Demiourgos (26 page)

Once again within the tunnels with rations, water and a map drawn by the city's most famous cartographer Rose couldn't help but feel like she was alone. Not far from the city they reached their first four-way intersection and curiously the leader of the expedition called for a halt and had them all wait for a short time. When a second group of miners exited the tunnel to their east Rose arched an eyebrow and approached Foreman Ironarms. “Were we to switch groups possibly?”

“Not at all. It seems that this group of miners has lost their way and they wish to tag along with us so we can show them the way back to the city once we have accomplished our mission.” Foreman Ironarms wore an impish grin as he clasped hands with another kurenai that looked surprisingly like him.

“Senior Foreman Ironarms.” The stranger said with a smile.

“Junior Foreman Ironarms, it seems you've gotten yourself lost.” Roath said through his red-and-white goatee. “My son your navigational skills need some work.”

“I can out navigate you any day old man.” The younger kurenai replied as he slapped his father on the shoulder and indicated the tunnel to the north with a nod of his head. “Let me demonstrate.”

Traveling with a group of kurenai twenty four strong made her feel better about traversing the lightless caverns below the surface. Strangely enough the feeling did not last with the press of thousands of pounds of rock sitting vigilantly above her head. The sensation was putting her off to say the least. Having dropped the spell she was holding in favor of actually learning another language she took to conversing with the miners and having them teach her their ways and their tongue. “Tell me something Roath, who are these elves and why do they hate your people so?”

“There are stories about them but I could not tell you if they are true. The most widely told one is that the Infernis elves made a pact with a demon lord long ago. When they infused the blood of this demonic power into their bodies it changed them dramatically and made them all evil. It is said that the demon lord betrayed them and forced them into servitude and made them live underground near a portal to his realm. There they built a city and remain to this day.” The foreman paused in his story for a moment and shouted a few commands to a returning scout who turned around to follow the direction without question. “Some people say they freed themselves but that they still retain the connection to their demonic heritage. Others say they serve him still, bound to his word.”

“I've been around elves before but what do they look like?” Rose asked while wondering if she might have met one in the city.

“Oh you'd know one if you saw it.” He replied almost as if that would answer her question. “They stand about five feet tall with goat-like legs and hooves for feet. Their skin is known to vary from white to a reddish tint and their hair can range from blonde, black and red on to other colors as well. Plus they're ornery little balls of fire and they see every other race as inferior to them.”

“I see.” Rose definitely had never met an elf with hooves though she had met some rather cantankerous ones for sure. “So they don't just hate you they hate everyone?”

“You've got the idea.” Roath said with a wink. “Though I don't know how anyone could hate someone as pretty as me.”

“Mom would have your head if she caught you flirting again.” His son, Torus said with a wry grin.

“Now see here whelpling I've never been unfaithful to your mother and you know that.” Roath replied as he chuckled lightly. “You're right though; she'd string me up and flog me within an inch of my life.”

“Keep it in the bedroom dad, I don't want to know.”

The friendly jests and camaraderie they shared reminded her of the elves and home. It was strange for her to call a place she had barely stayed in long home but she knew what she felt. Traveling through the tunnels was giving her time to think.

She was still unsure of the passage of time in the underground as compared to the night and day cycle of the surface. Often she would tire before the rest of them but she would press on as long as she could just to keep them going forward. No one complained when she couldn't go on any further, they would set up their camp in a nearby previously carved area not unlike what she and Ruckus had used when they were running from the demons. It took one kurenai to open the hollowed out area and one to close when there were so many entering and exiting at once. The spaces were much larger in this direction and they were ventilated high up in the air through stonework grates.

She had noticed also that several of the rest areas they used were stocked with tools and supplies and sometimes even rations for mining parties or kurenai travelers with the latter being more rare. The one they currently occupied had enough space for one or even two more mining parties to sleep in comfortably. Rose sat leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and her body close to limp. The kurenai ran a tight ship and they had far greater endurance than she had even after her time traveling in the desert with the elves.

“Rose?” Ruckus said from his perch next to her.

“Yes?” She said wearily, opening her eyes just a bit.

“You know we can stop sooner to prevent you from getting so worn out.” He said as he ran a hand across her cheek and frowned with concern. “It's not good for you to push yourself this hard.”

“Agreed.” Roath said from not far away. “You're not used to this type of travel nor this environment. It can be hard to carry on because the air quality down here is different than that of the surface. I've studied what little we know about the topside world.”

“I cannot tell you much about my mission but I trust you enough to tell you that the fate of our world depends on me getting back to my friends.” She closed her eyes again and pulled her legs tight to her chest in an attempt to get comfortable. “I cannot fail.”

“We'll get you there; just don't kill yourself by trying so hard in the meantime.” Roath replied as he stood and headed for the other side of the cavern.

~~~~

“So it was that simple then?” The queen said in reverence as she inspected the newly repaired armor and sword that Liostro was wearing. “I cannot believe that we're related, though from your handsome looks I can see the elven traits I did not see before.”

“Is a half breed so odd?” He inquired off-handedly as he shuffled through his belongings preparing what he needed for his journey.

“Honestly humans have not been among us for a very long time so yes half-breeds are an oddity.” She sat quietly for a moment watching him work and pondering the situation. “So you plan on leaving the council dissolved until you return then?”

“Yes and no. I've put Leonidus in charge of overseeing the details until I finish my mission. When I return he will relinquish power to me and I shall continue to mediate between yourself and the council.” He shrugged at her look of confusion. “Your father was the best possible choice I could think of to take my place. I have not the time to train another paladin in the ways of the court. I must find Rose; I understand now what her destiny is.”

“I don't suppose you can share that with me?” Miralastra inquired more cordially than ever.

“I can't, we are being watched right now but not by any force I recognize. Ware what you say in your own palace, foreign eyes lurk around every corner.” Liostro stood up and pitched his pack around his shoulder, walking out of the door to leave her with her thoughts. As he exited the room he almost ran into Nina who was carrying a similar pack. “Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, we're going to save Rose remember?” Nina gave him a challenging gaze and put her hands on her hips. “So are you ready yet slow poke?”

“Indeed I am.” Liostro put a hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment. The palace around them disappeared and a familiar ruined building shimmered into view as they set foot back down in the council chambers of the ancient elven city.

Roath and Ruckus proved to be fast friends as Ruckus continued picking up his ancestral language. Rose marveled at how fast his native tongue had come back to him but she supposed that certain things were ingrained into your mind regardless of any trauma. He had not taken his old name though and his explanation was simple. When they were resting after a long day of travel he had told her it was because the boy known as Rokkar had died at the hands of the demons and a new person was born. As she was traveling with him she noted that he was having a hard time sleeping and frequently he was haunted by dreams too terrible for him to speak about.

They had been walking for a very long time, she knew that at least. The caverns had become less tight and confined and the stone had changed color and texture. They had told her that the section they were traveling through was close to the Infernis elves' city and the rock was mostly black granolith, a type of stone prized for sculpting and masonry for its hardness. It was also plainly clear that the atmosphere had grown tenser because the already vigilant kurenai kept their guard up at all times including when they were enclosed within their stone rest stops.

“We are coming up on the forbidden tunnels; our travels lead us near to the borders of their lands.” Roath whispered to Rose as softly as he could in his deep voice. “Namia gave us a map of the elves patrol routes but things change so swiftly where they are concerned we are not sure how often they change the routes.”

“I remember what you told me, I’ll be as quiet as I can.” She whispered back. Rose had tried hard to walk quietly for days but she always ended up plodding along sounding like ten of the deceptively stealthy kurenai as she traveled along beside them. To make matters worse she could still feel the pressure of the rock hovering above her head keenly. Something about the underground, the tunnels and the endless darkness in these corridors made her feel uneasy. It was more than just the tales they had told her about dangerous monsters, demons and wicked elves. This world felt alien to her, she was a foreigner here and she knew she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Ruckus had adapted to life in the tunnels as if he had never left it. She still felt sorry for him and she felt bad that she was dragging him along. Rose wanted to stop him and try to convince him again not to join her on her insane quest to escape the caverns but she dare not make any more noise than needed. Once again lost within her mind she followed blindly behind them while her thoughts dwelled on Liostro and Nina and she wondered how her two friends were faring without her.

Concentrating on her stealth had taken her mind off of everything else. She was so distracted that she did not notice the familiar tingle at the back of her mind until it was too late. Rose snapped her head up to attention and shifted her vision to the spectrum of magic. There was a bright glow not far from the point miner. “Magic!”

Instantly the formation of kurenai broke and dove to the ground with her in tow just to watch a fireball sail past them and shake the cavern behind, leaving the rock hot and glowing under the assault of magical flames. The two parties split up with Roath and Ruckus taking lead on the first group. The second blast came out as two balls of fire instead of just one and rolled into them taking several of the warriors from their feet. On the cavern floor Rose was amazed to find herself without burns as she stood up. A surge of magic had hit her and replenished what she had used to refresh herself during the trip so far. Their attackers came into view not long after. Several elf-like forms came out of hiding at key places for a perfect ambush.

“Surrender and we may grant you a merciful death.” The presumed leader said while using the kurenai tongue. She held her head up triumphantly as she surveyed the group. She was tall with reddish-white skin and light red hair tied up in a tail behind her head. Her feet did indeed ended in cloven hooves with feathers of red hair hanging around them. She wore a strange-looking set of dark leather armor with weapons belted at her hip and her arms resting languidly at her sides.

Rose knew she was the one hurling magic and from the way the green-eyed woman was looking at her the feeling was apparently mutual. There was a tense moment of silence between both gatherings of warriors until Roath finally spoke up using his native tongue. “We wish only to pass through with no quarrels.”

“Then you have gone the wrong way stone-brains.” The predatory beauty replied to him using an insult that Rose had never heard before. “Take them!”

“Containment battle formation, protect our charge!” Roath called out to the kurenai who formed up in front of Rose in an almost arrow shape with all of them brandishing their weapons menacingly.

For her part she would have to focus herself on the woman hurling the spells. The elves closed in first and every one of them held a different weapon in his or her hand. She watched with horror as the kurenai began falling under superior blades. Her focus couldn’t be broken long; she faced off with the elf woman at a distance. Her master had taught her about spell duels but she had never actually participated in one nor did she think her opponent would play fair. For what seemed like an eternity they just stood and stared at each other waiting in tense anticipation as the physical battle raged on between them. Rose had always been told to let the other duelist make the first move but she felt as if they were wasting time. She could be using her magic to help the others. Her eyes glanced to the side once and she realized her mistake as another ball of white-hot fire rocketed toward the battle at hand.

Rose was amazed that her opponent would attack her own companions; she rushed forward as close as she could and spread her arms out wide focusing her attention on the incoming spell, drawing it toward herself. It changed direction and headed right for her body and she closed her eyes when a flash of bright light erupted in the cavern, blinding all of the others looking on. Most of the elves staggered backward and were stunned long enough for their kurenai opponents to shift the balance of power. Rose redirected the magical energy into a spell otherwise she felt it would cause her to burst at the seams. She and flung the ball of fire back at the source. Rose saw the look of astonishment on the woman’s face as she dove forward to avoid the brunt of the blast that sucked the air from the near vicinity. Rose quickly shaped her own spell and clenched her fists then pulled them up and across her chest. She found satisfaction in watching the rock around the prone elf rise up and enclose her like a pair of stone arms, pinning her down to the ground quite effectively.

Each kurenai warrior stood strong against the overwhelming agility of the elves. The leader barked orders while wielding a pick axe in one hand and a large hammer in the other. Metal rang off of metal and flesh simultaneously while Rose tried to determine a way to turn the tide. Observing that the elves all wielded metal weapons she delved into the resources of her magic and reached out to each of them to try and heat them up in the hands of her opponents. Using more than she had intended to she felt the cavern itself begin to raise temperature instead of the armaments. Cursing her luck she dropped the spell and closed her eyes to try again. She heard one of the kurenai yell something about magic and popped her eyes open quickly.

While she was distracted with the other elves the caster she had pinned down had found a way to free herself. Rose shifted her focus instantly and put her hands before her with her palms facing out and her fingers curled downward toward the ground. A series of bright motes erupted from her outstretched arms and arced over the physical combatants. Four of the six orbs struck the elf and staggered her backward as she attempted to dodge off to the side.

A break opened between her and the caster so she cupped her hands before her mouth trying to keep the initiative. Shouting in the kurenai language she amplified her voice magically and watched ripples of magic fly through the air only to strike the already stunned elf in the chest.

Just as she was feeling triumphant she heard Roath shouting her name and looked to her left just in time to dodge a curved sword that had been intended for her head. The elf facing off with her was taller than the rest and had short-cropped brown hair and hate burning in similarly colored eyes. His dark armor was just like that of the female elf. Doing her best to avoid his blade she drew her own dark-metallic sword and squared off with him. He was the superior swordsman and her reserves of magic were dipping dangerously low. He pressed the attack hard driving her back further; she knew she was running out of room because the sound of his weapon scraping across hers was echoing quicker in her ears. Taking a chance she turned and fled from him digging deep within herself she focused her magic on her legs and headed straight for the wall. Hoping she had shaped the magic properly she sprang forward and dropped into a roll. Her stomach reeled for a moment as she righted herself and ran right up the side of the stone cavern out of his reach.

Sheathing her sword she surveyed the battle below her from a bird’s eye view and closed her eyes. She didn’t have much left so she would have to make it count. Gathering what remained of her stored magic she focused and spread her hands and legs out wide while she was still standing on the ceiling of the short cavern. Around her were stalactites angled down as if reaching out for the ground unsuccessfully. Rose put her hands close to her chest and imagined her arms being as sharp as the sturdiest steel. The distance and angles were hard to guess but she took aim on her first target and swept her hand out in a chopping motion. The nearest few rock formations dislodged from the roof of the rock passage and plummeted toward the floor just barely missing their intended targets.

Three more failed tries got the attention of the elves at the rear and one of which pulled a longbow from his shoulder and an arrow from a quiver at his hip. Rose let go of the spell and made a quick jump for the ground, she leveled out before hitting her feet and felt a hollow sensation in her chest. It was clear that she had used all of her stored energy and more.

Unable to stand after the huge exertion she fell to her knees and closed her eyes trying to regain some of her composure. Around her she could smell the sweat of bodies and almost taste the metallic tang of blood in her mouth from all of the dead and dying on the floor. The elves were lesser in number but they were obviously getting the better of the kurenai from the ratio of dead at their feet. Standing up straight she focused on the battle long enough to catch a rock on the side of her head. It knocked her down to the ground with a resounding crack. Darkness took her even as she heard Ruckus yelling her name over the din of battle.

~~~~

It was hard to wake up in the morning; her body never seemed to want to respond to her commands. She had never figured out if it was because of her nighttime habits or if it was because of her duties and station. Avreel De’Marbidus of the first house of Torinazin City had never been happy with her lot in life. She was the fifth child of the house with two brothers and two sisters ahead of her. She’d never make it to the head of the household even if she made it past her first one hundred years. As she lay there inspecting the stonework of her room she remembered why she didn’t want to get up in the morning anymore, she was afraid for her own life.

The politics and backstabbing of her people were legendary. Until a year ago she’d had a younger brother as well and though they had been close his untimely demise because of a failed power play had been well beyond her knowledge. He hadn’t trusted her enough to let her know. She had watched her own mother kill him before the entire gathered family just to show them that resistance to her will would be crushed.

It was hard for her to admit that the beautiful carved stone over her head had neither answers nor sympathy as she swung her legs out of the bed. They sat hovering for a moment over the floor before she looked down at them and resigned herself to stand. Her hooves hit the smooth marble and she stood up to her full height which was close enough to five and a half feet. Her hair was a dark shade of red, almost blood red like her mother and her eyes were blue like her father’s. It was short work to rid herself of the thin night shirt she wore and step over to her large closet to select an outfit for the day. Her sister was scheduled to come back in from patrol at some point so she had been instructed to wear something befitting her station to welcome the eldest sibling of the house back.

Enarah was the one that would be taking over the seat of the house once their mother expired or rarer still surrendered her station. It was uncommon for an Infernis elf to reach what they considered to be an old age.

It was difficult for her to select a gown for the coming ceremony so she opted instead to choose a simple yet elegant tunic and breeches to go along with it and her mother be damned. Avreel hated gowns and dresses. After getting clad and strapping on her weapons and anything else she thought she would need for the day she knelt down near her bed. Every morning for years she had leaned down on the comfortable mat that one of the house slaves had provided. Slowly she gathered energy for the day by praying to the god Darkwatcher. Most of her people prayed to the demon lord Shoon for power. Though she disagreed with it her people had long ago sworn fealty to a demon whose clout rivaled that of the gods. They were in his thrall for all time in exchange for their abilities. Her spells were tied to spiritual magic; she’d devoted her life to its study. With a sigh she stood and flexed her muscles, heading for the door. Before she could even turn the knob she heard a commotion in the hall.