Dusk Falling (Book 1) (20 page)

“Wha-?!” Aya almost choked, provoking more laughter from the free-spirited specter. “No, you have it wrong. Really!”

“Okay, sure thing Miss. So ye want to know where these men be?” Liara looked to Resethos.

The Great Spirits coils slithered around the shrine, expression unchanged. “I do not know. The goings-on of this plane no longer are of concern to me therefore I no longer watch.”

Both women were crestfallen.

“There is another question you wish to ask?” Resethos stated the question as if he already knew the answer.

“I… am not sure…” Aya shook her head, palms up. To herself, “Another question? What could he mean by that?”

“You wish to know why this shrine is also called the Wizards Roost, do you not?” The Terra Spirit said. “A time before Liara’s ancestors, a sorcerer resided here. He was a quiet astute man who I minded not to have live in my lands. He brought the trees back to life and cared for the life here much the same as I did. I watched him for many a year and in the entire period he lived here, he knew not of my existence. Nor did he ever come to find out.

“He was not an elemental mage, or a spirit mage. He had a special talent, very rare even in this ever-changing world. Though I did not know his name, I knew him to be what you call an ‘astral mage’.”

“An astral mage!” Aya’s mind exclaimed, “One of the most aspired mage-talents and the most uncommon. It is said that less than one in several hundred thousand even carry the talent much less can ever hope to achieve the title. Finding a teacher, or even a mage that can pinpoint the talent, can be nearly impossible.”

“He set a Gate here, a portal to another land in which he would barter goods.”

“So that is how they vanished!” Aya exclaimed. “An astral Gate!”

“In order to enter the Gate, one much have with them one of similar talent, either on this side or the other. Did these men you seek have one of this power?”

“That I do not know. They must have though in order to have eluded us as they did and so abruptly.”

“Do you have such a power?” Resethos asked evenly.

The mage blank, coming to terms with another dead end. “No. I do not.”

Silence reigned for a span of a few breaths then the wind blew.

“Resethos, don’t toy with ‘er. Offer ye help.” Liara scolded the Great Spirit.

Resethos eyed his companion before rising up into the air and coiling around the stone slab. With claws securely holding onto the top of the wall, Resethos closed his eyes. For a moment, he and the wall glowed then with a sound like the crack of thunder, a black hole appeared in the center of the slab. It grew and yawned like a giant mouth until it was nearly the size of the stone slab itself. A strange wind blew from within the portal.

“Now, Miss. Gather ye friends and worry not for the mare o’er yonder; I will tend to her. Time to save ye friend.” Liara said with her ever-present gentle smile.

Aya did so, exclaiming to them what Resethos had told her. Serrtin was leery but Agemeer was ecstatic. His tail wagged and his tongue lolled as he looked from Spirit to legendary ghost to magical portal. He did not know which was the more fantastic to witness. He had so many questions but a single soft-eyed glance by Liara answered a good deal of them.

“Hurry. Resethos can’t hold open the Gate for too long. I hope the path leads ye where ye wanna go. And Miss, don’t forget us, okay?”

Before crossing into the portal, Aya looked back at the golden figure of Liara. Resethos joined her and the ghost leaned upon his chest. She was happy with the path she had chosen and Aya would never forget her.
Them
.

The mage bowed to them over a hand to her heart and stepped through the Gate.

Chapter 17

The portal was intermittently warm with frigidly cold breezes and staggeringly hot. It was very dark. Just before the sensations became too horrible to bear, all was gone and Aya stepped out onto…

…a wooden planked floor? Agemeer and Serrtin trailed a pace behind and were equally surprised to suddenly find themselves inside a rectangular room with a high steep roof. There were no windows. The light was supplied by a glass panel in the roof that was tilted just enough to let the moonlight from outdoors to fall on the stone wall- the wall being a mirror to the one at Wizards Roost, the only exception being that there were no conclaves for candles.

The room was dusty and smelled as if it had been shut up for years. But the dust on the wooden floor gave testament to recent passage. It looked to them that they had made the right step in the right direction.

“But where are we, I wonder?” Agemeer voice quietly.

Serrtin had crouched and was observing the tracks in the dust. “Don’t know but I can say we are not on the ground level.”

“I don’t see a door,” Aya remarked, pacing the room.

“It must be hidden.” Serrtin responded, rising to help search.

Agemeer put his nose to work and eventually they located the hatch that melded almost seamlessly with the wooden planks. As quietly as she could, the Yarcka pried it up with her claws and held it for Agemeer as the Wulf peered into the lower room.

“It’s empty.” He said. “There are no stairs but there is a crate we can use.”

The lower room was a storage warehouse. It was marginally less dusty and darker due to the high placed tiny windows. Crates were piled haphazardly amongst barrels of undisclosed content. After jumping down, Aya kept her hand on Agemeer’s back as the Wulf located their exit, unable to discern much in the shadows. They did not need to be reminded when Serrtin told them to be careful. Slowly the door was pushed open, them having no idea whatsoever of what could be on the other side.

The trio warily paced out of the building and down a flight of rickety wooden stairs. Light from Eleuin illuminated a darkened city. The narrow road was poorly kept with deep uneven rivets and muddy puddles. The
buildings were unlit by candles or magespheres, lending to the uninviting atmosphere. Figures dressed in shadowy clothing stalked the alleyways, dodging the moonlight. There were too many of such figures to think they were all involved with the arcane gateway but there were also too many to think the trio was entirely unwatched.

There was no question; they were not in the lands of Indelsis. And those that were eyes in the dark would see that as well.

“We better find an Inn, find out where we’re at. You two, stick together.” Serrtin said, leading the way.

They passed a couple of shady characters- one hooded and slinking like a man with something to hide, the other scarred with a hardened sneer. None of the shops and landmarks helped name the city they had found themselves in but Western Demaria was the unspoken consensus.

The air smelled of recent rain but it did not cover up all the unpleasant scents of the city. Trash lay scattered throughout the alleys and byways. The hooves of horses pounded a layer of old dung into the street. The team reached the end of the street that connected perpendicular to a wide thoroughfare. Multiple stores lay along the path, their signs visible by the light given off by torches outside the walkway.

Aya was glad to see the light, realizing as did the proprietors who lit them that the light kept away potential thieves like light kept away cockroaches. The illumination did not keep at bay the unfathomable noises that were backdrop to the city. As they headed toward the welcoming beacons, the quick canine reflexes of Agemeer saved Serrtin from a magic energy-arrow in the back. He used his weight to knock the saurian out of the way. Aya, seeing the magic traces as the arrow shot by, brought up her shield, blocking another such bolt.

The torches suddenly flared, raising high into the sky, deep purple in color. They were no longer alone and unaccosted in the strange city; Out of the alleys crept ruffians and cutthroats, dark figures brandishing evil-looking short swords and daggers.

Despite the very real threat glaring out at them from the shadows, it was not weapon-baring thugs that Aya, Serrtin and Agemeer stared at with apprehension.

It was hard to miss. And even harder for those witnessing it to describe. Its head floated above its body attached by bared ligament and resembled a large six-eyed mask, un-round as it was. The teeth in its mouth were sharp as broken glass, propping the maw open in a terrible grimace. A spiky mane fell down to the sides and hung like strips of leather. Its body was conical, bell-shaped, and littered with swirls that resembled runes and was about the size of a draft horse. All four of its feet sported three thick claws.

The monster was a shade of bluish-purple, very dark, and stood beside its master- a girl with waist length blond hair tied back with a red ribbon who appeared in age no older than a sum of six summers. Her eyes were milky white, giving her the appearance of blindness. Her lips formed a pink bow bent up at the ends in a smile that stated clearly that she was in fact no ordinary child, if a child at all.

“What is that thing?” Serrtin whispered, not taking her eyes from the creature.

“An
aerus
elemental,” Aya responded, recognizing the energy patterns. “Lightning, to be exact.”

As if to punctuate the mages words, the creature shuttered and lines of energy drew over its body with a sparking popping sound. The energy converged, drawing to a point a foot in front of its face. The energy quickened and a bolt struck out, running along the ground at a ferocious speed.

At the last possible moment, the team split and dodged to respective sides, rolling to their feet. With his quicker animal reflexes, Agemeer recovered first. The second his feet touched the ground, he leapt, knocking away the cutthroat who appeared near him and Aya. Aya was scarcely aware of the man so intent was she on the elemental. Still crouched on one knee, the mage sent a blast of frozen ice in return, hitting the creature straight in the torso of its strange body. The attack only managed to rile the beast, its head pivoting and rolling on its ligaments in a grotesque display as it bellowed its anger into the silence of the night.

The elemental’s master giggled behind a small hand, eyes slitted. “That’s not going to work on my
ernryche
. You’ll only make him mad.”

Serrtin had taken to her feet and yelled as she leapt into the air, her sword high above her head. She came crashing down onto the elemental, missing its head as it spun out of harms way. Her sword bit into its chest. A spout of pale green ichor erupted and the ernryche howled in pain. Quicker than Serrtin expected, the elemental’s left claws shot out, taking her down and throwing her.

Aya and Agemeer were immediately at her side while she used her flamberge to lever herself back to her feet. At the concerned looks of her friends, the Yarcka said, “I’m ok, just got the wind knocked outta me. I won’t make that mistake twice- that things a lot faster than it looks so be on guard.”

The small girl tittered. “Golumnump and I do not like unexpected visitors. I don’t know how you did it but you should never have crossed the Gate. Tharsen’s Rest is supposed to be a secret. And I am the GateKeeper so I’ll be making sure the secret dies with you. Golumnump!” She roused the beast, hand above her ready to signal an attack.

“Wait!” Aya called out. “If you are the GateKeeper then you had to have seen the men we are after. A group of no more than a dozen. Did you see them? Did you let them pass?”

The child paused in her command. She was silent for a few breaths. “I did see them. I was the one who opened the Gate for them.”

“Then you know who they are and where they are headed?”

“Perhaps. But what makes you think I would tell you?” She replied. “They will no longer be of concern to you once I loose Golumnump. And should you try to run, I’ll set
them
upon you.”

“Then there should be nothing holding you back from telling us.”

“Very well. Their coin does not buy my loyalty,” The child sighed, beginning to bore of conversation. “You stand in the lands of Mag’har. They went east towards Iprandia Lake. From there, I know not. You see, I cannot leave Zelenest,” She grinned wickedly. “or I will no longer be the GateKeeper. I am much older than you think. Now, Golumnump! Attack!”

“Aya! Get back! Hit it with somethin’ good the second you get an opening!” Serrtin shouted, catching the elemental’s slashing claws on her sword. “Agemeer, keep those guys off our backs!”

The ernryche’s second claw attack hit with such force Serrtin had to use both hands- one on the hilt and the other on the flat of the blade- just to keep standing under the pressure, her foot claws digging into the dirt. She threw it off and used the momentum to carve a wound in the ernrych’s mask. The Yarcka then reversed the stroke and her uphanded slash added another oozing wound to its face.

The elemental backpedaled, rising up on its hind legs. Sparks of energy rippled down its form.

“Lightning spell! Get behind me!” Aya called out. Her shield took the brunt of the attack, bowing in, then dissipating. The spell fell away too quickly and the backlash sent them sprawling, their skin tingling painfully.

The saurian shook off the sensations and began moving before her vision even cleared. Preceding turning her attention back to the monster, she dispatched two of the witch’s hired thugs who had sought to take advantage. In the mean time, Aya pummeled the ernryche with ice spells in quick succession. No matter their ineffectiveness, it served to keep the beast off balance.

Agemeer circled around at a constant, knocking away anyone who stepped out of the shadows. Snapping like a mad dog, most backed off. Those who did not were set upon with claw and tooth. He turned when the elemental roared and saw the bolt of purple lightning that was racing toward his friends. He held bated breath as the
energy smashed up against Aya’s barrier spell but the shield held better the second time around. Again Serrtin launched herself forward and Agemeer started to breathe again, continuing his circle.

The ernryche’s back was toward him momentarily and the Wulf could not pass the opportunity. Acting before the scholar could think better of it, he was off at a sprint. Gathering himself, he pushed off the ground and landed squarely on the creature’s back. His jaws quickly latched on to the bared ligaments attaching the elementals head to its body with a vice grip no amount of shaking could loosed. One snapped, then another before Agemeer was forced off by an energy discharge that left with him with scorched pads on his feet.