Soul Under the Mountain (Legend of Reason Series) (31 page)

This left Rommus in a very odd predicament. His friends were withholding information from him intentionally, and this made him wonder if either of them would hide information, intentionally or not, that might affect the outcome of the war. It wasn't that he didn't trust them; it was more a fear of what complications they might cause while
carefully crafting their stories.

But then there was something else. It was an unfamiliar
,
gnawing feeling deep in his stomach. It kept him up at night, hiding behind fears or concerns about the Bhoors or Thrahks or a host of other problems. He didn't know if it was jealousy, since he was never a jealous person in the past. He could only say that it was an unpleasant feeling deep inside him, telling him that something wasn't quite right about Vohl and Alana. He always dismissed the feeling, but it always returned to steal away hours of sleep at a time.

One of the guards cleared his throat,
alerting Rommus and Vohl that
someone
was
coming in their direction. Rommus looked and saw that it was Song, carrying a book and some papers towards the table where they sat. He placed all the items on the table and then pulled up a chair.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Vohl. Am I interrupting you two?"

Rommus shook his head. "No, not really. It seems like we keep hitting dead ends at every turn. What's the matter with you? You look like you're in pain."

Song pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am. I have a terrible headache."

"Another one?" Vohl asked. "I thought they had stopped."

"I think this is just a regular headache. I haven't had any of the weird flashes
for a few d
ays now
."

Rommus lowered his eyebrows. "What do you mean? What kind of flashes?"

"I have been having these headaches recently, and they are usually followed by strange visions. I see objects floating in the air, or places where I have never been. I hear words that are unfamiliar, and before Vohl taught me
Old Medoran, I was seeing words flash before me. I could understand the words somehow, but they were still not making any sense to me."

"Rommus leaned forward in his chair."And now that you can read the old dialect, the meaning is clear?"

"No, not exactly. I can understand all of the words now, but they are very random and they still don't make any sense."

"And the objects? What objects are you seeing?"

"Jewels, armor, weapons—lots of things.
There are some trinkets or amulets. Sometimes I see where an item is hidden
instead of the item itself. One time
I saw the statue that crushed Uritus,
but
the tattered robes of Inshae were on it. I don't know what it all means."

Rommus
pulled his chair closed and rested his elbows on the table
. "Song, I think it is time that we have a little discussion. How well do you know your history?"

"Not very well, I'm afraid. History has never been a subject I cared about. I have always looked to the future instead
of
the past."

"Well, there was once a man who saw all of the items you are seeing in your vision. He dedicated his life to it—among other things. But he saw these things with his own eyes, and not in dreams or daydreams. He collected them or recorded their locations for future reference. If he had not done so, I would not have the armor of Arius now. The sword of Arius would never have been found either. The world today would be completely different.

"But there are greater things this man did.
He started the Silver Mages.
He was one of the founding fathers of Medora. He was the third Emperor, back when an Emperor was not made a leader just because his father before him was the Emperor. He and others built this nation into what it is today—or
rather, what it was before the recent
generation
s
began dismantling it. He was one of the first men to truly understand freedom, and bring it to the world."

Song scratched his head. "So what's that got to do with me? Why would I see
his
items in
my
visions?"

"I think you know the answer to that already, Song. I know it seems crazy, but it's true. Vohl has already told you about the star of Tachion."

"I don't understand where you are going with this, Rommus."

Rommus let out an exasperated breath. "Who was the third Emperor of Medora?"

Song shook his head. "How in the world should I know? I told you I don't study history."

Rommus looked over to one of the guards. "You. Who was the third Emperor of Medora?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't know."

"How about you?" Rommus asked the other guard.

"Erratus Ridoria, sir.
"

Song stared at the man and then at the table. For a long time he sat silently, resting his head in his hand as he came to grip with what he was being told. It was understandable that he refused to believe it, but far stranger things had happened all around him. It would eventually sink in that he, Erratus Ridoria, would go back in time to become the third Emperor of Medora.

"It can't be," Song said quietly.

"It's the truth, Song. I believe you are somehow having memories of things you have not yet seen. In a way, you're remembering the future."

"That's insane. If I know anything at all, I know that cause comes before effect; not the other way around. I can't remember something that hasn't happened yet."

"Maybe not, Song, but in reality, those things
have
happened already.
Your future takes place in our past.
You go back in time and discover the artifacts of the g
ods long before I am even born. You are the original author of
The Book of Eternal Wisdom
."

Song's mouth hung open as he thought. "I admit I have considered this possibility. Vohl's hints guided me to that conclusion, but I rejected it because it's so preposterous."

"It does indeed sound preposterous, Song," Vohl said. "But it is the truth as far as we can tell. None of us are able to use the star of Tachion again, since the god of time threatened us with banishment from this world if we attempted it
again
. But you somehow have the ability to slip passed even the most alert guards undetected. You told me how Inshae was surprised to see you when you saw
Uritus speaking with him. You have a rare ability to avoid the eyes of man as well as
the
god
s
.

"I think it should be advised that you not let the star of Tachion or the book out of your sight from this point onward. Keep the jewel in your pocket and keep the book in your pack. These items are far too valuable to fall into hands other than your own
"

Rommus interrupted before Song could respond. "Song, have your visions shown you anything about beasts with sort of purple skin? They are twins, sometimes known as the hounds of Maeris. I believe they are the ones that stole my sword."

"No, I don't remember anything like that. I have seen the sword in my visions a few times, but it is always floating. There's never anyone touching any of the objects."

"What about the myth?" Rommus asked. "You were familiar with the
Song of the Valley
poem at the end of
The Book of Eternal Wisdom
. Do you know the old story about the twin brothers who were turned into beasts by Maeris?"

Song shook his head. "No, I have never heard of anything like that before.
"

Rommus pushed away from the table. "That figures, I guess. Another dead end."

Song lit up with an idea.
"Wait a minute, if the star of Tachion really does let me travel through time, and Tachion can't see me do it, then why don't I just go back in time far enough to grab your sword before those monsters do?"

Vohl shook his head. "It is far more complicated than that, Song. You see, no human can alter history. No matter what path you try to steer towards, history will right itself. You can change how you end up in a certain place, but you cannot change where you end up. This is probably why the majority of
The Book of Eternal Wisdom
is simply cataloging where important items are to be found. If you had collected them all throughout history, that would surely cause great disruptions through
out
time—whi
ch apparently is not possible. But t
he book itself is protected by some sort of magic, and no matter what small changes are made though time travel, the text remains exactly the same, relative to the original observer. That original observer is you."

Again Rommus interrupted Song before he could speak. "What about a 'soul under the mountain'? Do you know anything about the guardian of the void?"

Song stared at Rommus for a moment with a
tiny flicker of fear behind his eyes. "Yes. I think I do."

Chapter
36

Alana nodded to the guards when they acknowledged her. She turned down the corridor they guarded, and proceeded down the long granite hallway towards the heavy wooden door at the end. Another guard at the door saluted her and unlocked the door with a key. Guards saluting her with a fist over the heart was becoming more and more common, but it was something that never ceased to surprise her. At first she tried to salute back to them like she saw Rommus and Vohl do, but it made her feel so silly. She was always slightly embarrassed by it, and she couldn't help but smile, so she stopped saluting back in order to
retain some respect for the gesture and not appear as if she was insulting the soldiers. Still, it made her feel good inside that these big, tough Medorans thought enough of her to salute her.

"Shall I es
cort you the rest of the way?" t
he guard asked.

"I'll be fine, thank you. You can stay here."

She walked down the silent granite hallway and came to a row of prison cells on the right side. Shafts of sunlight fell through high windows and lit the powdery dust hovering in the air. The smell of food hovered in the air as well, and it reminded her that she hadn't eaten for several hours. She had just been too busy to stop.

In the first cell was the Dirujen that was captured.
She was always struck by how similar all of the immortals
looked. This one, Mekkal, looked
as if he could be Vohl's twin. He was dressed in alm
ost identical clothing, and his hair and face were nearly as indistinguishable as well. The only real difference she could see was in the eyes. Mekkal's eyes were slightly narrower and less kind. To her, he looked like Vohl in a bad mood or shooting an angry glare. Their voices were certainly different enough. They both had a gentle, melodic quality, but Mekkal's voice was deeper and slightly raspier.

Alana folded her arms. "I have more questions for you. Will you work with me this time?"

"I have no re
ason to help you, Vindyri. You may ask your questions, but I would expect them to fall to the floor before they reach my ears if I were you."

"I'm not here to ask about your war strategies again. I want you to tell me a story."

Mekkal laughed. "A story?"

"Yes, a story you may have heard when you were much younger. Do you know anything about the hounds of Maeris?"

"I have vague memories of them, yes. So what? It is a child's tale."

"Well can you tell me anything about it? Do you remember the story?"

"Not very much of it. Besides, I can see through your trickery. You ask me to tell you stories in an attempt to make me lower my guard and trust you. I have been alive for thousands of years, little girl, and I am wise to such efforts."

"It's not trickery. If you don't tell me what you know, it won't matter to me in the slightest."

"Also an old trick, little girl. You are wasting your time. I can sit in this cell and outlast the stone walls around me. There is no need for me to assist you."

"Okay Mekkal. You sit here and outlast this granite. I'll have the Medorans stop sending food and water too since you don't need it."

Mekkal stared at her for a long while, but she avoided his gaze, knowing how dangerous it was to look him directly in the eyes. She had enough experience with Vohl to know the limits of the power the Dirujen had, and so Tannis allowed her to interrogate the prisoner without fear of her being overcome by his magic.

"Wine," he said.

"What was that?"

"Wine. Have them bring me wine and I will tell you what I remember about
the story."

Alana nodded. "I can do that. Tell me what you know."

"I do not remember much about the story, but I do remember people talking about it many centuries ago. The beasts were once a single man, and were transformed by Maeris when their powers were elevated. The story called them immortals, but in a way they are not. They were blessed by Maeris with exceedingly long life, but that blessing was also their curse. It warped them into hideous creatures that appeared more animal than man.