Part 4
Shrouded in mist, Sagehaven invoked a sense of foreboding and mystery. The ruins were scattered across a clay field near the banks of the shadow river, which ran from the borders of faerie lands into the human territory of Tunosia, which lay directly southwest of Torgesia. The Darkwood forest surrounded the river and stretched for miles.
The horses were clearly nervous and jittery. Tanith could hear them whispering amongst themselves.
*I don’t like this place,* Brightwind muttered.
*Too many died here,* Fenrek’s pony agreed.
*I smell death all around,* Firestar added with a shiver.
*When can we leave?* Nightsong asked.
*Mistress,* J’yar addressed Tanith, *I must warn you to be cautious.*
“I know, J’yar,” she answered while gently stroking his neck. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll be fine. The horses are spooked,” Tanith noted to the others.
“That does not bode well,” Talrion remarked, amazed that she could hear them.
“True enough,” she agreed. “If they can still smell the dead after all these years, there must be ghosts around.”
Trin nodded. “My father said that there were reports of Sagehaven being haunted. We should be prepared for anything.”
“As any wise person should be,” Kiperreth acknowledged. “I’ll go first, in case traps await us.”
He dismounted and checked his supplies, then prepared some protection spells. Trin also readied a few spells. Tanith unsheathed Sirocco after descending from her mount. The others also equipped their weapons.
“Very well,” Kip said. “Let’s go.”
Inside Sagehaven’s ruins, centuries of dust concealed the traces of what had happened. It took a trained eye to notice arrowheads beneath the dust, bloodstains on the floor, and so forth. The bodies had long since been burned or buried in their races’ respective traditions, but signs of the battle had been left as a reminder to anyone who ventured within. Books and scrolls remained on the shelves, shrouded in dust. No footprints or other markings were left to indicate that anyone had been there recently.
Suddenly a low, keening moan echoed through the walls. Everyone shivered except Kip, who cast a protective shield around them.
“Come out, phantasm! Show yourself,” the dragon demanded.
The air rippled as a specter appeared. It resembled wispy smoke, except for two eyes like smoldering coals.
“Who has disturbed the place of the dead?” the ghost challenged.
“We seek an ancient scroll that will open the way to the sun,” Kip replied. “Do you know of it?”
“Yes. It is deep within these ruins inside a secret chamber.”
Aliya’s eyes widened. Was this the same chamber the faerie queen had spoken of? Had she been studying the scroll there? Why had Queen Myrellyn not mentioned it?
“Will you show us the way?” Kip asked.
“No. You have disturbed my eternal slumber and will likely awaken more spirits within these walls. I see no reason to help you.”
Knowing it was a slim chance, Kip reminded the ghost, “Your descendants may suffer a grim fate if we do not succeed.”
If it were possible for a spirit to shrug, this one would have. “What happens in the world of the living no longer concerns me.”
The dragon sighed. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to get any more information out of the ghost. “Be gone, then, and trouble us no longer!”
The apparition vanished, leaving them to wonder what else lay in store.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, Neteilu was having dinner in his bedchamber when a guard interrupted him.
“My Liege, the prisoners have escaped!”
The sorcerer glared at him while rising to his feet. “Was my former wife with them?”
“Aye, Majesty. Please, forgive me. The other guards are searching for them as I speak.”
“I should hope so. Find Torana, or I will have your head.”
The guard blanched. “As you command, Majesty.” Bowing profusely, he left the bedroom and ran.
Neteilu was enraged. How could this have happened? There would be hell to pay. Torana deserved to hang for what she had done. He could care less about the other prisoners, but he wanted her back so he could show his subjects what happened to those who were traitors.
Just then, a serpentine emerald shape appeared and transformed into the snake god’s current form, the sorcerer Zoran. “You should have killed him,” he said disapprovingly.
“He will face death soon enough,” Neteilu replied. “Why are you here?”
“I have decided to change the terms of our agreement,” he replied. “I no longer have a need for my current host, and you suit my needs perfectly. You are a weak ruler, Neteilu. I should have taken care of you before.”
“I am not weak,” the sorcerer protested, realizing that if he could not persuade the snake god, his life would be over. “My magic is powerful! My subjects fear me.”
“They may fear you, but I do not,” Zoru replied.
He stretched out his hand. Emerald tendrils snaked towards Neteilu, twisting and contorting as he cast a counter spell. Crimson light surrounded him, but the shield was not enough to stop it. One of the tendrils penetrated it. Cursing, the sorcerer fought back with energy blasts, but none of them appeared to harm Zoru. The serpentlike tendrils crept closer.
Finally, Neteilu was completely bound in glowing green light. He struggled to free himself, but could not.
“You bastard! I should never have trusted you,” he fumed.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Zoru calmly agreed.
He forced Neteilu’s spirit out of his body and quickly took up residence there. The husk that had been the body of Zoran crumpled to the floor, lifeless. Neteilu’s spirit raged from a distance while Zoru cast a spell, banishing it to the netherworld. His eyes briefly glowed emerald as he laughed.
“Fool! What was yours is mine, and the rest of the world shall be mine, as well.”
Realizing that he had to discover what his enemies were up to, Zoru took Neteilu’s onyx scrying bowl, poured water into it, and cast a spell. The bowl showed him the ruins of Sagehaven and the scroll in the secret chamber.
“Excellent,” he declared. “Now I can destroy them once and for all.”
Zoru disappeared into a cloud of emerald smoke.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, in the ruins of Sagehaven, the adventurers fought the undead. Restless spirits, enraged at having been disturbed, attacked. It seemed as if every few steps they took, another phantom challenged them. It was frustrating, to say the least.
Specters, like wisps of smoke, surrounded them. The spirits’ eyes glowed like molten lava as they moaned and howled. The ghosts had a paralyzing touch that drained the energy of their victims. But they would have few opportunities to do so.
Aliya flung glowing balls of silver fire, something that the faerie queen had shown her while teaching Aliya how to harness her abilities. Trin hurled magical missiles while Fenrek loosed enchanted arrows.
Tanith had been forced to use an extra bow and enchanted arrows that had been in the supplies, since her scimitar had no effect on the ghosts. She wasn’t as good with a bow, and cursed every time she missed. Kip cast lightning bolts as Talrion attacked with his bow. Finally, the phantasms disappeared with howls of fury.
“I hope we’ll see no more of those things,” Talrion remarked.
“Aye,” Fenrek agreed.
“Give me a solid opponent any day,” Tanith agreed, obviously frustrated.
“Where are we supposed to go from here?” Aliya inquired.
“This way,” Trin said, gesturing to a dark hallway that stretched before them.
The corridor led to a room with six statues. There was a six-pointed silver star on the floor. A diamond, sapphire, emerald, ruby, amethyst, and topaz were placed at the points, which corresponded to the statues. Glowing crystal formations between the statues gave off light in various hues.
Trin recognized the statues as ancient leaders. One of them was Queen Aliya of Tunosia. The emerald star tip pointed toward her. It was possible to see the similarities in her descendent, who gaped at it.
Another statue depicted the faerie king, Elethar the Shining. The sapphire pointed towards him. In addition, A diamond corresponded to the statue of Balkoth, the dragon king. The amethyst faced King Celthor III of Melosea. The topaz was positioned in front of King Kullian IV of Naborea. In addition, the ruby corresponded to the Torgesian king, Rolwynn V, Ulven’s ancestor.
“This is it,” Trin exclaimed, indicating the ancient faerie king.
Talrion nodded. “Aye. He was our great-great-great-great grandfather. He would’ve known your ancestor of old, Aliya.”
“Oh,” she replied. How long ago had that been? What had the queen been like? She wished that she could have known her. Aliya knew that she stood to inherit a great deal. It would be an awesome responsibility.
Trin tugged on the faerie king’s arm. There was a loud rumbling noise as a secret passage opened. Part of the wall slid away, revealing a long, dark tunnel.
“There may be traps ahead,” Kip warned. “Keep your eyes open.”
Slowly, they made their way through the corridor. The dragon summoned a glowing ball of white light to guide them.
“Watch out,” Fenrek warned suddenly. “I see a trip wire ahead.”
Everyone stopped. Kip cast a spell to make the tripwire glow so they couldn’t possibly miss it.
“Just step over it carefully, and you’ll be all right,” the dragon said.
They all gingerly stepped over the wire. Looking up, Fenrek saw a spike trap. He winced. “That would’ve been painful,” he muttered.
Finally, they reached the entrance to the hidden chamber. It was a huge wooden door, but it was not locked. As Kip pushed it open, the creak echoed through the tunnel.
Aliya breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken them so long to get to this point. Here, they would find what they sought. It would all be over soon.
Just then an emerald mist filled the room. It coalesced into the form of Neteilu. Everyone gasped in shock. His eyes glowed green as he gave them a chilling smile. Kip realized that it was not Neteilu, but Zoru. The sorcerer must have been betrayed.
“Welcome to your doom,” Zoru said.
* * * * *
