Elyar was not sure how long they stayed with Havol. The moon slowly moved across the sky lamenting the death of their friend. Its tender rays tried to sooth Elyar’s soul, but he could not feel its healing touch. A owl hooted in the distance waking Elyar back to reality. He saw Frem wipe away his tears before standing up.
“It is time. He wouldn’t want us to dwell to long.” Declan nodded agreeing with Frem’s declaration. Together, the group dug a shallow grave and placed him inside. They removed as much of the grim as they could before they rested his arms across his chest. They placed his axe in his hands. Once his body was prepared they covered it with stones. After the last stone was placed they stood and stood there in silence for a while. Elyar didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to leave his friend.
Eventually Elyar asked, “does anyone know where Lyr could have gone?”
Jereme looked at him wiping a tear away. “Who is Lyr?”
“Sorry. Lyr is the hooded figure. He was…chatty before we fought.”
“Huh. I would think he would go back to his people. Whoever they are.”
“But who was he?” Frem asked moving closer to Jereme and Elyar.
Fidgeting for a moment Elyar stared at the moon. “Elyar?” Frem as ked again.
Sighing, Elyar exhaled before saying, “I…I have something I should confess.” Declan had joined by this point and everyone looked at him. Elyar saw concern, confusion, and even a little distrust. His breathing became a little shaky.
“I have not told anyone this before. But a few weeks ago I…” he took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves, “I had a dream. I wasn’t sure if it was real until recently. But in the dream I was met by someone wanting me to join his…army I guess. I was told to go where the ravens landed. I didn’t know what it meant until yesterday. I think Lyr was sent to recruit me. He claimed to serve for the King of Ravens whoever that is. But he was after me, so it is my fault Havol is dead!” A tear went down his ch eek as he finished his story. He stood there waiting for their response.
Silence. Then Jereme placed a hand on his shoulder. “There was no way you could have know. Who believes dreams anyways.”
“In the south, dreams can be a pathway to the Eternal Twins. But they are cloudy and never straightforward. It is Impossible for thee to interpret them. Do not blame thyself for Havol. It is this ‘Lyr’ character that must pay.” Ruzur responded. His voice was calm and kind. He sounded sad. Elyar looked at him and they exchange reassuring smiles. He appreciated his friend’s words.
Declan and Frem remained silent only staring at the sky. Eventually Frem said, “I think we have been here long enough. Havol is with Theos now. We must complete our mission. We were tasked with seeking out and expelling the Soul Weaver. He has fled which means our job is
complete. Let us search the tower and head home.”
“Where should we search first? Up, or look down?” Elyar asked glancing at the tower. He had done a quick glance when he had entered, but now that the danger was gone he could take a better look.
“Let us search the ground floor. If nothing appears we continue up.” Frem declared. With that the group slowly walked into the tower. Elyar started looking around once he entered. At first he did not see anything of note. But once they started moving some wooden crates Elyar noticed a hatch. Declan had moved the box revealing with door.
“Here.” Declan said.
“Hmmmm. A hidden door in a mysterious tower out in a wastland. What could go wrong?” Jereme said trying to lighten the mood. Elyar and Ruzur laughed a little, but Frem and Declan did not seem to find it funny. “Sorry.” Jereme said as Declan opened the hatch. It took a few pulls, but the brute finally got it open. Elyar for some reason looked at the hinges as he began to follow the others down. They looked used with small signs of rust.
They descended a few steps before finding a large room. Unlike above, this one was full of furniture and other signs of life. Elyar started walking around inspecting the room. There was not a lot to see, but he wanted to make sure he did not miss anything this time. He noticed a door on the other side of the room which the others approach while he looked.
The room was dime with only a real torch here and there. The walls were made of the same stone as above, but they were damp upon his touch. he wiped the dew on his pants as he continued looking. The ceiling was wood and stood a few feet above his head. He looked to see if
Declan had to crouch. He looked a little slumped over, but whether it was because of exhaustion or the room he wasn’t sure. As he went back to his investigation he saw some barrels, a bed, some food in a storage bin, and random things here and there. There was nothing of real interest. At least none that Elyar could spot. Such a weird spot for a bed.
While he looked he heard the others mumbling about the door on
the other end. It was a large wooden door with strong steel hinges. It looked new and tough. He heard them arguing about how best to get through. He heard some mumbling from…maybe Declan about if he could break the hinges. Then a loud bang resounded. Elyar shot a look to see Declan stumbling back holding his now broken axe. The head bent and the wood splintered. He looked at the door and saw no damage.
Frem laughed which lightened the room. Elyar was glad to see Frem smile. Frem then moved Declan out of the way and pulled out something, Elyar could not tell from his position, and started doing something to the door lock. Nothing happened. After a few minutes of silence from him and the group Frem cursed and stood up. He held up a broken piece of steel.
“Broken! My nice pair of picks!” Frem shouted while kicking the door. He yelped as he bounced on one foot. Declan gave a loud laugh, st ill holding his broken axe.
“May I try?” Elyar asked as an idea formed in his head. “If this doesn’t work you all can go back to banging and knocking on the door as long as you want.”
“Be my guest.” Frem angrily mumbled moving more out of the way. The rest made a little gap for him. Ruzur and Jerome looked at him with anticipation. He breathed in deeply a little nervous. I can’t defeat the Soul Weaver so who knows if I can beat a door. That is dumb.
Drawing his sword and steadying his nerves, Elyar approached the door. He opened his being to the weave. Touching it with his mind he opened his soul to its power. Holding the blade toward the ground he placed the pommel on his forehead. Still touching the weave he whispered, “eldsvoði.” The weave reacted and began the pull of energy. He felt it enter the blade as the steel began turning white as the heat spread across it. Once the blade was covered he lifted it toward the door and pressed the tip against the top hinge.
The steel started turning red and orange. It spread across the entire hinge. After a few minutes the door caught fire. Elyar removed his sword and laughed. “Why didn’t we think if lighting the door on fire?” “Because the ceiling is wood as well.” Jereme stated.
“Oh.” Elyar said watching the door burn.
Declan smiled and gave Elyar a pat on the back. Elyar looked at the giant man confused. Declan had a large smile which was good to see. He is a maniac!
“Nice work.” Jerome declared patting him on the back as well.
“Haha.” Elyar retorted.
“No, really. We needed to get in and you found a way. Now we just
need to make sure the place doesn’t burn down on us.”
Panting a little from his work, Elyar resheathed his sword. “There were some buckets over by the wall.” Elyar said pointing behind them.
“Perfect.” Frem responded jogging over. “One has water. At least I hope it’s water.” he picked up the bucket, ran back to the group, and waited for the fire to burn enough of the door. Once it was starting to lick the ceiling he splashed it with water. It consumed most of the flame, but some still burned the wood. It started getting worse.
“Crap.” Jereme said under his breath.
“If the hinge is weak enough, we should be able to rip it from the wall now.” Elyar suggested. He was not sure if it would work. But he figured it couldn’t hurt. Declan shrugged and took his broken axe.
Smashing the door a few times, he was able to remove the burnt half quickly crumbling the door to the ground. The handle disapeared with the top half allowing them to swing the bottom half of the door open. Then they moved the burning wood into the middle of the room.
“There. It shouldn’t burn anything now.” Elyar said.
Moving back to the door frem stated, “Then let us move.”
The party walked through the door as Elyar took the rear. He was tired and did not want to slow them down. Upon examination, he saw that the door blocked a long passage. Torches were lit keeping the stone corridor nicely lit. He thought it was weird that someone would keep the lights on behind a locked door.
they walked in single file for what felt like ten or so minutes. It was
hard to tell how long or how far. But eventually Elyar saw an opening. Frem walked through first and the group fanned out as they each
entered. Once Elyar was through he saw a vast room full of cells. He counted about three floors with maybe ten or so cells on each floor. From his point of view he could not tell if they were empty or full. Without a command they spread out looking in each cell. Elyar went right and to the second floor. Each cell was big enough to hold one person in semi comfort. A small bed and a pot were in each room. There was a stone wall between each cage with iron bars in the front.
There were no signs of life in the first three he saw and only a skeleton in the fourth. But by time he had reached the middle cell he saw a thin body lying lifeless on the bed. He could not tell if it was breathing but there was flesh. He shook the cage but the door wouldn’t open.
Feeling exhausted he did not want to weave anymore. He knew even through calligromancy he could accidentally kill himself by weaving to hard.
“I found someone!” Elyar shouted.
“Coming!” Frem quickly responded. The man appeared suddenly beside Elyar. He had no idea which direction he had come seemingly evaporating beside him. As the shock disapeared he saw Frem pull the small utencils from before as he began working the lock. ooooh, They were lockpicks. Elyar thought slightly shacking his head. It did not take Frem long before he heard a pop. Frem looked at him with a satisfied smile as he opened the door slightly. He replaced his tools and both quickly ente red the cell.
Before they could check on the person within, Jereme shouted,
“found another!”
“Go! I’ll check on this one.” Elyar said as Frem began running tow ard Jereme’s voice.
Alone, Elyar approached the bed. First he inspected the small area before placing a hand on the person. He felt no response. He turned the body toward him and brushed black hair off his face so he could see the man’s features. It was a man who looked somewhere in his middle age. He was deathly thin with scars across his face and body. It looked like he had been beaten and starved for a while. If he was still alive that is. As he moved him a moan escaped the man.
He’s alive! Relief spread through Elyar. He was not sure he could deal with another dead person. Even if they were a stranger.
“Ah, Hi my name is Elyar Edaamson. I mean you no harm. We are here to rescue you.” He felt stupid as he spoke. But he had no idea what else to say.
The man stirred a little as Elyar heard another shout, “found another!”
Elyar was not sure what to do when he heard a faint whisper come
from the man. He could not tell what he said. “I did not catch that.” “Wah…” he mumbled.
“Wa…wa…water! Yes of course.” Elyar said as he began searching for some water. He ran out the cell and shouted, “Water! I need some water!” “Here!” Ruzur shouted from below. He threw up a small water skin.
“Thanks!” Elyar shouted as he raced back to give the man a drink. He slowly lifted his head as he placed the waterskin to his lips. Little by little he poured small amounts of water down the man’s throat. He sputtered a few times forcing Elyar to slow down. But after a minute he looked better. Still ragidy and starved, but there seemed to be a little more life in him. Elyar watched the man blink as he tried to focus on his surroundings.
“Wh…where am I?” He whispered barely getting the words out.
“You were in a prison cell below a crumbling fortress in the hands of an evil weaver. He…is gone. You are free.” Elyar said. He sat watching the man try to come to terms with the information. His face twitched as his eyes bounced around the room. He did not shrink away from Elyar, but Elyar could feel his muscles still tight and his body pushed a little away from him.
“Do you remember your name?” Elyar said trying to comfort the man. He slowly sat him up by bracing his hand on his back. At first he resisted, but he slowly let Elyar. He looked so weak Elyar was shocked he could sit up.
He did not answer for a moment then said, “Sanders. I think my name is Sanders.”
“Hello Sanders. My name is Elyar. Are you strong enough to walk?”
“E…Elyar? What a strange name.”
“Is it? It’s been my name my whole life.” He shrugged off the odd comment and resumed seeing if Sanders could stand.
“Let’s see if you can get up, shall we?” He said moving to help
Sanders rise from the bed.
“Yes. Yes, let us get out of this horrid place.” Sanders mumbled as he braced himself on Elyar. He struggled at first, but after a few attempts he was able to get to his feet. He was very shacky but with Elyar’s support he was able to stand.
“There we go. Now how does that feel?” Elyar asked holding Sanders with one hand.
“It is good to stand. I have been locked up for…I don’t know how long.” A tear rolled down Sander’s cheek. Sadness crossed over his gaunt face. Elyar could not imagen what it would be like caged like an animal. He felt for the man before him.
Steadily he helped Sanders walk toward freedom. At first his steps were shacky and weak. But each step seemed to invigorate the man. By
the time he was at the door, which was only about four steps, he was nearly walking by himself. He still kept one hand on Elyar for balance, but his steps were sure.
They left the cell and began heading toward the stairs. Slowly, but surely, step by step, they made it to the steps. Looking down Elyar saw one other prisoner already down there. A cloak was wrapped around as he sipped a water canteen. They began descending the stairs one slow step at a time. Eventually, though it felt like a lifetime, they reached the bottom. Elyar wished he could pick Sanders up and carry him. But he figured the man needed to accomplish this on his own. They rounded the stairs to begin walking toward the center of the room to meet the others.
Now Elyar could see Jereme leading a third prisoner down from the third level. He did not envy his friend. The woman on his arm looked thinner than Sanders. If that was possible. Her hair was long and wild. It was hard to tell the color from this distance, but Elyar thought it might be a dark brown. Elyar took another look at the first prisoner studying his features. He was thin like Sanders with brown hair. He had a large beard that reached his mid chest while Sanders was clean shaven for some reason.
Frem walked up and said, “What were these prisoners for? I see no torture devices, no chains, nothing to show why they were here. I asked Nyx but he hasn’t spoken yet.”
“I don’t know. But these people look like they have suffered. For what, I don’t know. I am surprised they are still alive.” Elyar responded while watching Jereme still walking the woman down the stairs.
Sanders sat down next to Nyx and Elyar wrapped his cloak over his shoulders. Neither man spoke to the other. Elyar spoke to Frem quietly as they waited for Jereme. They were trying to figure out what most of the cages were empty and what they wanted with them. Jereme was almost done escorting the woman when Elyar decided to go look for any hints about their mystery. He had not searched the first floor so he deci ded to start there.
He started by walking along the wall. He searched the stone to see if something stood out. On the right side of the room and moved from there. When he looked into each cell he only found rags, rotten beds, and some animal droppings. By the time he was on the last one Jereme appeared beside him.
“What are you doing mi Lord?”
He had not heard him approach so his presence made him jump.
“Warn a guy before you do that!”
Laughing Jereme responded, “sorry mi Lord. But why are you look ing through the cells again? find anyting?”
“Frem and I were wondering why they were down here. So I was try ing to see if I could find any answers.”
“Found any?”
“…No…” Elyar responded sheepishly.
“Haha. Well let me help you.”
He nodded his head in appreciation before they both started searching. Just like before, the cages held nothing of interest. Under one of the stone steps they found a door. Not that it had been hidden, Elyar and the other must have just over looked it. He tried the handle. With a sigh of relief it opened easily. Inside lay an armory of sorts. There were some books on a small shelf, a table with some scraps of paper, and a rack with the weapons.
Elyar watched Jereme strut over to the weapons while he went to look at the papers on the desk. He pulled them all together before flipping through. The first few had nothing on them. He was in the middle of glancing over the third when a clash broke the quiet atmosphere. He jumped quickly looking toward the sound while reaching for his sword. Jereme stood beside some of the weapons that had clearly been knocked over. He had a silly grin which obviously was trying to play the moment off. Elyar shook his head laughing then went back to reading.
It was not until he got to the last paper that he started seeing something of interest. He returned to the top and read it slowly. The language was different than what he had learned, but it was still understandable. It was plans for a great invasion. The kingdoms of the west, which Elyar assumed meant the Fae kingdoms, were amassing a great army to invade Korax.
He could not see who led the army, which again he assumed was this Raven King, nor did it say where. Or at least no where Elyar had heard of. The only place it mentioned was the Field of Bardag. Wherever that was.
He threw the other useless papers away before walking over to show Jereme what he had found. When he turned around he was a little surprised to see Ruzur standing beside the weapons as well. He must have been too enraptured with reading to hear him walk in.
“We have to leave. Now.” Elyar said sternly.
Raising his eyebrows, Jereme took the paper and began reading. He whistled while handing the paper to Ruzur. He quickly scanned the pa per and then his mouth dropped a little.
“We need to warn Korax. It doesn’t matter if the Raven King wants me anymore. My father is walking into a trap.” Elyar said before either could say anything. He felt a weird energy and a prickling sensation up and down his body. His foot was tapping and he couldn’t control his hands.
“Hold on mi Lord. Yes we need to go, but we have our new friends.
We are going to have to move slow.” Jereme calmly said.
“Jereme is correct. The wise course would be to leave the prisoners with the village beyond the mountain. When they are safe, then we will accompany thee.” Ruzur placed his hand on Elyar’s shoulder. We gave it a reassuring squeeze before turning to leave.
Hanging his head a little, Elyar said quietly, “yeah…I guess you are right. I just feel so…I don’t know. Haunted almost.”
Turning with him to follow Ruzur, Jereme replied, “I know.” He bumped his shoulder into Elyar causing him to crack a smile. “There. The world isn’t burning quite yet. Let’s give it a chance before we dive into the depths of despair.”
Chuckling at Jereme’s ridiculous statement, Elyar said, “yeah, whatever.”
Jereme laughed. Elyar couldn’t help but laugh with him.