The Quest for the Lost Shards of Power

by F M Andrews

  Urgency was tugging at Lutex and his agitation was rubbing off on the other two. Together they ran down the hill until they were just beyond the light of the torches. Tubble and Lutex vanished and Brack began to walk purposely towards the gate. With relief they passed through without so much as a sideways glance and using the shard’s pull Lutex directed them to a large dwelling down a side road.

  “She's in there somewhere.” He stopped, staring up at the window directly above him on the second story. “I think she is in that room.” Just then, the front door opened, and a large man bustled out, gave a woman holding a shawl protectively about her shoulders a quick hug before marching down the path. The woman stood staring after him for a moment and Lutex saw his chance. Swiftly he and Tubble sped silently up the path, scooted behind the woman and into the house, bare moments before she gave a large sigh and retreated inside, closing the door softly behind her.

  Not waiting to see what she would do next the boy and cat raced up the stairs until they found themselves outside a large closed door. Lutex could only just reach the handle on tip toes yet, in no time he had it open enough for them to be able to creep inside. There was no sign of the princess. A quick scan of the luxurious room proved it to be empty. She was close, though: Lutex could feel the shard almost in arm’s reach, but where? A small sound coming from behind the curtain gave him a clue. Silently, he crossed the thick warm rug and carefully peered behind the heavy drapes. Still no sign of the wayward princess. A draft helped to solve the puzzle and on closer examination he found the window open, a single hand clinging to the sill. Lifen was escaping. Instantly, he reached to grab the hand but, as luck would have it, she released her grip on the window sill and slipped out of his touch at the exact same instant.

  Had the fleeting touch been enough to let her know he was there? A loud cursing and muttered expletives followed by a rustling in the tree beside the window told him that it had. Eventually the hand reappeared soon followed by the other and finally Lifen’s screwed up face lifted above the sill. It obviously took a lot of effort to climb back up. After much huffing and even more cursing Lifen managed to pull herself halfway in and then inelegantly slid face-first onto the carpet. She rolled over and came to sit next to Lutex, still slightly out of breath from her exertion.

  “You could have timed that a bit better,” she thought to him, a smile taking out the sting.

  “How was I to know you were going to get all acrobatic on me?” Lutex replied, teasing.

  “So why are you here? What happened that you couldn’t wait for me to come to you?” Lifen asked in a more serious tone. Tubble had discovered the soft feather bedding and was padding contentedly, eyes almost closed and his rumbling purr could just be heard. Lutex watched him for a moment, amazed that the cat always made the best of any situation, while he tried to work out the least harmful way to explain his presence to the princess. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel guilty about choosing to come to seek help for her home. It was not her fault that they had run out of days.

  “Brack and I had an idea that we think might work,” he began. “We were thinking that we don’t need to make a long, perilous journey back up to the mountains. Instead, we realized that we could use the portal to take us back to Feld,” he concluded, hoping that she would buy it.

  Lifen sat for a long time mulling over this revelation before turning to look the boy in the eye. “We have run out of days, haven’t we?”

  He could not lie to her, and staring at the floor, he nodded.

  “This is on me. I have to live with this,” she murmured, squaring her shoulders as if taking up the weight of responsibility.

  “No. There was no way we could have made it back up to the pickup point with the small amount of time we have been given. Time seems to run crazily between our two worlds and we were just plain unlucky, that’s all.”

  Lifen sighed, stood up and reached down to help Lutex up. “Thank you,” she said. “I think I believe you.” She gave him a crooked smile before pulling herself together. “Okay, let’s do this thing. Where do we start?”

  “Well, there is one small problem,” Lutex admitted. “We don’t actually know where the portal is.”

  “Hmm. I wonder if aunt Junea knows,” Lifen mused, tapping her bottom lip with her forefinger. “Can’t hurt to ask, can it? Come on.”

  Together, they traipsed back down the stairs, boy and cat invisible once more. The living room was aglow with warm lamps and the fire had been stoked back into life. Junea was sitting in her favourite chair, sipping a steaming cup and staring off into the distance. Lifen came in quietly and sat in the chair opposite without saying a word.

  “You know, you would think I would get used to him going off to some battle or other,” her aunt began, still staring off at some remembered scene only she could see. “But still, every time, I feel empty when he leaves and worry constantly until he returns.” She took a tentative sip from her cup, looking up at Lifen over the rim. “But then, such is the lot of a soldier's wife,” she intoned as if it was a favourite phrase. Lifen stood, came to sit on the arm of her aunt's chair and placed a reassuring arm around her shoulders. They sat like that for so long that Lutex was beginning to become impatient; however, just when he was about to give her a prod, Lifen started up the conversation again.

  “Will they use the portal to go to Haktara?” she asked innocently, knowing full well how ridiculous that question was. Junea placed her cup down gently and took both her niece's hands in hers.

  “No, child; the portal is only used to send our troops into battle with that terrible race that takes our children.” She shuddered and the princess shuddered in sympathy.

  “I do hope that it is not anywhere near here. I would hate to think of those disgusting creatures somewhere close.” Lutex thought that she was laying it on a bit thick yet he could see where she was going with it.

  “Oh, no my dear, you are quite safe. The portal only operates in one direction, away from here. No one can come here from the other side, and besides, the portal itself is several moons’ march from here, so you are quite safe.”

  Lutex’s heart sank. This was not the news they wanted to hear, although Lifen was not giving up just yet. “It seems a long march for our troops to make before they have to fight.” It was a risky statement as it was not the sort of thing a frightened girl would be asking but Junea did not seem to notice.

  “I think there is a local gateway that they take to get to the main portal. It all sounds a bit strange to me and Serax has tried to explain it to me several times, but, you know, I am really not that interested and so I just nod and smile,” she confided in Lifen. This was more like it. Lutex and Lifen both sat up straighter.

  “So you are telling me that there is a way to get to the portal from here?” Lifen’s voice sounded a little too excited for Lutex’s comfort and when Junea’s expression showed a mild surprise he squeezed Lifen’s hand in warning. “You don’t have to worry my dear, it is perfectly safe, our gateway also only goes one way. No one can come here using it,” her aunt reassured her and Lutex relaxed once more. The older woman had misinterpreted the princess’s excitement for fear.

  “It must be well hidden. I did not see anything that looks like a portal or a gate when I came through the camp.” Lifen put on her best innocent air, hoping her line would catch an answer.

  “Oh no, you wouldn’t have, it was created in our church. It needs faith to activate it,” Junea said, proud that she had remembered a specific fact.

  “That is good; it puts my mind at ease,” Lifen said as she yawned and stretched. “I hope you don't mind if I return to my bed now, Aunt Junea. It has been a tiring few days for me and I am exhausted.” She bent and kissed the elderly woman on her forehead.

  “Sleep well, child and I will see you in the morning,” Junea replied, patting Lifen’s hand and smiling.

  Lutex could feel a jolt of guilt travel through the princess at the thought that she would not be saying a
proper farewell to this kind woman but it was short lived and in no time they had returned to Lifen’s luxurious room, this time armed with vital information.

  For the second time that night, the Princess of Haktara scrambled out the window, although now she was not alone. Alarmingly, the sky had a wash of lighter grey and they knew that dawn was not too far away. The meeting between Brack and Lifen was awkward to say the least. The young troll was still angry at her for putting her feelings and her family needs above the lives of everyone else and the princess understood this, blaming herself entirely for their present situation. At any other time, Lutex might have tried to smooth things out between the two, but today he did not have enough energy to waste.

  Quickly, they explained all they had found out to Brack before following Lifen down the darkened road towards the steeple of the church in the distance. As the dawn crept over them, the camp continued to empty, everyone busy with the business of mobilizing an army. Supply wagons rolled past, men in heavy coats sitting hunched on the driving benches, oxen complaining, the air clouded with their breath. This would be the rear guard, as the bulk of the Telft and their commanding officers were long gone. No one paid any attention to a lady being escorted by a young guard and in an amazingly short, hassle-free time they were standing outside the church, staring up at its slender tower.

  Lutex was fascinated. In all the time he had been on this world he had never thought about their belief systems. He knew that Zail had hijacked them and turned himself into a holy man but he had no idea what or whom they worshiped. He shrugged. A question for another time he thought, and so instead he asked, “So, how do we get inside?”

  “No church is ever locked,” Lifen answered as she walked up the steps and pushed open one of the huge, red doors. They swung inwards, revealing a dark interior. Luck was with them, and the place was deserted. With echoing footfalls they made their way inside. It was impossible to see anything and when Brack knocked over a statue, barely catching it before it smashed onto the ground, the need for illumination became obvious. With a little effort Lutex conjured a small orb of light to sit in his hands and they resumed their search.

  Logic would dictate that the portal would be in a place that was able to accommodate a whole troop of soldiers at one time, but the narrow aisles between the seats and ornate pillars would not facilitate this at all. It did not make sense. “Maybe there is another entrance,” Brack surmised, voicing what they were all thinking. Reluctantly, they retraced their steps and began to circumnavigate the building once more. Half way round, they finally found what they were looking for, a wide entrance leading to a large, empty hall. The place was deserted, but still, they were cautious as they crept towards the far end where they could just make out a tall, ominous black archway. They moved as a group in case of a sudden attack. None came.

  It was almost too easy. Eventually they found themselves standing before the ornate wood-worked arch, the space within it like a milky, aged mirror. All stood and stared, uncertain what to do next.

  “Perhaps you just walk through it?” Lifen offered.

  Lutex picked up an old buckle lying on the floor beside him, possibly accidentally left behind by some Telft on his way to war, and threw it at the archway. The result was singularly unspectacular and disappointing. For one enticing moment it looked like it would pass through and the next it had rebounded as if it had hit a solid wall, clattering to the floor in front of them, echoing through the hall, sounding loud in the silence. Lutex tried using his talent yet it was useless. Absolutely nothing happened.

  “I wonder if there are symbols to use or a word to say?” Brack mused, moving closer to one of the wooden arms of the arch. He never made it. With a crash, a side door burst open and a skeleton of a man, dressed in a sumptuous robe, a flaming torch held high in one hand and an earthenware jug in the other, burst into the hall.

  “What is the meaning of this desecration? Who are you to defile the prophet’s sanctuary?” he screamed, spittle flying from his lips. All stood staring, stunned. He had appeared so suddenly that Lutex had no time to reach Tubble and become invisible. All he could do was revert to hanging his head and trying to look like an innocent child. For a moment, all movement stopped. They were a tableau of statues staring at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The silence was shattered by a resounding thud as the earthenware jug hit the floor, slipping out of the lax fingers of the ancient troll as he registered the fact that one of the dreaded enemy was standing here within the hallowed hall of his church; in fact, it was standing right in front of him.

  Lutex’s hope fell along with the jug: his ruse had not worked. He just stood there clinging to Brack’s hand.

  “You! You shall not live! How dare you enter this holy place? How dare you show your filthy face anywhere that has been sanctified by the beloved prophet himself?” the shrivelled old troll shrieked.

  Once, he would have been tall and broad but age had robbed him of his stature and now his flesh sagged on his bones. He was dressed in a long, white robe, edged with gold. Dark red stains around the hem marred its perfection and Lutex wondered if these were splashes from the fallen jug. A gold cap crowned his head from under which some of his straggly, grey hair had escaped. His eyes were pale but intense and Lutex was not sure if they were entirely sane.

  The priest was shaking with emotion now, the torch he held aloft trembling, causing shadows to flicker erratically about the room.

  “You shall not live! Your blood will be a sacrifice to his lordship and your life will be erased,” he spat with vitriol, slowly advancing, his eyes never leaving Lutex’s. No one moved, unsure of how this was going to play out.

  “I will find out how you came here and put a stop to anymore of your kind ever fouling our air again,” he ranted, his chest swelling with the power of his righteousness as he came to tower over the small, tawny-haired boy, then, without warning, his hand shot forward to snatch Lutex’s throat. Lutex’s mind exploded. The contact was putrid, populated with nauseating images of vile deeds, overflowing with blood, misery and the sick delight that these things elicited. Lutex felt violently ill, tainted, soiled and would have pulled away if it were not for the fact that amongst all these repellent images there also resided the clue of how to activate the portal. The priest himself was obviously not prepared for the contact and stood with glazed eyes, breathing rapidly. Lutex knew he would never be able to wash away the horror of what he was experiencing, delving through the loathsome passages of this unclean mind. It took all his willpower to stay and resist the overwhelming urge to vomit. Just as he felt he could not remain there for a moment longer he hit gold. A memory of a meeting with Zail, or at least Lutex assumed it was him, probably in one of his many disguises, but there was no mistaking the cunning manipulation being employed as he blatantly used flattery and bribery to ensure that his will would be done. In this case he wanted the spreading of the false rumours and a steady stream of trolls to do battle in Feld.

  Gritting his teeth, Lutex delved even deeper, following the memory and amazingly found himself witnessing the operation of the portal. His body convulsing, fighting the nausea, he seized all the information he could glean before trying to escape, but to his horror, he found himself caged. Zail must have set a trap within this unsuspecting troll’s mind, to be triggered if he was ever tampered with, and Lutex was much to unskilled and inexperienced to be able to evade it. His exit had been cut off and only an endless maze lay ahead of him. Absently he could still feel his body, feel the tears on his cheeks, the priest's hand tightening on his throat, but he had no control of it. He was unable to even pull away.

  Sensing victory over his enemy the priest began to smile and thoughts of exactly how he would torture and kill his victim caused pleasure points within his mind to ignite. Lutex felt like a rabbit facing a fox, seeing his own death but unable to do a thing about it, until, in that instant, all went black and he was shunted unceremoniously back into his own mind and body.
Apparently it was not his time to die just yet.

  Blinking rapidly, he looked around to get his bearings and noticed the crumpled form of the priest at his feet, alive but unconscious, and an angry Brack towering over him, axe still held firm in his hand. With a shaky smile Lutex thanked his friend who in turn patted him on his shoulder in reassurance.

  “Could see you were having a bit of trouble there but to be honest, I have wanted to hit him from the first moment I saw him,” he shivered. “He gives me the creeps.”

  Lutex couldn't agree more. Quickly Lutex filled the others in on all he had learned, noting that it was time to get moving. So far they had been incredibly lucky that no one else had come to investigate; however, they couldn’t trust in luck forever.

  “Naturally, Zail has set these gateways up to be activated with a blood sacrifice,” Lutex began. “There is a channel that forms the threshold of the archway. This needs to be filled with blood to complete the circle and activate the portal.” He informed them. They scrambled back to the arch and using the priest’s torch, located a shallow, narrow groove in the floor stretching across the base of the arch.

  “This will hold a lot of blood,” the princess observed with disgust. “Does it have to be full to work?” she asked Lutex hesitantly. He could only nod in answer as visions he would never forget floated before him. Although he really did not want to examine these closely, there was something in them that caught his attention.

  “The jug! He was carrying a jug full of blood,” he cried as he ran to retrieve it. Miraculously, the vessel had landed upright on its thick base and although a large amount of precious liquid had spilt it was still about three quarters full. Carefully he carried it to the archway and poured the thick, red brown blood slowly into the channel, making sure not to spill a drop. The blood spread right across the threshold, activating the portal with a crackling, sizzling sound that made the hair on the back of their necks stand on end. They had done it! They had activated the gateway. Wide grins split their faces as they shared this moment of triumph.