bloodline indeed.”

  “If there were more Wychan, you could storm the castle. You could force the royals out. How could they stop you?”

  “If I could step through the veil and touch the Spiral, I would make them pay for what they have done to my family. They only kept us around for the few charms that we could perform. As the Wychan grew weaker, we outlived our usefulness. Now, they are finished with us. They tossed us out like trash. I fear for my sisters. What type of treatment will they receive upon their return?”

  “You can be sure that your banishment will be kept a secret,” Lyrica said.

  Grivvin rubbed his temples with his fingertips, a helpless feeling creeping over him. He shook it off and turned to address the six.

  “Let’s get out of here. We need to see Mucker, my friends. Take us there, please.”

  In the near-darkness, they shook their heads and set off down another alley. Even the side streets of Embremere were beautifully crafted, arched passages and colorful awnings stretching out overhead. Grivvin knew that in the light of a summer’s day, the walls of the buildings nearly glowed, a shimmering blue color. Of course all else was dwarfed in comparison to the castle of the King. It was a monumental achievement, its construction, so many tons of stone all built upon the wooden platform that stood above the lake. It seemed impossible for such a structure to stand upon the platform and Grivvin wondered if Wychan magic had played a role in its creation.

  There were no more encounters with residents as they weaved their way along the winding streets and narrow passages, eventually coming to a tall wooden wall that curved away from them, decorated with carvings of turtles and sea birds. There were several statues that sat atop the wall, each a figure in royal dress, hounds at their sides. In the distance, Grivvin could hear the muffled conversation of several men that stood along the wall, just out of sight. Guards, perhaps?

  The children motioned to the top of the wall, pointing with their fingers.

  “Over the wall?” Lyrica asked quietly. They nodded.

  “Wait!” Grivvin whispered, pointing to the statues above them, the rain dripping from their stone features. “Looking at that statue, I would say the grounds are protected by dogs. Dogs?” He suddenly recognized the man they represented. “This is Duke Mikan’s estate! If we’re caught inside-“

  “Shhh…” said Lyrica. “They seem to know what they’re doing. I trust them. At this point, we really have no choice, do we?”

  Quickly, the children began to pull themselves over the wall, motioning for Grivvin and Lyrica to follow. Grivvin offered her a hand, but she pushed it away and was soon sitting astride the wall, waiting for him. He jumped up and pulled himself into a sitting position next to her. She flashed him a smile and slapped him on the shoulder.

  “This is quite the adventure we’ve set out on, eh? I never thought I’d see the Over, Grivvin. It’s really beautiful.”

  “It doesn’t seem as beautiful to me as it did yesterday. The bastards threw me out.”

  “Don’t worry, the Under isn’t as bad as you think it is. You already have a friend,” Lyrica said and gently kissed him on his wet cheek. She then dropped down from the wall, her feet hitting the moist grass with a splash.

  Grivvin touched his cheek in surprise. Because of the strict Wychan rules, he had never had a relationship with a girl. All of the books warned against such things, how it sapped your power. He had followed the instructions to the letter, especially after having believed his father had died. Perhaps his emotions were taking over, but he was considering defying the books and their teaching on the subject.

  When he landed next to her, a surge of energy shot up through his legs and into his chest, taking him by surprise. For a moment, he felt stronger and filled with courage. He wasn't sure what to make of it and quickly dismissed it, being distracted by the beauty of the garden. There were hedges and very tall trees everywhere within the walls. Only the very wealthy could afford to have dirt carted in and gardens planted within Embremere and the Duke was one of the wealthiest of its citizens. The many pathways were like a maze as they wound their way after the children, the stained wood littered with small pink blossoms that had fallen from the nearby trees. In the daytime, this would have been an amazing sight, for there were countless species of flowers planted here, but Grivvin could only experience the beautiful perfume that reached his nostrils as he passed. Many twists and turns later and they had come to a circular area, paved with small rectangular stones and surrounded with fancy, flickering lamps.

  In the center was a large structure, carved from a single piece of mahogany with four seats, each facing a compass point. The backs of each seat butted up against a tall, square planter containing a small fruit tree. The children quickly ran to the seats, crouching and moving stealthily as they grew closer to the light of the lamps. They pulled on one of the wooden panels of the planter and it popped off with a cracking sound, revealing a black interior. The children pointed inside, indicating that it was the passage back to the Under.

  "Finally!" Lyrica said and knelt to crawl inside the low opening. "We can't be trapped here in the day-"

  There was a muffled and fleshy sound near them and Lyrica let out a scream. As she rolled to her side, Grivvin could see the shaft of a crossbow bolt protruding from her calf.

  "Stop! You are trespassing on the property of the Duke! Stay where you are!" a voice called out from the manor house. Panic hit the children and they scrambled to get Grivvin and the now-injured Lyrica into the passage and back into the Under. Two of the children remained behind and began to approach the location of the voices. Grivvin turned
as he crawled into the shelter of the planter and watched the children as they stopped in the grassy space that led up to the building. He thought he could hear the two children mumbling.

  Then, his hair was blown into his face as the wind became more powerful, bending the trees nearly to the ground. As he was pulled below the platform, his eyes caught a flash of brilliant blue lightning that lit up the entire garden. Something exploded in the direction of the manor house and he could hear men shouting and screaming in pain. On his way down the alder beam, he could see the children carrying Lyrica down the rungs. He could hear her breath coming in gasps as she fought against the pain. They carefully descended, avoiding the remaining razor wire and finally stood upon a tin rooftop in the Under.

  Grivvin immediately went to Lyrica's side as she lay on her back, the others tending to her leg. The bolt had fully penetrated the muscle of her calf, the dark blood flowing freely upon the roof. Her forehead was covered with sweat as she looked up at him, gritting her teeth. He studied the wound and the bolt without touching it, not wishing to cause her further pain.

  "We'll have to break the shaft," he said, taking her hand. "It's gonna hurt, Lyrica. I'll do it as fast as I can."

  She shook her head with tears in her eyes. "Take my knife. U-use the serrated edge. Cut a groove to make it easier to break. I've seen it done for spear fishing injuries."

  He removed the knife from its sheath and turned to the four children, studying their faces.

  "You will have to hold her down. Do you understand?"

  They nodded and moved to her sides, hands at her shoulders and thighs. Grivvin took the bolt in his left hand as gently as possible, but still she jumped as it moved. He glanced a last time at her face and swallowed hard. Grabbing the shaft, close to the fletching, he began to drag the blade across the wood.

  Lyrica screamed and he immediately stopped.

  "Are you trying to kill me?" she asked between breaths. "Don't take all night to do it. The faster the better."

  "All right, all right. Here goes."

  He grabbed the shaft and quickly dragged the edge of the knife back and forth across the shaft, carving a thin groove into it. The entire time, Lyrica groaned in agony and the blood began to flow more freely onto the rooftop. Once satisfied with his work, he stopped, throwing the knife down with a clang. He wiped the blood from his fingers upon his trouser leg and moved back up to her.

  "I'm sorry," he said, brushing her now sweat-soaked hair from her face. "I really don't want to hurt you, but there's no other way."

  She nodded frantically. "I know, I know. Just do it."

  He forced a smile and returned to the bolt. He put a hand on either side of the groove, took a breath and snapped it, grimacing as he heard Lyrica cry out. Swiftly, he pulled the remaining piece of the bolt out of her calf and through to the side. His mind was moving so fast, stressed by the situation, that when he saw the bleeding begin, he simply wrapped his bare hands around the wound. Looking up, he saw the children nodding almost maniacally as he did so, urging him to continue. They were motioning to him, but he could not understand their meaning.

  "They think you can heal me, Grivvin, with your power," Lyrica moaned.

  "No, no, my magic is still weak. I-"

  One of the four slapped him hard across the shoulder blades and pointed furiously at Grivvin's hands. As he gazed down, there appeared to be a faint bluish glow emanating from Lyrica's wound.

  "What?" Grivvin said.

  "It's the Wychan magic!" she said. "You can do it. Just try."

  He suddenly felt a surge of electricity run through his arms and his eyes fluttered and eventually closed. Before him was a vision of the Spiral, multicolored and spinning, much clearer than he had ever seen it in the past. For some reason, he was standing within the veil, not beyond it and the Spiral was easily within reach. Each of the elemental forces of nature was represented there and tugged at his mind like a gentle breeze. He extended both hands and touched the ancient source of Wychan magic, never having felt more alive.

  He pulled from it fire and the spirits of the wind. These combined began to heat the wound and stop the flow of blood as a nearly blinding light surrounded them. It took no time at all and soon the light faded and the Spiral faded, returning him to pale reality. He stared down at his vibrating palms and watched as the brand upon his hand pulsed and then returned to normal.

  Lyrica's voice snapped him to attention and he turned to face her.

  "Gods, Grivvin! You did it! The pain is nearly gone and the bleeding stopped," she said, staring at him with wonder.

  He could feel the beating of his heart in his chest as he came to the realization that for the first time in his life, he had truly stepped through the veil. He had touched the Spiral. He was elated, wanted to scream it to the heavens. All that he had strived for, all of the research had finally paid off.

  "Why? How?" he asked, mostly to himself. "How did I do that? Could I do it again?"

  "Right now, it doesn't matter," she answered. "You took care of me. You may have saved my life."

  "But, I-" he stammered.

  "Come here," Lyrica said and pulled him toward her. This time, her kiss was planted firmly on his mouth and she did not release him for several moments. She drew back with a smile. "Thank you."

  He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair.

  "No, thank you."

  They both laughed as the children looked away in embarrassment.

  Sounds from overhead suddenly reached them and all eyes shot upward. One of the other children made his way down from the platform in a hurry and soon joined them, a somber look upon his face.

  "Where is the other?" Lyrica asked as Grivvin helped her to her feet. The child shook his head and walked over to embrace the others.

  "They captured him?" asked Grivvin.

  The child shook his head negatively, nearly in tears. He was already trying to pull them off of the rooftop.

  "I think they killed him, Grivvin," said Lyrica and the child nodded in agreement, motioning that they should leave for fear of pursuit.

  "No," Grivvin exclaimed. His grief quickly became anger. They would kill a child, the monsters?

  Together, they climbed from the building and were soon traveling along the streets and alleyways of the Under. They had to get as far away from the Duke's manor as possible, blend in with the Underdwellers. In the shadows of this world, Grivvin could not tell night from day and he supposed it didn't really matter. It was always dark and always seemed dangerous. The waves tossed the buildings about on their platforms, the storm on the lake never ceasing. At least in the Under, one was sheltered from the driving rain. Unfortunately, one was also kept from the warmth and light of the sun.

  Nearly an hour later, at the edge of the platform, the children turned as if to leave.

  "Wait, where are you going?" Grivvin asked. One of the children stopped as the others faded into the darkness. He pointed out into the water, smiled and followed his siblings back into the alleyway.

  "We're almost there, Grivvin. They brought us almost to Mucker's front door."

  "But why would they go back? There is nothing for them in Pox Fen," Grivvin asked, staring back toward the buildings.

  "I suppose that's all they've ever known," she answered. "They'll be fine, I'm sure. Now, we need to find a boat. The Mucker lives out there."

  She pointed in the same direction as the child had, to an area of open water, the only buildings to be seen were very distant and only visible by the lamplight in their tiny windows.

  "I still have some coin. Let's go get one," said Grivvin. "You know, you surprised me back there when..."

  "You mean the kiss?" she said with a smile. "Be careful, it might happen again."

   

   

   

   

   

  After acquiring a small vessel, they had set off from the pier and headed due east. The lantern at the bow cast odd flickering patter
ns across the waves as they pushed the boat forward. In short time, Grivvin's arms and shoulders were aching and he counted the minutes until they reach Mucker. Somehow a flash of lightning reached them from above and he could make out a strange silhouette jutting out from the surface of the lake ahead. It was cylindrical and stood up out of the water as high as Grivvin was tall. As they drew closer, he could tell that the object was fashioned from scrap metal, most likely cast down from the Over, just as he had been.

  There was a misshapen door there in its side and several handles that had been fastened to the exterior of the tube. To this, Lyrica tied their boat, the small craft knocking against the thing as each wave pushed it aside.

  Grivvin cast Lyrica a sidelong glance, his face expressing confusion.

  "This is the Mucker's home," she explained and stepped out onto a small landing that had been attached below the door. She still favored her wounded leg, but seemed to be almost fully recovered.

  "What are you talking about? This place is barely big enough for someone to stand in, let alone live in."

  "Just be quiet while I knock."

  Grivvin shrugged as Lyrica faced the door. Taking out one of her knives, she rapped on the metal door several times, the sound echoing throughout the Under.

  "Well, if he can't hear that from two inches behind the door, he's deaf," Grivvin commented with a grin. Just then, there were strange hissing sounds and vibrations that shook the entire cylinder. The water around them began to bubble, increasing Grivvin's growing concern.

  Suddenly, the door popped open with a sound that resembled a loud exhale.

  "Ah, there we go," Lyrica said and stepped to the side to pull the door open wide. Grivvin peered around her, seeing only a small and empty chamber.

  "What?"

  Lyrica stepped inside and to his surprise, began to descend. He leaned forward, seeing the rungs of a ladder fastened to the inner wall of the cylinder.

  "The Mucker lives underwater. Come on," she called out as she dropped away from him. "And close the door."

  As they climbed down, the pressure in their ears became quite noticeable and Grivvin studied each seam in the passage, looking for the telltale signs of leakage. There were none. The passage grew pitch black and began to slant slightly, causing them to drop to their backsides and push themselves along until finally they had reached another door. Scrawled there on the surface, in bright red paint, was the name Mucker and his handprint. Lyrica pulled on the handle and the door swung outward, bathing them with golden light.

  The room was immense, much to Grivvin's surprise, perhaps five times as large as Lyrica's place and beautifully furnished. A plush sofa sat to one side and a great carven table, covered with open books stood in front of it. There were amazing paintings and tapestries on every wall, but what astounded Grivvin the most was the light source. There were four crystal balls, one embedded in each wall, glowing with a warm light. He could feel it inside, they surged with Wychan magic and filled the room with energy.

  An aged man stepped into the room from another passage, carrying a tray overloaded with fruits and cups, smiling. His hair was grey and long, held behind his head in a ponytail and he had a short, scruffy beard. He wore a long, dirty robe that drug the floor as he moved.

  "Well, hello there, guests. What brings you to Mucker's keep?" he asked with a smile as he sat the tray upon the table. He motioned for them to help themselves and sat upon the sofa. "Young man, you look familiar. Haven't I seen you before?"

  "No, sir. My name is Grivvin. I..."

  "He was cast out of the Over," Lyrica finished, snatching up a ripe pear and biting into it.

  Mucker's eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open.

  "Grivvin Lo’Rynin? Gods...I knew your father, Kindin. That is why you look familiar. You're the spitting image!"

  "Mucker, what happened to him? Is he dead?" Grivvin asked, anxiously.

  "I'm really not sure, young man. In my heart, I like to believe that he still lives, but...he would have returned. We became good friends, he and I." He paused for a moment, lost in thought. "No, he would have returned."

  Lyrica sat down next to Mucker.

  "Grivvin is a Wychan as well, Mucker, but his power is weak. Is there a way for us to help him unlock the magic and touch the Spiral?"

  "Ah, I see. Your father asked me the same question, son. I'll tell you what I told him. In all of my studies, history shows that as Embremere's might increased, it had the opposite effect on those of your order. As you know, many years ago the citizens of Embremere began to migrate onto the lake. They built the gigantic wooden platform that now supports the city. Before that, the city sat upon the land, but outgrew the coast. You've seen the mountains, I'm sure, the ones that hug the coast. They are what prevented the residents of Embremere from expanding. So, those with more coin began to construct manors upon the water. It became a sign of wealth, the farther out on the lake you lived, the more important you were, until all of the people had left the land."

  "Now the place is referred to as Old Embremere and is a veritable ghost town. There was a great temple there dedicated to your order called the Wychanhaeme. Back then, your kind were so ungodly powerful that even the King feared them, but the power faded, as you know."

  "Wychanhaeme...why have I never heard of this place?" Grivvin asked.

  "No one knows about it. Even your father was surprised when I showed him the ancient books that I had come across. An artist from years ago had even rendered the temple's likeness and a rough map of the place."

  "May I see it?" asked Grivvin.

  "Of course, son. Of course." Mucker said and rose from the sofa. He stepped back into the passage, motioning for them to follow. "Come with me to the library."

   

   

   

   

   

  Tremendous bookcases had been attached to the walls in Mucker's library and Grivvin could not believe the size of the place. He had been poring over the ancient books for hours, his mind lost in the past, when Lyrica touched his shoulder. She and Mucker had left the room, giving Grivvin time to study the books and the history of the Wychan order.

  "Are you all right?" she asked, seating herself next to him. On the pages before him, she could see drawings of people and buildings, arcane symbols and quotes.

  "This is amazing, Lyrica. We have lost all of this knowledge. There are charms here that we never knew existed and whole chapters dedicated to the way of the Spiral. All that I have read thus far, leads me to one conclusion."

  "What's that?" she asked.

  "The secret lies in Old Embremere. If there is a place that will reawaken the magic, it is there. I want to go there immediately."

  "Now, now, son," Mucker said as he entered the library. "Don't talk like a madman. Your father said the same thing after reading that very book. He never got the chance to try, of course. The Cuda took him."

  "I'm going," Grivvin stated, looking up from the book. "Old Embremere is the answer. I feel it."

  "You know as well as I, that place is impossible to reach. Once the residents had all migrated to the lake, your King had the Wychan make sure of it. The coast is a sheer stone wall now and the waters are filled with the most horrible of creatures."

  "I still don't understand why they did that. Why build such a wall? Why keep people from the old city?"

  "If you believe the stories, ships from afar began to appear on the shores of Old Embremere. They began to settle the city and call it their own. The king allowed this to carry on for some time, until it appeared that the foreigners were hostile toward the new city. According to all accounts, they were planning an attack on New Embremere. The king ordered your kind to destroy the newcomers and once that had been accomplished, to create the wall and Maelstrom, preventing outsiders from ever reaching the ruins again. Preventing foolish young men from reaching them as well."

  "I have to try...for my father."

  "Do you think he wants you dead? Th
at's what will happen. No boat could ever make it to the coast, Grivvin."

  "How do you know?"

  Mucker reached down and raised the hem of his long robe. Where his right leg should have been, was a thick wooden peg.

  "I've tried."

  “Gods…” Lyrica backed away a bit, shock in her eyes. “What happened?”

  “After Grivvin’s father was taken, I thought I owed it to him to find out the secrets of Old Embremere. I made it my quest. I even had one of the boats that he designed. There aren’t many left, ya know. I gathered my supplies and headed off to the east, determined to uncover the truth of the Wychan powers.”

  “Oh, I made it to the wall, the cliff that surrounds the old ruins, but that’s as far as I got. There are predators out there, Grivvin, giants of the water, with teeth as long as I am tall. They capsized the boat, smashed it to bits and then came for me. One of those monsters took my leg, but I had never let go of the rudder, you see? Your father’s invention got me back here. With it, I managed to get back to the Under. I nearly bled to death, but the Underdwellers at the eastern edge saved me.”

  “Do you still have that rudder?” Grivvin asked, his eyes still trained on the pages before him.

  “Well, yes, but…”

  “If you were truly my father’s friend, then you will let me use the rudder. Let me finish your work, Mucker. I will make it to the ruins. I will unearth the hidden truth of Wychan power.”

  Mucker looked away, biting his lip. It was the least he could do to honor the memory of his dear friend. He feared the worst, that Grivvin would suffer the same fate.

  “Very well. I think you are a fool and if you are going with him…” He pointed at Lyrica. “Then you are a fool as well. I wish you the best of luck, but you haven’t seen what swims in those waters.”

  "This could return the Wychan to power. I have to try," Grivvin explained.

  Mucker reluctantly left the room and returned shortly, the wooden rudder, clear crystal at its base, in his hand. He handed it to Grivvin with a frown.

  "I hope to see you again, young man. I know that nothing I say will stop you. Good luck and be careful."