by Eric Vall
“Wait,” I replied with wide eyes. “Your father didn’t give you the Sword of Light? I thought it was supposed to be handed down the family line.”
“It is.” Nike nodded. “I was two when my grandfather died, and then my father took up the sword but was rejected. I am my father’s only heir, so when it rejected him, they handed Aine to me. Obviously, I was chosen, and they immediately began to groom and train me to be a living weapon. Not the best childhood, I might say, but effective. I am unparalleled in my swordsmanship.”
He pulled out Aine with a dramatic flourish and smirked as he spun the sword around in his hand.
“Was your father angry with you?” I asked curiously.
Nike was quiet for a brief moment. The halls around us began to grow dark, so I took advantage of his silence to use my fire magic on the next few lines of torches.
“I honestly don’t know,” the noble finally responded, “I’m sure he was disappointed, but he never changed his attitude toward me. He wasn’t outwardly angry, but he was never openly proud either. He wanted to be chosen, and I stole that chance from him. I am still his son, though, so he is happy that I was chosen instead of someone else, which I am sure was a concern since I was so young.”
“Can that happen? The sword can choose someone that isn’t nobility?”
“It’s not common, but yes.” Nike nodded. “I think it has only happened once throughout all history, but it is always possible.”
“That would … ” I trailed off as I glanced down at the dirt.
There were several sets of footprints along the ground, and they were headed in the same direction as us.
Nike stopped on my right, and I heard Daya and Cal step up on my left, but their petty argument was forgotten.
“Who else has been down here?” Nike asked with a frown.
“No one, at least no one should have been,” I responded as I looked back to check the ground behind us. “How far back do these footprints go?”
Everyone else turned around as well. The tracks were entwined with our own, but we quickly retraced our steps. We only walked back for a few minutes before the different tracks vanished, though.
“They could be old footprints,” Daya rationalized. “We are deep enough into the tunnels that the air might not reach this area to blow the tracks away. We don’t know for certain these are the marks of an enemy. There have been reports of caves with muddy tracks that were created thousands of years ago.”
“This ground isn’t muddy, though, and we are never that lucky, so we need to follow them and find out where this person was headed,” I told everyone as I turned back around. “Be on guard. They could still be down here.”
We cautiously stepped forward, and I continued to light the torches as we walked. We were all silent for an hour before we came across a split in the tunnel.
“The tracks go right,” I said and turned in that direction.
The others followed closely behind me as we crept along the path in the dark, since the torches didn’t extend to this section of the tunnels.
I summoned a small flame to my palm for Nike, and while we slowly walked forward, we silently listened for signs of danger. I could hear Daya sniff loudly as she tried to catch any kind of strange smell, while Cal’s forked tongue would flick out as he tasted the air.
“Wait,” Daya called out after a long while, “I smell something,”
I sniffed the air while Cal flicked his tongue, and then we both furrowed our brows in confusion.
“What is it?” Nike asked us.
I looked at the two Demi Humans before I answered. “It’s air. Fresh air, like we are about to step outside into the forest.”
“Do you think it could be magic again, like the enchantment on the treasure vault?” Nike asked as he blinked a few times in surprise. “Maybe someone who can control plants or air?”
“It doesn’t smell like magic, nor can I sense magic around,” Daya responded.
“The air composition has changed, too,” Cal added. “We are getting closer to fresh air. Before, the air inside the tunnel was stale and old. Now, it’s fresh and clean. It’s nice.”
“How is that even possible?” Nike wondered out loud.
We walked further ahead until we reached the end of the tunnel. Then a strong breeze blew through the passageway and whipped my hair around my head. I ran my free hand through my hair to straighten it out, and Nike chuckled beside me before I sent him a glare and extinguished the flame in my hand. Light still dimly illuminated the area, though, and I jerked my head upward to find the source.
There, about ten feet above us, was a square of dim light that broke through the dirt.
“What the hell?” I said quietly as I gazed upwards.
A ladder was folded up along the ceiling, and a long rope attached to a metal hoop and fell down onto the dirt a few feet in front of us.
“It’s a door,” Daya said bluntly from beside me.
“Yeah,” I answered, “but where does it lead?”
To more treasure, perhaps? My pulse kicked up a notch at the notion, and a low, quiet growl resounded in my chest.
I walked forward, and when I reached the rope, I gave it a sharp tug. The door above us rattled, but stayed in place. I tugged again, and this time dirt fell, and small stones rattled to the floor.
I frowned and tugged a third time, and I could feel the door give way a fraction of amount as more dirt shifted above us. Then I wrapped the rope around my hand and pulled down hard, and with a groan, the door was pulled open, and the ladder unfolded and fell quickly to the ground. Dust and dirt billowed around the tunnel as sunlight illuminated the area. We all coughed as the air cleared, and then we all looked up.
“Okay, well I got it opened,” I coughed out.
I walked forward, grabbed the first rung of the ladder, and tested its strength. Then I hoisted myself up and began to climb.
“I’m coming with you.” Nike climbed up after me.
“You two wait here,” I called down to the Demi-Humans. “We’ll let you know if it’s safe.”
Daya nodded while Cal huffed and crossed his arms.
“Fine,” I heard him snort.
I climbed up the ladder quickly and looked outside. The trap door opened up next to a giant tree with shrubbery around it. I jumped out quickly, and Nike gracefully pulled himself out next to me.
“Where are we?” Nike asked as we both looked around.
The area was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I knew this was the forest by Hatra, it was the only thing that made sense, but the forest was giant, and I had no idea how far we had walked.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Nike as I pulled aside some of the bushes to step into the forest.
I surveyed the area around us before I found a small clearing in the trees, and then I quickly ran over it. Once I was there, I shifted into my dragon form and tore off into the sky. I could survey the area a lot more clearly from the air.
Once I rose above the forest, I quickly located Hatra in the distance. The city wasn’t too far away, maybe an hour or two east by foot. I looked around the area more before I suddenly recognized some of the landmarks. To double check, I quickly flew back toward Nike and to the west. It didn’t take long for me to find what I was looking for, so I flew back to Nike and found Daya and Cal with him as well.
I landed in the clearing and shifted into my human form. Then I jogged back over to the others.
“So, good news,” I said as I approached. “We’re basically at the front door of the Asuran village. It’s maybe a five minute walk south.”
“That is good news.” Nike smiled.
“Yeah, it’s kind of awesome,” I agreed with a grin. “We could use this route for a number of things. It’s a great find. It’s not a room full of treasure, but I’m still more than happy with it.”
“Well, if that’s the good news, what’s the bad news?” Daya asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“There could be mor
e tunnels like this,” I answered, and I pursed my lips as my grin faded. “Which means we could very well be attacked and not know until it’s too late.”
“We need to find all of the paths,” Nike replied, “before someone else tries to get inside the city.”
“I agree,” I said before I walked around the tree and hummed. “This is nice, though, you can’t even tell a door is there. The tree hides it from behind, and the shrubbery keeps it hidden from all sides. Unless you know it’s there, you wouldn’t be able to find it.”
“What about those footprints?” Nike asked.
I thought about it for a minute before I sighed.
“Maybe Daya was right, and they are old prints,” I said. “That door had obviously not been opened for a long time. I doubt anyone has used this entrance for decades, if not centuries. Why would someone walk all the way down there to ignore the exit? It doesn’t make any sense.”
I had a bad feeling as I said the words, though. Something was going on, and I needed to figure out what it was before it was too late.
“So, now what do we do?” Cal asked from behind me.
“Come, we should head back and finish up,” I decided and winked at him. “Maybe we can find more tunnels down there. And more treasure.”
I pushed aside the shrubs, followed everyone down into the hole, and shoved the ladder back up. It folded in on itself as the trapdoor closed, and we were left in darkness. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the lack of light, but once I could easily see, I turned to retrace our steps.
“Okay, so we know there is at least more than one way to enter the tunnels,” I said. “We can finish up here quickly, but afterwards we should head back to the city to alert the Elders and Alyona. They need to know about it, and we should probably leave guards with the dryad sisters if they want to wait for us in the library.”
I began to walk as the others followed close behind, and we were all silent, since we were still waiting for something or someone to attack. When we finally reached the area where lit torches still burned, I shook my palm, and the flame I held vanished into a puff of smoke.
Nike was the first to turn down the next path, and we followed after him. Torches lined this tunnel, so I quickly summoned fire to them, and they once again began to light our way. This passage gradually began to incline, and the dirt at our feet became rocky and hard. Then a water and damp smell began to make its way toward us.
“I think this path has another exit,” Nike said plainly.
We all gave silent nods of agreement as we cautiously continued forward. The walls slowly began to grow more narrow as we walked, and within a half hour, the tunnel was only wide enough for one of us to walk single-file. I led the group forward, and the walls became so narrow both of my shoulders brushed the walls beside me, but we continued on. My anxiety began to creep in, though, but I ignored it the best I could.
Finally, after what felt like an hour of the claustrophobic walk, the path began to widen again. I could hear the sounds of running water nearby, and a bright light appeared. Then the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern inside the mountains. Judging by our climb, we had to be near the top. A large waterfall poured from the left side of the cave and fed into a narrow river that wound around the area and then fell off a ledge into a smaller waterfall. There was a large opening toward the very top of the mountain, about fifty feet above us, that let in sunlight to illuminate the cave.
“What the fuck?” I muttered. “First the trap door, and now this?”
Nike seemed to understand where we were, though, if the look in his eye was any indication, and he let out an impressed sigh as he took in the cavernous area.
“This is an escape route for royalty,” he explained. “The first tunnel that led to the forest is either a decoy or the passage civilians would use in case of an attack on the city. It would get everyone out quickly, though the ladder could prove to be troublesome. Only one person could leave at a time, so there is probably another path for civilians. This route narrows too much for a large group to quickly escape from, but for just a few souls, it would be perfect. Armies couldn’t follow through, and if they tried, their armor would slow them down. The lords and ladies could use this to escape while the army would follow after the much easier targets: the civilians. Once here, the nobles could have horses ready to lead them away. They would have used the water in the caves to mask their scent, and the waterfall would hide the noise.”
“Where are we now, though?” I asked as I looked around. “In relation to Hatra.”
“We’re in the mountains near the city,” Nike answered.
I glanced around in surprise. This was near where I first appeared in this world. In fact, if this was the mountain side closest to the city, we probably weren’t too far away.
“That makes sense,” I murmured. “The path through the mountains would be hard for enemies to cross unless they were familiar with the area. Do you think there are more of these kinds of passages then?”
“I’m sure there are.” Nike nodded. “Like I said, the first path we found was probably a decoy. Those footprints might even be enchanted to last for an eternity to distract enemies into following down the wrong path.”
“So, you’re saying the footprints were a trick,” I replied, “and we fell for it.”
Nike shrugged. “It’s a good thing we did. That means they worked.”
I guess the noble had a point, but something about all of this still didn’t seem right. I pushed away the unease, though, and looked around. I needed to see if there was a way out of here.
I shifted into my dragon form, since there was more than enough room to get across the river, and then I climbed up some rocky formations and headed toward the opening at the top of the cavern. The opening was large enough that my dragon body could easily fit through the exit, so I walked outside and gazed at the view. Hatra wasn’t visible from this point, but I knew it was just beyond the green forest that laid in front of me. The opening dropped off into a steep cliffside, and I was careful to not get too close to the edge. The mountain range surrounded us, and the white snow-tipped peaks were just visible beneath the clouds. The mountain we were currently inside of was small, though, and the others easily towered over it.
I poked my head back inside the cave and looked back at my friends, who were all on the other side of the river.
“I’ll be right back,” I called over to them, and then I jumped off the ledge and let myself free fall for a few seconds before I beat my wings and took off into the sky.
As I glided through the air, I surveyed the area below me. I could see a few more caves along the mountainside, but I quickly realized none of them would work for an exit. It must be further down the mountain range or along the opposite side, but either way, I didn’t have time to find it today.
Instead, I flew to the very top of the highest peak before I landed on the cold snow. Thin white clouds created condensation on my scales, and I shook by body and sent tiny droplets scattering off in all directions. I could see the tops of the clouds, and in some areas where the clouds were thin, I could see the forest beneath me. Then I looked to the other side of the mountains, to a part of Rahma I had never seen before.
The entire area was green, and grass and trees filled the land as far as my eyes could see. A river wound its way through the green landscape like a jagged blue tear, and it emptied into a lake within the center of the landscape.
It was incredible, and one day, it would all be mine. I would rule this world, and I would ensure that no one and nothing would ever stand in my way. I would destroy the Green Glass Sect soon, and together Alyona and I could figure out how to seal The Breach. It was only a matter of time.
I let myself enjoy the view for a few minutes before I sighed and returned to the cave. Then I landed easily, crossed the river, and shifted back into my human body.
“I couldn’t find an exit for this cave besides that hole in the ceiling,” I told the others, “which is
n’t really useful unless you have wings, but maybe we can send a team down here to investigate.”
Daya nodded. “The guild has a few members who were born and raised in the mountains just like this before they joined us. I can speak to Laika when we return. We can send them to find all the secrets of these mountains.”
“Thanks, but that’s not a top priority, I’m more curious than anything,” I told her. “But maybe once I return from my campaign, that is something we can look into. For now, we should probably head back and report all of this.”
“Of course, Lord Evan,” she answered and whistled loudly. “Cal, come on.”
Cal turned toward us from where he had been inspecting different stalagmites along the floor.
“This place is cool, we could use this as a secret base or something,” the snake said as he joined us.
“I don’t think it will work as a base, but it could be a shelter in case of an attack,” I mused. “We can send the elderly, women, and children here. They’ll be out of harm’s way, and once we find the other exits, I can seal them off so it will be a secure area. We can create something to block off this exit too, so once our people are through, no one else can get inside. There’s water here so we would just need to worry about food.”
Nike nodded thoughtfully. “We have a similar setup in Leyte. We have an underground bunker for those who cannot fight. It has enchanted doors that can only be opened from the inside once it’s sealed to make sure no one can get in once it has been shut. Maybe we could implement something like that here.”
“That would be awesome, do you know what the enchantment is or have a way of getting a hold of it?” I asked with a grin.
“I can send a message to my father once we are back in Hatra. I’m sure he can find the spell.”
“Perfect, thank you, Nike,” I said, but then I sighed as we approached the tunnels. I did not look forward to the tight space again.
Thankfully, we made our way back through the claustrophobic area much faster than before. Torch light finally came back into view, and we all took deep breaths of the dusty tunnel air as the ground below our feet returned to dirt.