Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) (18 page)

"I thought it was your intention to be caught."

"Are you crazy? I don't want to be
captured
, I just want them to know we are down here. We need to alert them to our presence but still avoid getting caught."

Vohl nodded. "So we should let them find the dead bodies of their fellow Mages, I suppose."

"Right. That will get their attention soon enough."

Vohl
looked up and down the corridor, checking for any other Mages. "Wait here, my Lady."

Before she could protest, Vohl slipped out into the vaulted area, weaving between the torchlight and shadow. His magic cape kept her from seeing his form, but she saw fluid blurs of motion inching closer to the four Mages.
Soon the whistle of his blade could be heard, along with the crisp sound of sliced fabric and skin. Short moans and groans followed as she watched the men fall one by one to their knees. None of them knew what was happening. In their mind
s
, a phantom had come to steal their souls away and carry them off into some darker place than the black hallways of the labyrinth.

Vohl returned after the last man fell
. "No weapons."

"I don't understand it. Why are none of them armed? Something is not right here."

"I agree. It does not seem as though they are expecting us. Perhaps our plan is not going as well as we hoped it would."

"It has to be the snow, right? They don't expect us to come for the book because it's too hard to get through the snow in the streets above."

"I do not know, my Lady. But the snow is not deep. Something tells me there is some other reason."

An eerie green light
lit the corridor behind them, and s
he suddenly remembered that some Mages had weapons other than knifes and swords.

——————

Song slid passed the Mages with ease. While all of them seemed to be on high alert, none of them looked his way. He was growing more and more confident in his abilities, and knowing that he was able to avoid the detection of Inshae added to his confidence immensely. While the god did see him when he walked into the doorway, it was obvious that his presence shocked the immortal being. Song's heart danced in his chest when he thought about it.

None of the Mages could be thought of as being on the same level as a god, so Song felt as if he walked among children. While he might not have achieved greatness, he certainly achieved something greater than
the bumbling Mages buzzing around the labyrinth. They were simple, talentless beings; unable to even set their eyes upon an intruder in their own halls.

But those same halls haunted Song. The complexity of the framework was daunting, and even though he still held his bearings, he was beginning to feel the weight of frustration coming down on him. He had looked in every area he could think of for a hidden door or some other clue as to where the book might be hidden. He looked for extra guards, as Alana had suggested, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He had been through every area he could think of, and he had come up empty.

But there was still one place he wanted to check. In his mind he checked over the map, making sure that he was indeed where he thought he was. After turning left twice and following a curved corridor, he came to the area he wanted to investigate, which was a short hallway with no doorways.

The very fact that the hallway was a dead end was enough to grab his attention. It seemed ridiculous to have a hallway there at all, since it literally led to nowhere. He carefully examined the walls as best as he could in the near darkness, but at first glance, nothing seemed to be
out of the ordinary. For a moment he thought that the original builders had intended to continue further but ran into some sort of complication and had to give up.

But then his eye caught something. His mind seemed to be outpacing his vision, because he could sense that something was odd but he could not determine what is was. He scanned every inch carefully, wondering what it was that his mind had caught but his eyes did not. He stood, scratching his chin for some time before approaching the far wall.

Finally, he knew what it was. Everything in the labyrinth was made of highly-polished black marble. Everywhere he looked there were elegant decorations carved by obvious masters, and every single block of marble fit snugly next to its neighboring blocks. The craftsmanship was so elegant and precise that he had actually begun to overlook the work and take it for granted.

But there was a flaw. It was a tiny flaw, but one that now stood out starkly to him. There was a
block
on the right side, at about
chest level that did not fit snugly against the other blocks. There was the tiniest gap-as thin as a fingernail—surrounding it on all sides. He cocked his head as he examined it closely for some time.

Then he reached out and touched it. With a little press
ure, it slid backwards into the wall. The sound of stone sliding over stone could be heard, along with the metal ring of chains and grinding gears. The entire wall in front of him recessed and then slid slowly over to the right, opening up a hidden hallway beyond. Dim light peeked through from somewhere beyond, but it was not the orange glow of torches. It was the soft light of the sun, struggling to reach the depths underground from somewhere
high
overhead.

A marble staircase rose before him. The intricacy of the carved detail made the rest of the labyrinth look as if armatures had carved it, and Song could not help but stare at it in awe. Silver accents now decorated parts of the stairs and interconnecting corridors.

After reaching the top of the stairs, the view truly stunned him. On the right side of the corridor was a wall, and on the left there were massive columns. Beyond the columns was the largest single room that he had ever seen
;
as if someone had emptied out the entire mountain behind the Emperor's Hall and made it hollow. There were massive ghostly
statues
, and dust hovered between them like mist. Unseen openings in the hollow mountain above let in
a tiny amount of light
, illuminating the dust and statues like the moon lighting tombstones and fog in a graveyard.
There were staircases leading up to the impossibly high ceiling, but they were so incredibly distant that he could not see where they ended.

Song ignored the distant spiraling stairs and looked at the statues. Every one of them was facing the same direction, seeming to be looking at the decorated archway on the back wall. It was adorned in silver accents, and appeared to be the one single room the entire labyrinth was built for. Soft purple light seemed to be coming from the floor in the room.

His heart seemed to skip several beats when he entered the small room. At the center was a
statue of Inshae. On the pedestal at its feet was the
Book of Eternal Wisdom
. Standing between him and the book was Emperor Uritus Tecadelion.

——————

Streaks of green light screamed by them as they ran. The beams of energy bounced off the marble walls and furnishings, ricocheting several times before dissipating. The air was heavy with an unfamiliar burning smell that was certain to cling to their cloths and hair for some time. But that was the least of their worries. Escaping was all that mattered.

Three Mages trailed behind them. Since they were all floating, Alana assumed that it was the same three Mages that had captured her in the past. She had seen none of the others do anything like it, but she supposed that some of them had started to become masters of magic and not just charlatans. She was angry with herself for underestimating the enemy, and she promised herself that she would not do so ever again.

Vohl grabbed her wrist and pulled her dow
n a very narrow corridor
that was
only about as wide as her shoulders. It was s
o tight that she smacked the hard stone walls with various body parts; including her foreh
ead. Vohl pulled her relentlessly, putting her safety over her comfort. He gripped her wrist so tightly that her hand had gone cold and numb while her forearm throbbed in pain with every heartbeat.

Green beams of energy
bounced back and forth between the walls right over their heads. Showers of green sparks rained down, singeing cloth, skin and hair. A quick glance behind her showed Alana the three trailing Mages, all in single file, hovering ever closer. She knew there was no way to outrun them, but Vohl kept pulling anyway.

She planted her heels to stop him from dragging her
any
farther. The move knocked Vohl off balance, pulling him backwards and tumbling over top of her. The random move had saved them, as just as they
tumbled
to the floor, another powerful stream of energy tore passed them. She wasted no time draw
ing her sword and lunging at her attackers. Before the one with the staff could summon its power again, she had stabbed with all her might right through his ribcage. Shards of bone and bits of meat sprayed out of his back, catching the other Mages by surprise.

The staff clattered to the floor but Alana's strength held the dying man upright. The other Mages quickly realized what had happened, and swerved to avoid slamming into the blade jutting out of their companion's back. When she let him fall, the other two Mages seemed to lose their ability to hover and they stumbled when their feet hit the floor.

Alana ripped the sword out of the man's chest, stepping up onto his crumpled body and bringing her sword down on the next man.
The blade hit his hood, catching on his skull and raking down the side of his face. His ear, along with almost all of the skin was peeled away before the blade ended up breaking his collar bone and coming to a stop in his torso. He looked down and screamed; the realization of what had happened reaching his mind before the pain could.

When he fell to his knees, she leapt over him to pursue the final Mage who was already trying to turn and run. He got a few strides in before she caught up to him, driving her sword into his midsection. He let out a scream, but continued to run. She stabbed him three more times before he finally fell.

Vohl came walking up behind her and slipped on some blood on the floor. He just barely caught himself, maintaining his regal composure and avoiding an embarrassing trip to the marble floor.
He checked himself over and brushed himself off a bit before speaking.

"I suppose I do not need to ask if you are alright. That was an impressive display you put on."

"I had to do something," she said as she tried to catch her breath. "They were right on top of us. They were going to kill us."

"Yes, I can see that. I do not think they intended to capture us at all. They were just going to kill us—well,
you
anyway."

"Yeah, I wasn't really expecting that. I guess looking back on it now, it was kind of stupid to assume they would just capture us. Uritus has no need for
me
alive.
"

"
Yes, and now I fear for Song. With the few Mages we have seen, I do not believe they expected us to enter the labyrinth this night. That means that we served as no distraction at all. He is out there on his own, facing more Mages than he can probably handle."

"We have to find him!"

"My Lady, we cannot. These men know we are in here now and we are no longer a diversion. If we find him, we will be bringing an army of angry Mages behind us."

"There must me something we—," she started to say.

"What is it, my Lady?"

Alana ignored his question and walked around him down to the end of the narrow hall. Across from the opening was an open door to a small room. Inside, a single candle brought a little life to the darkness. Something tugged at her soul, urging her to investigate.

"Vohl, is that what I think it is?"

——————

Uritus folded his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. "Just what are you doing here, Song?"

Song could only stare. He was not expecting to run into anyone—let alone Uritus. Song was paralyzed with both confusion and fear. He knew that at any moment Uritus could destroy him and erase everything he had ever accomplished in his life. He began to tremble.

Uritus put his hands behind his back and began pacing. I expected you to tell me that you were lost. I can appreciate that you did not attempt to lie. I did not expect
that it would be you to come for the book. I thought it would be the immortal. You have been working with them, yes?"

Song tried to stand a little taller. "I have."

"You foolish brat. You do not understand what damage they are bringing to this world. Do you realize that if they were to succeed that this country would fall? They are misguided people who do not even understand that their motives are evil. Their dream is to ensure that there is a permanent underclass to serve the class above them. They speak of freedom and yet look down their noses at all those who are forced to serve them."

There was no point in trying to argue with him. Uritus would never see that the things he thought about Rommus and the others were completely false. It was Uritus who dreamed of destruction and enslavement to his system.
From what he knew abou
t Rommus, it seemed that he only wished for all people to have the chance to succeed or fail on their own. He did not wish to rule men, but men wished for him to lead them. Uritus desired power over the people. He wished to force them into equality; not by allowing the successful to rise up, but rather by raising up those who could not or would not rise on their own. The successful were the ones who paid the price for it.