Dark Enlightening

by Shawnna Lea

  "You didn't like that fun house, so I thought I'd find you another."

  "Not funny." He looked up and down the street, wondering where Traz's place was from here. Whisper seemed to read his mind.

  "That'll do. I doubt they're looking for him yet." Avic glared at Whisper's back as they started down the street. After weaving through a few more buildings and up a couple roads, he finally recognized where he was and began to lead. He was looking forward to some real food and a nap. However, Traz's shop was closed. He leaned against the door frame, glaring at Whisper again.

  "Where is he, then?" Whisper looked to the side casually and then slid away, slipping into the alley on the side of the shop. Avic sighed and followed, finding Whisper picking the lock on the back door. They entered the silent shop, closing and locking the door behind them. A fine layer of dust coated most everything. Avic estimated two maybe three weeks’ worth; about the amount of time since his capture. So, it was possible Traz had come and gone, but he doubted it.

  Whisper lit a lamp, again unnecessary for him but a comfort for Avic. He wasn't letting Whisper off the hook this time. As he began to rummage through the cupboards and closets for food, Avic cleared his throat.

  "So, where did he go after escaping the cave? Why isn't he here?" Whisper dumped an armload of packages of noodles and cheeses and bread on the tabletop.

  "He probably didn't want to end up in a dark cell like you. Hard for a shopkeeper such as himself to not look anyone in the eye." He began rummaging for a pan noisily, then began trying to light the stove coals with the rattly old spark box Traz never had to use, pinching his fingers numerous times. Avic rolled his eyes, taking it from the frustrated assassin who took the pan, pumping water into it with far more ease. The tinderbox worked easily for him, and he took the pan of water from Whisper who looked like he wanted to drop it.

  "We should catch up to him then and figure this thing out. You know what they were blaming me for? The sky falling! What sort of story is that? The sky falling, really..." He had expected Whisper to laugh at that, but he just went about breaking noodles into the pan. "Whisper?" He glanced over briefly. Something was very wrong. "Whisper... IS the sky falling?"

  "Eeeeeeeee... maybe? It certainly LOOKS like the sky... sort of... in a way..."

  "Wait, WHAT?!" He grabbed Whisper by the shirt, who yelped but didn't hit him like he had expected. He looked him right in the eye. "Tell me what's going on!"

  "Well... there's not much to tell... The sky is falling." He shrugged smiling a little. "That's all there is to it. They uh, think we may have done it due to uh... some vision some fella had about eyes and stars and death or something like that." Avic let him go, backing up to lean against the wall. He rubbed his forehead trying to take that all in. Whisper patted his shoulder as if he were trying to give some comfort. He was pretty sure it was just an act.

  "And where is Traz? Is he investigating this?" Again, Whisper slid away, breaking more noodles in the pot. "WHISPER!"

  "Please do." He rounded the table toward his friend, his blood boiling. He stopped short of grabbing him again as Whisper had a dagger out now, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Don't manhandle me. I dislike it."

  "Then tell me what is really going on!" Whisper was silent for a moment then slid the dagger back into his sleeve and shrugged.

  "Fine. Traz is bringing down the Heavens."

  Chapter 3

  Avic followed Whisper over the rooftops of shops, climbing from one roof to another. He hated the jumps, terrified he wouldn't make it one of these times. All day, he had pushed Whisper to tell more, and he had decided to show instead of tell. Now, he wished he'd just let Whisper be silent. At least, till morning.

  They climbed to the top of yet another roof, the wind beginning to whip around them. Whisper pulled him low, yet again, and he glared at him before looking forward, following Whisper's gaze. He could see all the way across the city from here, down the hill, toward the Lower City and up the hill, toward the High City and the Keep at the top. He squinted, then, toward the Lower City. Something wasn't quite right.

  The whole city floor seemed to be moving. Large crowds of people were bunched up, trying to get over the bridge into MidCity. The East Gate was bottled up as well, hundreds trying to get out.

  "What's going on? Why are they all leaving?" Whisper held up a finger, continuing to watch below.

  "Wait for it..." Avic watched the city, beginning to drowse, when a cry went up waking him. Everyone below was shouting, beginning to push to get out faster. Avic watched as a great glob began to descend from the sky. It looked exactly like the night sky, stars and all, falling down slowly like honey from a jar. He squinted, trying to make out what was happening where it hit, but they were too far away.

  "We need to get over there." He stood, intent on getting off the roof but Whisper grabbed his hand.

  "Now hold on, hero. You can't go over there. Have you forgotten? You're a wanted man now. You can't just go waltzing through squads of soldiers like you own the place."

  "But we have to see what's happening, or how are we going to stop it?!”

  “We?” Whisper leaned back on the roof smirking. “I already know what’s happening. I live over there, remember? Whatever that goop touches disappears. Becomes nothing. The soldiers are running all over around there, trying to keep people away from it and calm. You wouldn't believe the mess it's making."

  "We need to figure out how to stop it. If we really did do something to make it start, we have to be able to do something to make it stop. It only makes sense."

  "There's that WE again." He stood dusting off. "Look, I told you already. Traz is doing this somehow. So, if you want to go waste your time down there, by all means, go ahead, but don't expect me to bust you out of prison again. Not happening." He leapt to the lower roof waiting for Avic to follow. A bit more cautiously, he did.

  "Then, we find Traz. Talk some sense into him."

  "Oh no. I'm not going anywhere near that loon. He told me if I told you anything--which I already have--he'd rip my hair out one strand at a time and use it to hang me with. He was serious! No. I'm not going anywhere near him."

  "Wait, you talked with him? When? Why don't you just tell me everything?" He followed Whisper a few minutes, hoping for a response. When it didn't come, he got another idea. "If you do, it might convince me to give up these foolish notions..." Whisper sighed, turning to glare at him.

  "Fine then. I'll tell you. Make yourself comfortable because I don't want you falling off the roof. I'd hate to have wasted this whole week planning your escape only to have to scrape your brains off the paving stones."

  Avic sat scowling at him. He wasn't that clumsy. But now that he was actually going to know what happened, he was a bit nervous. Traz was his friend, and if he'd gone bad... he would feel responsible. Traz may be a wizard, but he'd never been power hungry. At least, Avic never thought he was.

  Chapter 4

  Almost three weeks earlier...

  "It doesn't look very safe. These beams don't seem sturdy." Avic studied the small hole in front of them.

  "Oh, come on! The scroll is very clear! All these clues we've followed for years lead right here!" Traz waved the last clue they had discovered in the air, eager to continue on.

  Avic wasn't so sure it was a good idea. They had hiked half the day up steep trails to reach this mine opening, but it looked mostly collapsed already. Traz was determined, though. ”Just think! Within this mine is hidden the most powerful magic amplifier on this continent. Perhaps in the whole world! Think of all the good we can do with it!”

  "I'm NOT going in there." Whisper sat down on a nearby rock, munching a bread roll, and Avic wondered briefly if he had taken that from his pack or Traz's. Traz sighed, shaking his head at them.

  "You're both being sissies. I'll show you! There's nothing to be afraid of." Traz dropped his pack, digging for the lantern before glaring at Whisper. "You eat too much."

  "Can I help it? Hiking mak
es me hungry. And dirty. I dislike this immensely."

  "You dislike everything immensely." Traz's voice came muffled as he dug in the sac.

  "Which is why I wonder why you enjoy my company so." He stuffed the rest of the bread in his mouth and took a long drink of water. Traz pulled out the lantern. It lit in another moment as Traz flicked his finger at the wick. Avic had always been fascinated at the ease with which Traz did the impossible. Traz had explained the symbols and the way a witch or wizard shaped them with the mind, but it had only confused Avic. Apparently, one had to have a certain ability in order to reach that power from the universe, and Avic simply didn't have it.

  Traz climbed through the rough opening leaving them out in the sun. Avic watched him walk in farther and farther. It did actually seem fairly clear once he got past the first dozen feet. He turned to Whisper.

  "We really shouldn't let him go alone." Whisper just shrugged picking crumbs off his dark grey hooded tunic.

  "He wanted to."

  "But anything could happen to him, and he'd have no help to get back out." Again, Whisper just shrugged. "Come on, Whisper, it won't be so bad. It looks like the tunnel clears after a dozen feet or so." Whisper shook his head.

  "I've been in old tunnels before. If the front is a wreck you can bet the inside is too. Unless someone has fixed it up recently, which I doubt, considering all the brambles we had to climb through to get here." He pulled a seed pod off his pants just for emphasis.

  "Well, we can't let him go alone."

  "I reiterate, he wanted to."

  Avic scowled at Whisper for a moment more before making his decision. He couldn't let Traz go alone. He pulled the other lantern from his pack--noticing the lack of food inside--and lit it with the tiny spark box he carried. He gave an unmoving Whisper a last look before squeezing into the mine shaft. Crawling over rocks and boulders, he finally made it into the better part of the tunnel. He could just see Traz's lantern light far ahead and looked around at the walls and ceiling. It was much closer than he thought it would be, the ceiling clearing his head by only a few inches. He quickened his pace to catch up with Traz who seemed to have stopped.

  The farther he went, the more chill it got. He was glad Whisper had insisted they all needed heavy jackets; a burden until now. Traz was pulling his on when he reached him.

  "I knew you would see the light." He winked and stroked his short, dark beard looking down the tunnel. It was nothing but blackness all around their lights. The cave opening was just a distant light still visible. "Well, let's get moving. Unless you think Whisper is going to join us."

  "I don't think so. He seemed pretty adamant he wasn't going to die buried under some mountain." Traz chuckled, picking up his light.

  "No doubt when we get back out he'll have already left and probably sold our horses for a nice sum. AND he'll have a great story when we approach him about it." They had a good laugh about that. Traz pretended he didn't like the assassin, but when Whisper wasn't paying attention, he would study him. It wasn't often a wizard got the chance to be near Whisper. He didn't like them for some reason. He only stayed around Traz when Avic was there. Otherwise, he was nowhere to be found.

  The tunnel wound deeper and deeper. Soon, the walls became moist and the floor squeaked underfoot.

  "Somehow I knew it would be wet and cold." Traz leaped ahead, tripping and almost landing face first while Avic ran into a tunnel wall and rounded on the assassin.

  "DON'T DO THAT!" His yell reverberated around the tunnel, and he immediately regretted doing so. Rocks shifted and fell in the distance, and dust floated down around the lanterns. Traz peeked out from under his arms, curled up in a ball by the wall. He glared at both of them. Whisper went about dusting off his shoulders and shaking the dirt out of his hair.

  "Please don't do that again, Avic." Traz nodded in agreement and Avic coughed quietly.

  "Don't worry, I won't. I thought you weren't coming." Whisper shrugged.

  "It got hot waiting in the sun." Traz stood, gesturing down the tunnel.

  "It's not too much farther according to the clue." Avic glanced at the paper Traz was unfolding from his bag.

  "How can you tell?"

  Traz pointed to the wall, and they all looked, Whisper whistling quietly. On the wall Avic had run into, were colorful swirls painted in patterns of animals and people mixed with different colored circles. It was different from the design on the other pieces of papyrus they had hunted down; more complete. Amid the paint were tiny sparkles which, when Avic looked closer, he saw were tiny shards of diamonds. Traz was busy copying the design, marking the different colors with bits of colored wax. Whisper watched him, pointing out any and every little flaw until Traz glared at him and told him to go chase a cave cricket.

  Whisper wandered down the tunnel a little way into the dark, and Avic shifted uncertainly. He didn't like splitting up. He picked up his lantern and moved a bit farther down the tunnel. The ceiling began to get lower, and Avic stopped, squinting into the dark after Whisper. He was a good head and a half taller than Whisper, so he probably didn't care the ceiling was getting lower. Avic, however, was getting nervous.

  Traz's footsteps made him turn as his friend came up behind him.

  "Shouldn't be too much farther. There's supposed to be a large cavern with a bridge to the other side."

  The ceiling continued to lower till they both walked, stooped. Traz was only half a head shorter than he, and they both plodded forward, getting a bit sore. That's when they saw the tiny light ahead. Avic hoped it was a way out but he didn't hold his breath for it. As they got closer, they saw Whisper sitting there, looking smug with a tiny candle. He promptly blew it out once they were close enough.

  "You've gotta see this. It ALMOST makes this hike worth it." He moved out of the way of a small opening and took their lanterns. "Go on, crawl through. There's plenty of room on the other side, and then, just watch." Avic wasn't so sure he trusted Whisper in this, knowing he liked scaring people, but Traz climbed eagerly through so Avic followed into the dark. It was a tight fit for him and once he reached the other side he slid through boulders the size of his head to a flat surface. He found Traz and waited.

  As soon as the lantern light came in, the cave became almost blinding! Avic looked around in wonder as the high ceiling sparkled. Sharp stalactites stretched downward, each encrusted with rough gems, the floor beyond sloped down to a pool which reflected the light and colors all around them in shimmering flashes. They sat there staring as everything danced around them. He bet the king himself didn't have so many riches. Whisper slid down next to them, leaving a lamp up above.

  "ALMOST makes it worthwhile."

  "You know, I don't really believe you aren't impressed by all this, street rat." Traz stood, walking to the edge of the ledge to look down.

  "Cat. And really, who wouldn't be?" They both joined Traz at the edge looking at the water below. It was a steep incline, the water so still you might think the pit was full of spikes. For all they knew it could be. No telling how deep the water was.

  "There! Look!" Traz was pointing across the water to the other side at what looked like the remains of a stone structure. Probably their bridge. It looked like there was another tunnel opening just beyond that.

  "How do we get there now? The bridge is out." Avic scowled across the water. Traz shrugged.

  "It can't be too far across. We could swim it!" Whisper sighed.

  "And this is why I'm here. You can't swim in this icy water. Your body will shut down, and you'll drown before you're halfway across."

  "Well, there's got to be a way. We can't give up now! We're so close!" Traz looked ready to jump in anyway, and Avic looked quickly around. The ledge extended only so far out before it receded into the bank. But the incline, despite being steep, went all the way around. He pointed it out, and Traz took it as their one and only path, beginning to push them forward.

  "Then, there's a way! Yes! We'll make it yet!" Whisper drug his feet, holding
back and making Traz exert all his energy pushing at him.

  "I dislike this idea. The bank might be very soft, and we could slide right in!"

  "You dislike everything, let's go!"

  "But--" It was then that the rumbling started. Traz slowed, and Whisper ducked under his arms toward the smooth wall. Quiet took over, and Avic and he exchanged a nervous glance, chuckling a little. Then Traz laughed at Whisper who was pressed against the wall yards away, staring up at the stalactites. Whisper didn't move, however, and his eyes were wide. A pebble fell down between them, and they both looked up as an echoing CRACK! split the silence. More rocks fell, and one of the large stalactites began to descend. They both ran toward the wall as, above them, another, next to the first, cracked. The enormous spike smashed into the ledge just beyond where they had stood. The cave echoed with the crash, and the colors and shimmer went wild as the water was disturbed. It seemed the wall was farther away than before. Whisper pressed against it, watching them with eyes wide. A large stalactite smashed right behind Avic, and he was thrown forward to the ground.

  Whisper watched, petrified against the trembling wall as Avic went down. Traz kept running, barely missed by numerous rocks and boulders. Shrapnel from the smashing spikes flew in every direction, and Whisper instinctively spun away from it, curling up and protecting his head. For what seemed like hours the roar and splashing continued. He pulled his mask up from around his neck over his mouth and nose, hoping to block the dust and breathe better. He had little hope of survival as he was pummeled by debris.

  The quiet was long in coming, but when it did come, it was complete. Nothing moved, and Whisper was afraid if he made a sound, he might set it off again. But he stood, pulling himself from the small bits and shards of rock and gem. Looking around, he coughed on the dust that had yet to settle. He stayed where he was, waiting and watching. A few more rocks fell. A splash or two. But silence. Finally, when he could breathe a little easier, he drew out his small candle and a prepared strike stick. Lighting the candle, he looked around the cavern. It still sparkled, many of the stalactites still hanging above their missing neighbors. He didn't bother trying to call for anyone. If they were alive, they were under rocks and wouldn't hear him anyway.