A World Apart (50 page)

Marcus spoke up, his voice soft, but firm.  "Feeling the evil of this area, I will say again that I am not leaving her in their hands a moment longer than necessary."  His face was a mask, hard and resolute. "I will attempt this place alone, if need be."

"You will not go alone, young Marcus."  Jonas said, smiling grimly, clasping his arm.  "I will go with you."

He looked at Hailyn, warmth in his eyes.  "Here, my dear girl, you must make the choice.  This is not something I would ever demand of you.  It is far beyond what would ever be required of an apprentice.  You can remain here to wait for us or take a horse and attempt to return to Alleon."

"I trust in the mercy of the One and in you.  I will follow you to whatever end, Master."  Hailyn replied simply.

Jonas nodded, then faced Jake.  "For you, to go along means that you will enter into the midst of those that want you desperately.  You are probably at the greatest risk of us all, Jake, so you must decide.  There is no shame to say no.  You can also take your horse and return to Alleon, even though that way is dangerous too."

"If you are going, I will go, Jonas."  Jake said, trying to push down his fear.  "Dominic would have done the same if he were here."  Jonas gave him a tight smile, then got down to business.

"We will leave the horses here and go on foot."  Jonas said.  "We'll make our way down to the rocks and find a place where we can observe the layout of this place while there is still light.  If we see a path in, we will take it."

They took out some rope and tied it off loosely between two trees, wrapping the horses' reins over it.  They left it loose so the horses could break free if threatened.  Marcus grabbed a waterskin and, kneeling, poured water into the dirt, mixing it with his hands, making mud.  Jake was not sure what he was doing when he motioned Jake over.

"Rub the mud on your armor."  Marcus said quietly as he started to do the same on his.  "It will reduce reflections off the metal, giving us a better chance of approaching unseen."  Jake, nodding his understanding, began to slather the mud on his breastplate.  After they inspected each other to make sure all of the exposed metal was covered, they went back over to Jonas.

After one final check of the horses, Jonas had them move off.  They made their way back to the top of the hill, trying to move stealthily, watching the surrounding woods, angling away from the forest trail.  Making sure that no enemies were in sight, they slowly worked their way down through the trees, stopping just beyond the tree line, behind some large rocks.  They peered around the rocks, their angle giving them a clear a line of sight ahead.

They could see that the tumbled rocks created jagged obstacles, flowing down the hillside.  At the bottom of the hill, a clearing appeared, the rocks seemingly pushed back.  The bare stone clearing spread out along the face of the cliff that loomed behind it.  They saw that there was a large natural opening at the base of the cliff.  They scanned the cliff for other openings, not seeing any others at first.

While they were surveying the cliff, a small group of eight half-men on horses appeared, riding out of the opening.  They watched as the group made their way up the trail and into the forest.  As they turned back, Jake caught a glimpse of movement away from the opening, near where the cliff merged back into the hills.  He tapped Jonas and pointed.

From behind a rocky outcropping, two half-men appeared, carrying something wrapped in a rough blanket between them.  They took it away from the cliff, then threw it towards the ground, pulling the blanket away.  Jake saw a naked body drop towards the ground, then vanish.  It took him a moment to figure it out what happened.  With the sun was getting lower, the clearing and base of the cliff were in shadow, but he was barely able to make out a darker opening in the ground.  There was some sort of pit there.  The half-men turned and went back behind the outcropping.

Jonas drew them close together.  "I think we have found our way in."  He said, voice barely a whisper.  "We will wait until dark, then move along the rocks, making our way towards that outcropping."

They waited anxiously for the sun to set, glancing all around for any hint of their enemies.  As night slowly settled over the forest, they watched as several half-men came out of the main entrance, set up some torches to light the area and stood guard.

Jonas addressed Jake and Hailyn.  "When we start in, do not use your power unless I do so first or our enemies are on us.  We will try to avoid confrontation, if at all possible."

Finally, Jonas motioned them to start moving.  Marcus took the lead again, slowly working his way along the rocks, watching the cliff for any signs that they had been detected.  They moved deliberately and quietly.  They made it over to the far hillside undetected, then started to navigate down the rocks, trying to keep low to allow the rocks to block their passage from the main entrance.

As they got closer to the cliff, a stench of death and rotting flesh grew stronger.  They were nearing the pit, clearly a place where the demons' victims were disposed of.  It became difficult to breathe and Jake clenched his teeth together, trying not to vomit.  As they got close, near the start of the clearing, they were forced to stop to study the way in.  The stench seemed to surround Jake like a physical presence.

They could see a dark opening behind the outcropping of rock, only wide enough to go one at a time.  Jonas pointed to himself, indicating that he would go first.  Marcus would follow, then Hailyn with Jake to bring up the rear.  Jonas studied the opening for a few moments, listening for sounds or hints of anyone inside.  After a quick glance to make sure the guards at the main entrance were not looking, he rose and ran quickly over to the opening, skirting around the black maw of the pit.

Marcus, Hailyn and Jake followed quickly.  As soon as they crossed, Jonas went into the opening, the end of his staff held out in front of him.  The darkness seemed to swallow them up as they made their way in.  They advanced slowly, listening intently for approaching threats while Jake kept an eye out behind them.  After several tense moments of wandering forward in the dark, their eyes adjusted and they saw the faint glow of light ahead, outlining the passage.

The light became brighter as they got closer to its source, bathing the rough cut walls of the passage in an orange color.  The passage turned slightly, then opened up into another passageway that ran perpendicular to the one they were in, this one lit with burning torches.  They paused just inside the tunnel, listening for any sign of danger.  Saying a quick prayer under his breath, Jonas stuck his head out quickly, looking both ways, then stepped back.

"It is clear for now."  He whispered.  "There appear to be additional passageways along this corridor.  Not knowing the layout of this place, we have to trust our instincts.  I believe we should go right, down the corridor, then take the next left, which should take us deeper inside.  Be alert and stay focused."  The others nodded.

Jonas glanced out again, making sure he could not see or hear anyone, then quietly but rapidly moved down the corridor, the others right behind.  They came quickly to another passageway on the left, this one dimly lit with a few torches.  They turned down it, not stopping.  The passageway was rough-cut and narrow at first, but tall enough they could walk upright.  There was a hint of a burnt, slightly sulfuric smell in the air that reminded Jake of used matches.  After several minutes, they saw an opening in the wall that indicated another passageway intersecting the one they were in.  They were almost to it when several half-men suddenly walked out of it into their passageway.

All froze for a split second, each surprised to see the other.  Jonas reacted first, his body suddenly blazing, his aura shining brightly, driving away the darkness.  The half-men reached for their swords, but it was already too late.  Quick as thought, Jonas sent a brilliant lance of his magic into them, the clerics' fire reducing them to ash, weapons clanging to the ground.

Jonas immediately released his might, the party momentarily blinded by his display.  They waited, listening intently for the sounds of approaching feet.  They heard nothing, so Jonas motioned them to move ahead.  They continued, down the passageway, the smell of sulfur growing stronger.

Several tense minutes later, another opening appeared on the right.  Across from it, there was a space where the passageway expanded to the left, but did not go anywhere.  In the middle of that expanded space was a large dark hole in the ground.  They approached cautiously, trying to move silently.  They were almost past it when they all felt the icy chill of the presence of a demon.

Jonas embraced his power, Hailyn and Jake doing the same.  The light threw back the shadows, revealing two Imps directly ahead, surrounded in their dark power.  Jonas engaged them, his might clashing with theirs, driving them back.  Jonas drew more power, his form shining as bright as the sun, attacking again, destroying one, then the other.

From behind, Jake heard something approaching.  He spun, launching his own power back down the way they had come.  He heard the clash of magics, seeing an Imp staggering, form smoking.  He sent a wall of blue fire at it, filling the passageway, driving it back, knocking it down.  As it struggled to get up, Jake sent a final burst into it and it exploded into ash.

Hailyn, scanning for more enemies, had turned back towards Jake.  She saw him give her a tight smile as he came forward, his magic glowing a dazzling blue.  Before either of them could react, an Imp came leaping out of the adjoining passageway, arms outstretched for him.  She watched in horror as the Imp's claws scraped along Jake's breastplate, sparks flying, but did not do any damage.  The impact as the Imp hit him drove him back.  Behind it, more half-men and Imps came flooding into the passageway.  She called out to Jonas, sending her might into the press of half-men and demons, while watching Jake struggle.

Too late, she realized he was heading for the dark hole in the floor.  The Imp was tangled up with him, a high-pitched whine coming from it as it was being burned by his magic.  She saw that he tried to regain his footing when he teetered for a moment on the edge of that pit, still tied up with the demon, and then he was gone.

...

Jake and the demon fell into an inky darkness, Jake's magic lighting the tight rocky hole as they plummeted.  Jake felt the demon impact a rock, spinning them around, then they hit solid ground, the demon underneath him, sending them tumbling down a steep slope.  Jake's armor kept the demon's claw at bay, while absorbing some of the impacts of his tumble.  They slid down together, then dropped again, falling several feet into another passageway.

Jake rolled away, ignoring the aches and pains of his fall, then rose to his knees, sending his magic blazing into the demon.  It was stunned by the fall and could not react.  It exploded into ash, the sound echoing down the rocky tunnel.

He took a second to check himself out, feeling along his arms and legs, surprised not to have broken anything.  He slowly got to his feet, looking down the passage.  With his magic shining, lighting the area, he did not see anything else in the tunnel.  He could still smell the sulfur scent that they had been approaching, so he decided to follow that, hoping he could rejoin the others.  He cautiously followed the passage deeper into the mountain.

He walked warily, listening for any hints of trouble, eyes watching for movement.  As he went deeper down the tunnel, he began to hear the faint sound of voices ahead.  He slowed his pace, holding his power tightly, prepared to strike, trying to watch every direction.

As he crept along, he gradually noticed a light at the end of the passage.  As he got closer to that light, he released his magic to hide his approach and slowed even further, barely moving.  Gripping his sword just in case, he finally reached the end of the passage and cautiously looked out, trying to minimize his movements.

Beyond the tunnel was an open, semi-circular cavern, about one hundred yards wide with a rough hewn floor and a ceiling covered with stalactites at least eighty feet overhead.  He could see that there were multiple passages, at different levels, around the edge of the cavern.  The cavern was lit with many torches burning with a reddish flame, giving the impression that the whole cavern was on fire.  The burnt sulfuric smell was strong in the air.  As he glanced out, he could see that there were groups of half-men and Imps spread out around the cavern.

Across the cavern, a massive throne was carved directly out of a stone rise.  At the base of the throne, surrounded by torches, was much smaller chair, made of a black metal.  With a start, he realized that Keria was sitting in it, plainly dressed, secured by straps to its arms and legs.

"Come out, boy."  A deep voice boomed throughout the cavern.  The sound sent a shiver of terror through Jake.  "I can feel you nearby."

A large robed figure stepped out from behind the throne.  It was almost human in appearance, though very tall.  Jake could just make out the black eyes at this distance.  Jake shrank back in spite of himself.  He could sense the coldness and evil radiating from it, much greater than he had felt from the Imps.

"I only want to talk with you."  The demon said smoothly, searching the passages.  "I want you to understand your options before you do something that will only lead to your death.  As you can see, I have kept the princess unharmed, as I said I would.  Hear me out, then decide."

Jake knew instinctively that it was foolish to even listen to the demon, but seeing Keria bound, he stoked his courage, called up his magic and stepped out into the cavern.  The demon immediately locked onto him, its eyes boring into him, a smile appearing on its face.  Keria cried out his name, the sound of her voice echoing in the cavern.

"So, you are this Jake Thomas I have heard about."  The demon said, deep voice taking on a compelling tone.  It came closer, striding slowly towards him.  "I am Creatos, Lord of the Darkness.  I can appreciate the courage you have shown coming here, Jake.  Now, you need to use your reason.  You do not know yet the power you can wield if you join us.  Simply come to me and I will teach you."