The Immortal Mystic (Book 5) (9 page)

“They are easier to carry when they are small,” she explained. “Also, they don’t much care for the light. They are from the darkest reaches of the tunnels below Terramyr.”

Erik only half listened. His mind was focused on the she-elf before him. He summoned his power forth and tried to assess her. At that moment, she looked up and smiled at him. She turned and sat cross-legged on the stone and placed her wrists over her knees.

“You want to help me?” Erik asked.

Salarion nodded. “I will help you escape these lands.” He detected no lie in her words.

“Why would you help me?”

Salarion smiled wider. “I have a score to settle with the Black Fang Council.”

Erik took a breath and thought about her answer. “You hunt them?”

She nodded. “I should thank you,” she offered. “You slew one of them in Stonebrook.”

Erik shook his head. “I am not the one who killed her,” he said.

Salarion nodded. “I know. It was the dragon slayer Tillamon. Still, it was you who discovered her. Until you arrived, all had been deceived by her portrayal of Patrical. You have quite an impressive talent.”

“You seek revenge?” Erik pressed, still trying to discern what kind of woman sat before him.

“There is a bit more to it than that, but revenge is a large component of it, yes.” Salarion motioned behind her with a nod of her head. “In the tunnel there is another shadowfiend. The council that once had five, now only has two.” Her mouth closed then and she looked to the cocoon. “A gnome?” Salarion asked.

Erik looked to Jaleal and nodded.

Salarion knit her brow and looked to Erik. “May I?”

Erik studied her for a moment and then nodded. Salarion moved into the chamber and held her right hand out over Jaleal. The dark elf closed her eyes and took in a deep, slow breath. She moved her hand above the cocoon and then leaned back on her knees and looked to Erik.

“I know of an herb that can aid his healing. I will lead you out through the underpass to the north and then I will go for the herb.”

“Why not go for it now, together?” Erik asked, eager to help his friend.

Salarion shook her head. “No, the herb grows in the tunnels. I can find it easily enough, but I will be faster without you in tow. The shadows are no place for a creature of light, such as yourself. Besides, we will be hunted. You will be infinitely safer on the north side of the mountains. Trust me.”

Erik called upon his power again, not quite ready to fully trust her. His power assured him that there was no deception in her words. Still, he had a nagging doubt in the back of his mind. Something about her was not as it seemed. They sat watching each other for a few moments and then Erik relented. “Very well, show me the underpass.”

Salarion smiled. “Follow me.” She turned and crept back out through the tunnel. Erik watched her go for a moment and then turned to gather Jaleal. He crawled out through the tunnel, stopping for a few moments to inspect the bloody corpse of a horrid figure with horns on its head and scales over its body. Its throat had been slashed and great claw marks marred its chest. When he emerged from the tunnel he saw Salarion pick up a bow and sling it over her shoulder.

“He was after me, wasn’t he?” Erik asked with a gesture back to the cave.

“His name was Takala,” Salarion said. “He would have killed you and absorbed your energy, for that is what shadowfiends do.”

Erik shrugged. “I might have won,” he said. “I did just defeat Tu’luh, after all.”

Salarion nodded as she checked vials and pouches on her belt. “You have done well,” she said. “You have defeated many powerful foes, however, I don’t think you can take credit for them by yourself. I understand that you have always had help, am I wrong?”

Erik was taken aback by the comment. It wasn’t wrong, but it felt like an unnecessary jab. He thought back over the past couple of months and nodded. Dimwater and Lepkin had helped with Tukai. Al had been there to help with Janis. Though he slew the warlock at his home alone, he had many champions there to help him. Even when he tangled with the Blacktongues or the senate members, he had had ample help. Tu’luh was no different. The first encounter he had an entire army of champions. In the second battle, the dragon was already crippled from the first, and he still had needed Jaleal’s help to succeed. His head dropped slightly and he looked down at the ground.

Salarion moved in close and slid her left hand under his chin, pulling his eyes up to meet hers. “It is not wrong to have help, nor should you discount your own courage and abilities.” She paused and looked at him firmly. “But, beware of pride, for it has brought down many mightier than you.”

Erik nodded. Salarion moved on, motioning for him to walk with her. He moved quickly after her, and for the first time noticed that the sand and ash had stopped swirling around. The wind had subsided entirely. Some dust and ash still fell from the sky, but it was not the harsh storm from before. Now it was as gentle as snow.

They moved through the darkness, Salarion out in front and Erik jogging to keep pace with her as he depended upon his summoned light to uncover his path. They traveled for hours, but there was no way to know when the morning came. The heavy cloud above them entirely blocked any light from the surface of Verishtahng. Even the red glow from the various streams of lava or the open vents was dampened by the thick blanket of ash. If not for Salarion’s magic the two of them would have likely suffocated. Every once in a while they would pass a mammoth carcass covered in ash, with only the tip of its trunk or tusk visible to identify it. Every pool of water they approached was filled with ashen mud, and no life survived within. Crocodiles and fish alike were cast in a macabre bed of gray.

Neither of them stopped until they reached the base of the mountains in the north. Even there the ash was thick. Salarion had to maintain her sphere of protection until they finally uncovered the entrance to the tunnel. The charmador was let out and it excavated through the ash and gave them the opening they needed. Salarion went in first, and then Erik followed. The ash had spilled into the tunnel for more than fifty yards, but then there were a series of twists and turns around which the gray ash had not reached. Salarion dropped her spell once they were free of the ash and turned to Erik.

“This is where I must have you extinguish your light.”

“But, then I won’t be able to see,” Erik argued.

Salarion nodded. “Where we go, the light is foreign. Some creatures below are draw to it out of curiosity, others because it is a signal of something to hunt. Either way, none of the creatures will be friendly. It is best to pass through the night in shadow, so as not to disturb the natural balance here.”

“I thought this was just a cave?”

The she-elf smiled and offered a minute shrug. “It is, and it isn’t. Some call it the underdark, others call it sub-Terra, but to us it is known by a different name. It is Iverglendar, the land of the shadow. We will travel down, into the bowels of Terramyr, and then we will cross along the corridors of Iverglendar to the north. We will tread on a knife’s edge between the world of the Blessed Races, and that of Demons. Do as I say, and all will be right. Vary one inch from where I tell you to walk, and monsters as you have never imagined will pull you into the abyss and none above shall ever see you again.”

Erik swallowed hard. Even without his power he could tell she wasn’t jesting or exaggerating. Whatever he was going to walk through, he was going to be tempting fate, and death itself. He let his light die out and the two of them waited for his eyes to adjust as much as they could. A moment later the lizard moved alongside Erik and slid its tail into his left hand.

“Hold fast to his tail, he will be your eyes.”

Down they walked, into the belly of the world. The air grew damp, cold, and thick. The musty odor of mildew and mold assaulted his nostrils and made him frown, but Erik kept his mouth closed. Given how Salarion introduced this place, he was not about to speak unless necessary. They curved around through the tunnels and Erik was careful to follow the lizard’s every turn. When it moved, he moved. When it stopped, he stopped.

To Erik’s surprise, the farther they traveled downward, the warmer the air became. At one point the tunnel emptied out into a grand chamber illuminated by a roiling pool of lava that came and went down a long chute. Perspiration turned to sweat in the blink of an eye and Erik was only all too happy to leave the chamber behind as they skirted around to another tunnel on the opposite side. After they left the magma pool, he found there was much more light in the darkness than he had thought possible.

A butterfly, or at least something that looked very much like a butterfly, flew up in front of him with turquoise wings that glowed brightly in the darkness. Salarion placed a hand on Erik’s chest and whispered for him to watch. He kept his eyes on the fluttering wings and watched as it stopped to land. A moment later a grand flower with soft, long petals opened to the butterfly. The flower matched the butterfly’s intense glow. Its red blossom marking where the creature had landed. The butterfly then flew onward and landed several more times. Each landing awakened a new flower. Some were purple, others a bright red.

“We can eat the seeds,” Salarion said. “Come, we will rest here.”

“I thought you said light attracts other monsters?” Erik asked.

Salarion nodded. “Light from above, yes, but this is a light native to the shadow. Besides that, this is the Ivengar, a flower that actually wards off predators.”

“How can a flower do that?”

Salarion moved away and soon Erik saw a shadow plucking at the inside of a blossom. “Better you don’t know, probably.”

A moment later Erik felt Salarion place some seeds in his hand. Instead of being hard, as he expected, they were soft. He placed one in his mouth and crushed the soft outer shell with his tongue. The tart juice gushed out and left a minute kernel on his tongue. He chewed it and found the taste to be like that of a pine nut. He swallowed and took another couple.

“Do you like them?” Salarion asked.

“Better than I anticipated,” Erik said.

“I will gather more for us.”

“I can help,” Erik offered.

“Better that I do it,” Salarion said. “The technique is difficult to master.”

“Let me guess, it squirts poison if you harvest it wrong?” Erik surmised. “Sounds like a waterstack.”

Salarion let out a soft chuckle. “No, that isn’t it,” she said. “If you trigger the plant’s defenses, the petals will grab your hand and the flower will pull your arm into the ground. The flower is like a tentacle. What lies beneath the surface is a mess of acid and barbs that would make short work of your arm. The plant would then feast upon your blood until either you die, or manage to rip your arm free.”

“And that is why other beasts stay away from this plant?” Erik asked.

“I told you it was better not to know.” Salarion moved on and continued to harvest the seeds. Erik sat and watched, half expecting her to cry out in pain, but she never did. None of the flowers grabbed her.

When they finished eating their seeds, Salarion told Erik to get some rest. The charmador stood watch over them as they slept. Erik laid his head on a nearby rock, careful to look and make sure he was nowhere near any of the flowers. His body was eager for the rest. No sooner had he settled down than he fell into a deep slumber. There were no dreams, only rest.

Some hours later Erik woke. He blinked his eyes and rubbed the sleep from their corners. At first he was startled by the blackness, but then he remembered where he was and he sat up slowly. The lizard was not near enough to him to be found, so he remained still. He was not about to go feeling around for the lizard’s tail with a nest of blood-sucking flowers growing around him.

“Finally awake,” Salarion called out softly. “Come, I have scouted the way ahead. If we go now, we should be able to reach the exit within a few hours without danger.”

Erik pressed himself up to his feet and grabbed Jaleal. The lizard scampered up next to him and slapped Erik’s leg with its tail. “Has he always been with you?” Erik asked about the charmador.

“She, actually. Yes, she has been with me since she hatched. Until recently I actually had a pair of them, but one was slain in battle before we found you.”

“I am sorry,” Erik offered.

“Why should you be sorry?” Salarion questioned. Erik sensed genuine confusion in her voice.

“I assumed it was sad for you,” Erik explained.

Salarion didn’t say anything. She turned and walked on, her footsteps barely audible. The lizard moved after her and Erik again kept pace.

Marlin and Tatev halted their horses and dismounted. They stood at the edge of a verdant field with the mountains to their left. Marlin stood silently, staring at the mountains. Tatev looked around and dug in the dirt with his toes.

“I don’t see a cave,” Tatev said.

“It was here,” Marlin said. “The moon showed me.”

Tatev nodded resolutely and pushed the glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Well, I can go up and take a closer look.”

Marlin smiled. “No need, they are coming.” Marlin pointed out to a rock outcropping.

“I don’t see a cave,” Tatev said. No sooner had he finished his sentence than Erik came out from behind a large boulder. “Well I’ll be a horned toad,” Tatev said.

“Never doubt the moon,” Marlin commented with a smile. “Erik, we have a horse for you,” Marlin called out. “Are you well?”

Erik froze in place and his mouth fell open. “How did you know I would be here?” Erik shouted from beside the boulder. He waved eagerly and then broke into a run down the slope to greet his friends.

Marlin left the horses and made his way up the slope. He scanned Erik’s aura, and seeing that Erik was healthy he smiled wide and opened his arms to catch him. Erik hugged Marlin and repeated his question. “How did you know where to find me?” Tatev was only a couple of steps behind.

“You are covered in dirt,” Tatev said. “Are you alright?”

Erik nodded.

Marlin was about to answer and then he noticed the cocoon held in Erik’s arms. “Jaleal,” Marlin gasped. “I can only faintly see his aura.”

“Salarion said he will be alright. She has gone back to find an herb for him. She said it will accelerate his healing.”

Marlin and Tatev glanced to each other. “Salarion?” Tatev squinted and pushed his glasses up again. “When did you speak with Salarion?”

Erik pointed back to the mountain. “She brought me through the caves.”

“You walked with the dark elf?” Marlin asked.

Erik nodded. “She helped me,” he said.

“What did she ask for in return?” Marlin pressed.

“Nothing,” Erik said with a shrug. Marlin took a step back and folded his arms.

“Where is she now?” Tatev inquired.

“She went back for the herb. She said she would meet me in the eastern wilds.”

“What does she know of the wilds?” Marlin probed. “Did you tell her where you were going?”

“She knew a lot of things,” Erik said. His face skewed into one of confusion and his tone became defensive. “She helped me,” he said again. “She led me through the mountains.”

“I don’t know that I would trust her,” Marlin put in quickly. “Sierri’Tai are not known for their benevolence.”

“Their kind can’t be trusted,” Tatev put in.

Erik pointed at Tatev and shook his head. “But you are the one who told me how the sand elves were the ones who betrayed her kind,” Erik argued.

“She is a creature of the shadow,” Marlin said. “We are children of the light. Our kinds do not usually mix well.”

“She saved me from a shadowfiend,” Erik said. “Besides that, I used my power. She was not deceitful as far as I could tell.”

Marlin pursed his lips and folded his arms. His brow drew in close and he studied Erik for a moment. “I still have my reservations.”

“What if I told you that the shadowfiend who was hunting me was one of the Black Fang Council? Would you change your mind then?”

Marlin ran a hand over his chin and shook his head. “Even if she fights them, that does not make her our friend.” Marlin paused and then bent down close to Erik’s face. “You said you used your powers on her, what did you see?”

Erik stuttered. His defensiveness fell away and he recalled that he could not fully read her. There
had
been something that felt like it was hidden from him.

Marlin reached out and put a hand on Erik’s shoulder. “You couldn’t read her entirely, could you?”

“How could you know that?” Erik asked.

Marlin smiled. “I can see the thoughts whirling through your aura,” he answered. “However, even if I couldn’t see it, I already know of this problem. There is a blindness when it comes to dark elves. Somehow, their kind is able to hide from our sight. We can see parts of their souls, but there is always a portion hidden. Sometimes it is nothing, but other times it can conceal ill intentions or designs.”

“But why? I thought this would work with all people?”

Marlin shrugged. “Something with the magic that they are born with. It clouds our vision. I don’t even know if they are aware that they can do it. It doesn’t seem to be anything that they act upon consciously.”

“They are children of the shadow,” Tatev commented. “Born in the bowels of the world where the sun’s rays never illuminate the darkness. We are different on many levels.”

Erik nodded and then looked back to Jaleal. “Is there anything we can do for him?”

“We don’t have any healers at Ten Forts who could help with Jaleal, do we?” Tatev asked, obviously moving the three of them to a different topic.

“No,” Marlin said. “It might be best to send him along with the two of you. Once you find the Immortal Mystic you will have access to better healing than what we could provide.”

“We have some healers who survived,” Tatev said. “We could travel to—” Marlin cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“No, we need to get to the Immortal Mystic as soon as possible. Tu’luh has gathered his armies against us and…” Marlin stopped and turned to Erik. “I apologize, in my concern for you I forgot to ask. What happened with Tu’luh?”

Erik smiled wide and nodded slowly. “The dragon is dead.”

Tatev’s mouth fell open and he reached out to grab Marlin’s shoulder with his right hand. Marlin clapped and walked forward to embrace Erik. “You have done it!”

Erik returned the hug with his free arm and then clarified, “Jaleal is as much the hero as I am. Without him, I would not have succeeded.”

“Ah, but the demon is slain, and we are safe!” Marlin pulled him in tighter into his chest and gave him a hearty shake. He then turned to Tatev. “It is over. It is finished!”

Tatev ran a hand through his curly red hair and shook his head. “I…I am not even sure what to say.”

“The librarian has no words!” Marlin sniggered as he released Erik. “Ha!” Marlin clapped his hands again. “Come, come. Let us set you on your way east. The darkest part of the night is now behind us. All you have to do is find the Immortal Mystic and learn how to destroy Nagar’s Secret. Once the book is gone, then all will be well.”

“There are still the orcs,” Tatev reminded them.

“Bah,” Marlin scoffed with a wave of his hand. “If Lepkin and Dimwater can’t handle a few orcs, then I am a black-tailed gander.”

Erik’s eyebrows drew in and then went up over his nose as he first frowned and then let out a snort. “A black-tailed gander?” he asked.

Marlin waved it away and ushered them all back to the horses. “Come, it is time to go. I have brought some extra provisions. I thought you might be hungry after traveling through the wastes around Demaverung.” Marlin opened his saddle bags and revealed dried meat, bread, beans, and a few raisins and a jar of pickles. He offered some of it to Erik and then busily transferred the bags to Erik’s horse so the boy would have enough to make it to the next town.

“How was the journey through Verishtahng?” Tatev asked as Erik ate. “I heard there are strange creatures there that can survive by drinking the vapors and mists that shoot out from the vents, did you see any?”

Erik shook his head and tore into the dried meat.

“What of mammoths, did you see any of them?”

Erik nodded, but instead of talking he kept voraciously shoveling food into his mouth as fast as he could chew. He hadn’t realized it before, but now that he was able to rest and eat, his stomach was cramping into angry knots with hunger.

“The mammoths used to roam all of the Middle Kingdom. In the days of the orcs, before the humans pushed them to the south, the mammoths were the most abundant land animal. Entire cities lived or starved based upon the herds that roamed the lands.”

“Tatev, let Erik eat. I am sure the journey through Verishtahng was arduous enough. He shouldn’t have to suffer through your incessant questions until he has at least had the opportunity to fill his stomach.” Marlin interjected.

“You’re right,” Tatev said as he jumped up to his feet. “I am sure he is starving. I mean, the only things that grow in that part of the realm are waterstacks and a few different kinds of berries.” His face curled into a wide smile and he turned back to Erik. “Did you see the Fenolak berry? It is quite rare and can be crushed with the seed to create—”

“Tatev,” Marlin said sternly. “Enough.”

“Right, sorry,” Tatev said with a shrug. “Enjoy your meal,” he said.

“Go and prepare your supplies to go with him,” Marlin instructed Tatev.

Tatev gathered some rope and a large saddle bag. He took a knife and roughly jerked and sliced through the leather flap. He then bored a hole through the sides and slid the rope through. “I’ll place Jaleal in here,” he said. “We don’t want to risk dropping him while he is in his cocoon. Doing so could cause a fracture of the shell and would render him unable to heal inside.”

Erik didn’t question him. He gently handed the rough cocoon to Tatev and let the librarian slide it into the bag. The whole of it fit, with just a bit protruding from the top. “Why did you cut the flap off? It would have fit inside well enough and you could have closed the bag.”

“He needs sunlight. We’ll rotate the cocoon twice a day to ensure that the light doesn’t just get concentrated on one end of the cocoon.” Erik nodded and accepted the explanation.

“How long were you in the caves?” Tatev asked suddenly.

“Not very long, but before we got to the caves the volcano erupted and it blocked much of the sunlight also.”

“Demaverung erupted?” Tatev asked. His mouth fell open and he pushed his glasses up on his nose. He glanced back to Marlin, but the prelate shook his head, obviously forbidding the questions formulating in Tatev’s mind.

When Erik finished he mounted his horse and they all traveled eastward. The journey was uneventful, but Erik found it fairly tiring as he recounted in excruciating detail his entire trip for Tatev. When Erik left out some detail, like not explaining the color of the glowing butterflies well enough, Tatev was sure to stop him and make him explain it better. Still, it made the trip a bit less boring, even if it was exhausting.

Marlin also seemed interested in aspects of the adventure, but his questions revolved around Demaverung and Tu’luh. A big, wide smile was painted across his face for the whole way back, as if he had forgotten all about Salarion and only heard the news of Tu’luh. The three of them rode on through the late afternoon and well into the evening. They pitched camp near the road, and broke bread just as the sun dipped behind the horizon.

The night was cool and calm. Other than crickets in the wind, there was no commotion. Erik gazed up at the stars and thought to himself that if not for the fact that he had seen the camps, he might not know there were thousands of orcs on the other side of the mountains to the south and entrenched along Ten Forts.

The next morning was different. Erik noticed that the farther they traveled, the quieter Tatev became. At first Erik was happy for the reprieve from the constant bombardment of questions, but as the day wore on, he shifted in his saddle uncomfortably.

Marlin rode up alongside Erik and motioned for him to slow down. They let Tatev ride a bit farther along. “There is a nervousness in him,” Marlin explained.

“About what?” Erik asked.

“He has never gone on a journey like this before,” Marlin explained. “Even when hunting for books and rare texts he would send neophytes out from Valtuu Temple. Why, he hasn’t seen the sun for the last several years, and would likely still be in the library except for the fact that the temple was destroyed.”

“I’ll watch out for him,” Erik said.

Marlin nodded. “Who better to have as a bodyguard?” he asked with a smile.

“If he is so nervous about it, I could go on alone though,” Erik offered.

Marlin looked to Erik and shook his head. “No, it will be good for you to have him along. He will be able to help you identify things that will be of aid. Besides, it is always better to go with another. You will find the journey easier that way.”

“Why can’t you come along?” Erik asked.

Marlin shook his head again. “I am needed at Ten Forts. Mercer and Lepkin believe there is a traitor in our midst. I am to root him out.”

Erik frowned. “I suppose you would be the best person for that job.”

Marlin pointed with his chin out to Tatev. “Come, let’s go and see if we can cheer him up.”

They urged their horses along faster.

“Tatev,” Erik began. “Did I tell you about the plants in the caves that eat meat?”

Tatev perked up and looked to Erik. “You have,” he said. “But could you ride along closer with me and help me draw one? I should like to make a compendium about our journey.” Tatev reached into a thin pocket on his saddle bag and pulled out a thin, small leather bound journal. “I made a quick sketch based on what you said, but thought you might take a look at it.”