Aurora's Heart

by V C Sanford

  “Well, what was in the drawer?” Rhianwen demanded, eager to get a better look at the items Maxx held in the palm of his hand. The glow proved the items magical, what wasn’t clear was what kind of magic.

  Maxx held his hand palm up so everyone could easily view the two small items that had been hidden in the secret drawer. The first one was a ring, silver in color and very simple in design. It wasn’t ornate at all, solid except for a string of stars and eyes etched to circle around the middle of the band. The second item was much harder to figure out. It was a simple stone, a cat’s eye opal, shaped to set in a circle of gold. There was no obvious way to attach it to apparel, no pin or clasp to string on a chain.

  Nikiva took the small cat’s eye from Maxx’s hand, turning it over so that she could see it a little more closely. On the back was a small piece of metal, as though something had broken off the back. The edge of the metal was slightly brighter in color than the surrounding metal, suggesting that the item had been broken after years of wear. “I think that this was a broach, with the pin broken off. See, look here,” she said, pointing out the scarred metal on the broaches back. “It’s really quite pretty, maybe I can have it repaired once we return to town? That’s if no one else wants to claim it? And Rhianwen can have the ring.”

  Maxx grinned rakishly and raised his right eyebrow, leering in a suggestive way as he leaned closer to the two girls. “I’m sure we can come to some type of arrangement in trade for the jewelry,” he proposed drolly, then ducked to avoid the book Alex tossed in his direction.

  “If you’re quite finished, Rhianwen retorted, now might be a good time to eat, then start back. I don’t know about you but I’m dreading the climb back up to the top.”

  “But we haven’t worked out the details. I’m thinking the pin must be worth a backrub or two at least.”

  “Stop clowning around Maxx, Nikiva snapped. We’ve wasted enough time. Unless we hurry, winter break will be over. I’d hate to miss the start of the spring session, they may not let me back in school if I’m late.”

  “Speaking of eating…has anyone seen Tweet?” The Mir-cat had vanished.

  Chapter 19

  “Baldric wasted all that gold for this?” Samsara asked. He continued to study the silvery necklace that Castillo dropped into his open palm. Such a simple token… to generate such lust amongst the rich and powerful. The young ones, I can understand their interest, so eager to make their fortune. Izabal was another thing entirely. That slitch does nothing unless it benefits her in some way. It’s an attractive piece of jewelry, but certainly not worth the gold that miser Baldric had spent. And why are they so resolute about the other boy’s immediate removal? I agree the Duaar shouldn’t be taken lightly. He might be young, but he’s crafty, and he wears the clan mark of Raskurr Stoneshield. It would not be wise for us to underestimate his ability… or his bond with the Baldric’s nephew. A subtle glint lit his eyes. Izabal is troubled by him, that makes him a potential asset.

  “I’ll leave it up to you to decide our next steps,” Castillo replied. The youngsters were surprised to see me at the cabin, as we expected. They had no defenses prepared.” He paused, “I understand why I must continue our little charade with Lord Baldric, however, Izabal has no idea I’m associated with you. May I make a suggestion? Lord Baldric has never seen the medallion. Perhaps a modification, close but with a few minor changes?”

  “Hmmm… yes, if only to jam another thorn in Izabal’s side. Contact Loric and have him return immediately. He’s the best for this kind of project. You make the arrangements. The mithral will be no problem, we have sufficient in the vault.”

  “I’ve already ordered Loric’s return. Once he’s completed the duplicate, I’ll deliver the fake medallion to Lord Baldric. For the moment I think we should leave the boy alive. The young Duaar pup thinks I’m hiding something but he’s unsure what it is I’m hiding. He’s convinced I’m working for Alex’s uncle. I admit the Shii girl’s presence was a surprise. She’s the same one I caught in the warehouse last week.”

  “That’s unexpected. I need to think about how it changes the game. For now, I agree we should change our own plans and keep the medallion. We’ll give them the copy as you suggested. Even if its discovered to be a fake, Lord Baldric cannot prove it wasn’t substituted for the original long ago. We’re risking everything if Izabal discovers the substitution but for now, I’m enjoying the game.”

  “And then I should resume my search?”

  “Yes. If there’s something of great value to be found, I want to be the one to find it.

  *******

  The faint clink of metal against stone was all the warning Maxx received, they were no longer alone in the tunnels. He hesitated, unsure if it was Tweet returning from another of his rambling jaunts or even more likely, his futile attempt to catch something to eat. The adolescent Mir-cat tended to vanish without warning and return the same way, often with no explanation for his absences except an occasional blood stain around his mouth. Usually, he’d answer Rhianwen’s call, but sometimes, especially if he was feeling petulant, he’d ignore her requests until he’d decided she’d waited for him long enough.

  Of course, it was better to be safe than sorry. He held one hand up to Alex while placing a finger over his mouth in a silent warning of imminent danger. Alex stopped walking immediately and signaled for girls to remain still and quiet. Rhianwen quickly closed the light shield on the lantern, shrouding the hallway in darkness.

  Satisfied that the others would remain still and silent, Maxx crept cautiously toward the entrance to the stair landing, pausing stone>to listen just before the arched doorway. He could clearly make out distant voices as well as the heavy footfalls of several bodies fumbling along in the dark. Despite his limited vision, he could make out movement on the steps far above. Whoever it was, they were stealthily making their way down the winding staircase. Unless their small group moved quickly, they would be trapped between the stairs and the passage to the hidden room. Their only escape was the unexplored partially collapsed hallway.

  *******

  “We have a problem,” Maxx whispered to Alex as he rejoined the group. “There are at least three or four people approaching. It’s too dark for me to see if it’s Castillo, but we need to assume its trouble. There’s no way we can get past them on the stairs. With the exit blocked we either stand and fight or take a chance that the damaged side of the tunnel leads to another exit. We don’t know anything about it, it may be just like this side, continuing for a while then ending at a wall, or worse, it’s completely blocked by fallen stone. We have no other options. There’re too many of them for us to fight.”

  “I vote we try the tunnel”, Alex said. “Don’t worry about Tweet, he’s sure to be hiding nearby, hoping to snatch a snack when they’re not looking. He will be right behind us once he realizes there’s no food to be pilfered. With Tyche’s blessing, we can slip past the doorway in the dark and be well down the other tunnel before they reach the landing.”

  “Let Maxx go first, Nikiva argued. He can see the best in the dark.” She took Maxx’s left hand, carrying the three books in the other. Rhianwen placed her right hand on Nikiva’s shoulder, then stepped in behind so it would be easier on her. Alex tried to convince Maxx to let him lead, then gave up and moved into position behind Rhianwen.

  Maxx shouldered his pack, then he moved slowly down the tunnel to just before the arch of the open doorway and then stopped. Lying on his stomach, he inched forward until he could check the downward progress of the party on the stairs. There were still at least ten or twelve landings above the bottom. The absolute darkness of the corridor made it impossible for the group to be seen from so high up. Silently they wove their way around the rubble blocking the opposite passage, trusting Maxx to find the safest path in the darkness. Entire sections had fallen, scattered stones blocked portions of the passage leaving only small areas to squeeze through. Maxx managed to spot potentially dangerous segments before the girls h
ad to cross them.

  Alex stayed in the rear, keeping a watch over his shoulder as he fled for any sign that the brigands were following. As he walked he silently mumbled a prayer to whatever god might be listening, asking that the men would follow the easier path to the chamber at the dead end thereby wasting much needed time. So far Tyche had been with them, but the twin moons mistress had always been a fickle lady, that advantage could change at any time.

  Rhianwen didn’t want to complain about walking but her legs had gone numb long ago. Nikiva appeared to be just as tired. Alex supported her until she was able to make her way over to a nearby rock, and then after she was settled, went back to help Rhianwen. As she slipped to the ground her legs started to tremble. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so weak. To make things worse, Maxx insisted it was too dangerous to stop.

  “We need to keep moving, it won’t take them long to explore the other end and realize they have us trapped,” Maxx argued. “I’ll light the lantern, but we need to keep it partially closed. And don’t talk unless you’ve to, voices carry a long way down here.”

  “Do you think that this tunnel is a dead end too?” Nikiva whispered. “I’d hate to think we made a big mistake by running instead of fighting.”

  “No, Maxx reassured her. I’ve felt a steady, cool breeze on my face for a while now. There must be a way for the air to get in. Someone built it for a reason, just keep your fingers crossed it’s a back exit. This passage has a gradual downward slope, the other didn’t, that could be a good sign. Of course, right now it’s the only option we have.”

  “Well, the odds of finding a way out are much better than the odds of staying alive if whoever’s trailing us wants us dead,” Alex said. “By now they’ve realized we slipped past them. They’ll be coming fast, they can’t be far behind us. Our only chance is to beat them to the end of this tunnel.”

  “I’m starting to worry about Tweet. He’s usually back by now,” Nikiva said.

  Alex wasn’t worried. The Mir-cat was small but quick, no one would catch him if he didn’t want to be caught.

  ********

  “Well, at least it’s not a dead end,” Maxx acknowledged. “I can feel the air moving through the cracks. I don’t suppose you know any spells that would transport us all out of here?” After miles of walking through the narrow passage, they were once more facing a blocked-up wall. Everyone looked at Nikiva hopefully, however, the young mage shook her head.

  “No luck here either, Rhianwen added. Teleportation’s a major spell and only high-level clerics attempt it. I’ve no idea why I can do healing spells, there’s no way I’d try to teleport.”

  “At least we have good, solid rock under our feet and the ceiling appears to be in great shape. Whatever caused the structural damage near the stair landing didn’t affect this area. I can tell by the way the stones are set in the mortar that experienced masons built the wall, but it was a long time ago. See how light the mortar is, and how the dust has gathered in the cracks and on the face of the stones? No one has touched it for a very long time, years longer than the wall that was closing off the hidden room… maybe hundreds of years longer.”

  Alex was already shaking his head. “It’s so old I feel guilty about what we’re about to do, but unless we want to face off against whoever is tracking us, we’d better get to work knocking it down.” He used his sword pommel to start chipping away at the ancient mortar. Just as Maxx had suggested, it was old and dry, breaking apart with little effort. With Maxx beside him working on the opposite side of the hole, the men soon cleared an opening large enough for everyone to squeeze through.

  Rhianwen held the bulls-eye lantern overhead, enabling everyone to see. Alex whistled under his breath, while the others silently tried to fathom the scene before them. The ancients had a name for places like these, but that’s all they were, words to describe distant memories that everyone considered fables. Tales handed down to children to entertain them while the rest of the family worked, or slept, or whatever needed doing without a distraction.

  Carved into the lintel over the doorway was a sigil in a language no one recognized. A few steps beyond, the hall opened upon an elaborately carved balcony, big enough for all of them to stand comfortably beside one another. Overhead… way… way…way up overhead, the roughhewed ceiling of the cavernous structure could be dimly made out. A wide staircase sculpted from natural stone coiled downward following the natural curves of the wall, occasionally widening into balconies before ending into a floor that merged into a broad avenue. But the thing that immediately caught their eye was the engraving carved into the front of a stone obelisk that stood in the center of the first balcony. It was the same wyvern, down to the tiniest detail, as the one inscribed on the front of the medallion!

  “Still think we made a mistake to come this way?” Maxx crowed. He stared around the cavern, amazed at the architecture that surrounded the doorway. Not since leaving his family home seven years earlier had he seen such detailed carving. It was obviously Duaar handiwork, no other race worked stone in so proficient a manner, although Maxx was unfamiliar with the style of carving used to produce the beautiful sculptures in stone that surrounded them on all sides. Multiple impressions passed through his mind as he struggled to remember more from his childhood. I was so young when I was sent to live with my uncle. Stoneshield is a newer holding, built only a few hundred turns ago. His uncle hadn’t been much of a talker, especially when it came to any discussion regarding his sister and her husband. All I remember of my life before their deaths are tiny bits and pieces, memories long hidden by time, bursting forth when I least expected them. But now this---it was unbelievable!

  Nikiva was experiencing an entirely different emotion, ---despair. The very idea of another staircase to nowhere was more than she could handle. She slowly slid down until she lay prostrate at the feet of her worried friends.

  “Drasst,” Alex cursed under his breath, berating himself for overlooking the young woman’s condition, concern showing on his face. She was too stubborn to admit how tired she was. He dropped to his knees beside her, raised her head to his chest listening for her breath, then relaxed noticeably as she moaned a soft sigh and snuggled deeper into his arms. Nikiva’s breathing was shallow but steady and there was already a warm color returning to her cheeks. Lazily she opened her eyes and smiled up at Alex, a look so innocent and pure that he felt immoral holding her.

  “Don’t hover over her like that, Rhianwen snapped crossly, give her some room to breathe.”

  “What happened?” Nikiva asked drowsily, burrowing deeper into Alex’s arms.

  “You fainted.” He maneuvered her body into a sitting position without releasing her, fearing loss of even that small concession. Rhianwen shot him an exasperated look and then smiled after she realized Nikiva was holding him just as tightly.

  Until now, Maxx had not truly realized how scared the two young girls were. Other than the warrgs, they’d calmly faced any of the myriad obstacles that they’d encountered along the way. It appeared the girls were better at hiding their true feelings than he’d realized. Both were exhausted, somehow, he needed to find a way for them to get some rest soon. But in the meanwhile, …he picked up the small bags Nikiva and Rhianwen had been carrying and added them to his already heavy pack. “We’d better keep moving,” he said. If they catch us on the staircase, we’ll be slaughtered. There’re dozens of positions for archers to fire down at us, and numerous sections where there’s no cover at all. Once we reach the bottom, the way is open and easily passable. We’ll start making good time after we get off the stairs.”

  “I wish Tweet would show back up,” Nikiva said. “I’ve been trying to reach him. All I get is a general feeling of safety and curiosity. I know he’s all right but that’s about it.”

  “The passage is open now, there’s nothing to prevent him from tracking us. He’s probably stalking something edible.”

  Descending the stairs proved to be much faster than anyone expected,
the stone masons had crafted the steps to a universal height and smoothness that allowed them to practically run down them. The rapid pace allowed Nikiva to stretch her long legs, almost crying after the slow, bent back crawl that she’d endured most of the morning. You could almost feel the relief after the small party reached the bottom without hearing the first signs of pursuit.

  Eagerly they all took stock of their new surroundings. The cavern they stood in was far larger than it had seemed from above. Even Maxx, who’d spent most of his youth exploring caves with his brothers, was humbled by the enormous space. Many of the jutting stone formations were so ancient they had grown together into natural columns that reached from floor to ceiling.

  Nikiva gasped in delight, as Alex held the bulls-eye lantern overhead. Like jewels decorating the neck of a beautiful woman, the light from their small lantern illuminated veins of glowing minerals threaded throughout the vista of stalagmites and stalactites. Seen from above the floor of the cavern had appeared to be nothing more than another room. Now, by the lanterns light, they could see that it was, in fact, an ancient road, stretching off in two directions… both away from home.

  Max looked at Alex and Nikiva. “Choose, left, or right?”

  “I always preferred to go left,” Nikiva said with a quirky grin.

  “Why is that,” Alex asked. “Most of the times I choose to go right.”

  “That’s the reason. Given a choice, most everyone will choose right. I’m hoping the men following us will too.”

  “Left it is. Should we leave a trail for Tweet?” Rhianwen asked.

  “No, Tweet’s fine. By the strength of his ‘I’m ok’, I expect we’ll see his furry face very soon. He’ll be able to track us without any problems.”