Thorik’s party left the village and followed the shoreline to the east, occasionally stopping to rest in the shade of the palm trees that grew along the sandy beaches. Passing the outskirts of Trewek, they marveled at the size of the towers and architectural grace of the massive city. Santorray had no desire to enter and convinced the group to continue south, away from the Ro’Volney Lake, to the larger Ki’Volney Lake.
Days went by with general chatter, mostly from Brimmelle and how he felt they should have stayed in the safety of the village a little longer.
As they walked along the north shores of the Ki’Volney Lake, the eastern cliffs became more apparent. Harsh mountain ranges lined the region, with the most grand being the Shi’Pel Peaks to the southeast. The highest points in all of the lands.
A wide waterfall, several times the height of the marble column they once traveled on, broke free from the mountain landscape, spilling so much water so far down that it became mist before hitting. The mist filled the valley along the cliff line and out to the lake.
Thorik appeared concerned as they proceeded to travel deeper into the misty vapors, as it continued to thicken. “Grewen, is it safe to travel past the falls?”
“Safe yes, recommended no.”
“Is that because it is sacred land where you bury your dead?”
“No, Lagona Falls is where we go to die. It is where we travel our final pilgrimage to seek enlightenment and endless wisdom. It is the end of our journeys and the beginning of a higher level. We don’t normally plan on coming back out.”
Ericc looked skeptically at Grewen. “But we can, can’t we?”
“I don’t see why not. I know of some who have passed it, staying out of the eternal lands. We just need to stay along the lake shoreline.”
The plants in the thick fog grew taller than normal. Thick mushrooms and moss coated wide tree trunks and colorful flowers opened up large enough to sit in. The overgrowth made it difficult to see very far.
Grewen watched as several hummingbirds licked sap running off a mound of large fungi. Breaking off a piece of the mound, he took a bite. The sap was sweet to the taste. “The good news is we won’t go hungry.”
It was at this time that soft music, from somewhere in the distant mist, began to sing in the Nums’ ears. Elegant and enchanting, the music tugged at their gentle emotions and relaxed them.
Even Brimmelle was put at ease by the tone. “Where is that coming from?”
The Nums moved away from the beach and into the forest, light-footed as they searched for the source. Avanda held Gluic’s hand to help her through the heavy foliage.
Ericc and the two Unday followed the Nums, unaware of what the little ones had heard.
“This smells of a trap,” Santorray growled as he finally started hearing the music. “We should stay near the lake and continue heading south.”
Nevertheless, east was the direction of the two Unday and Ericc as they tried to keep up with the Nums. Thick vines spanned the trees, acting like crude nets against the large bodies of Santorray and Grewen. Ericc and the Nums, however, had no problem walking between and under them.
“Thorik! Get back here. We need to stay by the shoreline,” Santorray yelled, without getting a response.
Ericc was the next to hear the sounds, causing him to race ahead and catch up to Thorik.
Grewen eventually heard the music, stopping to listen without the noise of his heavy footfalls. “Aw, Trewek’s Aria. The call to enlightenment. It’s more exquisite than I had been led to believe.”
Deeper and deeper they went into the forest, as the mist, plants, and vines became denser. Soon the Nums and Ericc were out of the Unday’s view.
Santorray cupped his hands near his mouth to focus his voice. “Thorik? Ericc? Where are you?”
There was no response.
“Enlightenment?” Santorray snarled at Grewen. “These are the reasons your people are weak. You allow these types of places to exist without knowing anything about them.”
Grewen continued to move the vines out of his path as he continued forward. “What would you suggest, an invasion into these fertile lands to wipe out all dangers?”
“Absolutely.”
“Barbaric. Can’t you coexist with nature? Why do you have to destroy it?”
“I’ll coexist with it once I know its strengths and weaknesses.”
“You talk like it’s a potential enemy.”
“Sometimes it can be.”
Passing large mounds of fungi and through thick leafy vines, the two stopped to listen for the rest of their party.
Grewen began to hum with the tranquil sounds of Trewek’s song. Swaying with the music he moved forward, deeper into the forest.
“Grewen, snap out of it,” Santorray ordered.
But the Mognin’s grin said it all as he relaxed his eyelids and sauntered away under the music’s spell.
Santorray continued to call for the others as he followed Grewen through the forest and eventually into a clearing.
A motionless pond rested in the center of the open area, as the Nums and Ericc sat along its misty shores. Peaceful silence was only interrupted by the soft song of the local hummingbirds, which hovered over the lake and around the new guests.
“It’s amazing.” Avanda lifted her hand out for one of the hummingbirds to land on.
“Beyond words.” Brimmelle rested against a rock, watching three birds sing inches from his face.
Gluic sat near Brimmelle as she watched his enjoyment. “It’s good to see you smile.” Turning, she enjoyed the song from the several birds inches from her own face.
Santorray did not share their enjoyment. “So you discovered the source of the music. Now, we need to head out.”
Grewen sat down. “Why? This feels safer than anywhere else we’ve been.”
“A little too serene for my taste,” Santorray spit back.
Thorik nodded. “Yes, serene. It is a wonderful place to hide from Darkmere.”
“No, this is not a place to hide. We must travel south.”
Desire and issues of the world started fading from their minds. The concepts of fighting and revenge mellowed as they relaxed in the safe haven.
Ericc looked at the Blothrud. “Sit down and enjoy yourself.”
“Ericc, I thought you were tired of hiding from Darkmere. And yet you sit there now and do just that.”
“Hide?” Ericc questioned. “If anything, I feel free. Free to enjoy life for my first time.”
“You’re not free. You’re hiding in a forest,” Santorray argued.
“I feel like I can do anything, right now. I could remove all evil from the world with a wave of my hand.”
“And yet you choose to sit there and do nothing instead.”
“This is a glorious place.” Ericc ignored his last statement.
Thorik looked over at his agitated friend. “Santorray, we will camp here for the night.”
Santorray stood silent, watching the group enjoy the serenity of the music and smells. Each member was in their own world as they gazed at the hovering birds.
The Blothrud continued to try to get them moving, even to the extent of lifting them to their feet, only to see them sit back down again.
Frustrated at the situation, he walked out of the pond area to vent his frustrations by slamming his fist into trees, logs, and anything else in his reach. Punching a mound of fungi, a large section cracked off, exposing a body underneath.
Encapsulated in the fungi sat a Gathler, leaning against a tree with a content smile on his face. He appeared to have been enjoying the same sounds as his friends.
Several hummingbirds swarmed the Blothrud, attacking him from all angles. The Blothrud had destroyed one of their food sources.
Swatting at the birds, he ripped off more of the fungi to expose the Ov’Unday. One of his wrist spikes accidentally grazed the creature, cutting it open, causing it to bleed.
“It’s still alive?”
More birds showed up to
attack the Blothrud. Their strong beak poked hard at the Blothrud, trying to get at his eyes. Whispers from every direction replaced the beautiful song with threats of death. “Get out!” they shouted.
“Myth’Unday! I should have known.” Santorray barked, protecting his face from them.
Ripping off the top of the fungi mound, the Gathler’s brain was exposed with fungi growing from within it. Sections of the Gathler’s chest were also exposed as the fungi grew inside him.
There was no way to pull the Gathler out of the mound without ripping out the fungi which appeared to be keeping him alive.
Santorray ran back to the pond to alert his friends. All of them had the same blissful expression as the Gathler he had just discovered.
Gripping Grewen on the shoulder, he shook him hard to pull him out of his distant thoughts. Looking down near his hand, Santorray noticed small outcroppings of fungi across the Ov’Unday’s back. It had already begun.
Hours went by as Santorray tried to wake the crew from their trance, with no resolution. Fungi continued to grow on them as the Blothrud desperately tried to remove it, while fighting off the Myth’Unday birds.
Exhausted, night fell and his ability to see new patches of the fungi became difficult. The less effective he was at removing the fungi, the less the hummingbirds bothered him.
Santorray removed his talisman necklace and untied one of the beads in it. After tapping it against his talisman, he squeezed it tight. Waiting for it to turn a glowing red, he threw it up into the air.
The red glow rocketed into the night sky before returning to the earth and extinguishing.
Santorray lit a lantern, and continued his removal process for several hours before attempting a second bead. It was this second attempt that brought help.
The Red-Tipped Silver Dragon dove down between the trees and into the opening, scaring the Myth’Unday away. The lantern light reflected off his scales, giving him a glistening effect as he landed.
“What have you done? Were the instructions too difficult for you to understand?” Draq asked in an angry voice.
“What took you so long? You’re going to put everything at risk,” Santorray countered.
“Why didn’t you kill him at Corrock?”
“Hold your forked tongue. We need to get them out of here before they become part of the forest.” The Blothrud shined the lantern on Thorik’s neck, which was now covered with fungi.
Draq looked around at the party members as they gazed into nowhere. “How could you let this happen? He entrusted you.”
“Don’t tell me what I already know. Help me get them out of here.”
“Do it yourself.”
“I can’t lift them all.”
“All you need is Ericc. Leave the rest.”
“From what you have told me, I doubt Ambrosius would want me to abandon Thorik.”
“We don’t have time to ask him, do we? And yet we both know the dangers of not accomplishing our mission. Grab Ericc and finish your task. Come back for the others later, once the sacrifice is complete.”
“There’s a good chance that they won’t be alive when I return,” Santorray argued.
“There’s a greater chance they won’t survive at Surod!”
Santorray looked around at the faces he had come to know. Recalling the trials they had been through and the camaraderie they had shown caused him to hesitate to take such actions. He had built friendships and became part of a family unit. Even memories of nearly ripping Brimmelle apart brought a smile to his face.
“No,” Santorray said. “We must save them all.”
“Listen, Blothrud, you have a mission to perform. Stay focused and carry it out. Killing Ericc in front of Thorik and the Corrockians would have ended this. But now that you’re this far south, sacrificing him in Surod is your best option.”
“I’m not leaving without my entire team.”
“Team? They aren’t part of your team. If they really knew your mission, they would skin you alive. So don’t get emotional about friendship and trust. They trust you only because you haven’t let them know who you really are and what you’re trying to do.”
Santorray would have rather had a physical fight with the dragon than this verbal one.
Draq watched as the Blothrud struggled with his decision. “Would Thorik save you if he knew you were an Ergrauthian Elite? Vowed to carry out Ergrauth’s every order.” Draq pointed at Santorray. “Murderer of Kasa, beheader of ChoFon, and traitor of Ergrauth himself. I know your past better than most, and loyalty is not your forte.”
Santorray tightened his fists as he listened to this trial by his peer.
Draq continued to drill his point. “Would they risk their lives for you if they knew you’ve worked for Darkmere as well as Ambrosius? Face it; you’ve broken every alliance you’ve ever had. You have no friends, no team, and no companions unless you lie to them about who you are. Once you strike Ericc down, they won’t trust you anymore anyway.”
Santorray took a deep breath. Draq was correct, but it was a chance that he would have to take. “We take all of them or the mission is over. It is now your decision that will determine Ericc’s fate.”
Draq flapped his wings hard and thrashed his tail, pounding it against the mossy ground. After letting off some steam, he finally gave in. “I will carry Ericc to the Volney Shore. No more.”
“You will carry him last, after the Nums.”
The two Dels stood firm, ready to lash out at each other as the tension mounted.
“This is the last time I’m coming to your aid.”
“This is the first and only time I’ve asked for your help.”
“You owe me.”
“Get in line, I owe a lot of people, including these Nums.”
Draq accepted this as a win for him and lifted the first Num up and out of the forest.
Santorray lifted Grewen’s enormous arms over his head and began dragging the Mognin to the lake shoreline while Draq took care of the rest. The fungi quickly flaked away once they were out of the forest and into a safe location.
It wasn’t until sunrise when Santorray reached the Nums at the lake. He had been lugging Grewen all night long, and he finally fell onto the beach from exhaustion.
The Nums had been lying near the shore for several hours and Draq had long since flown away. Waking up, one by one, they stretched from their marvelously refreshing dreams, ready to hit the day hard.
Grewen also awoke, as he noticed his clothes filled with moss, branches, leaves, and everything else that could be scooped up off the forest floor. As he stood up to stretch, a pile of forest debris fell from under his robe onto the beach.
“How did we get here?” Ericc asked as he sat up on his knees.
Shaking it off, the Mognin was also extremely refreshed and exhilarated. “Last thing I recall was walking through the forest.”
“I never even set up camp.” Thorik stretched and yawned.
Brimmelle stood up and stretched his back before walking over to Santorray. “Get up you lazy beast.” He kicked sand onto the back of the Blothrud to get a reaction.
Santorray rolled over after only being asleep for a few minutes. His fatigue was obvious in his dismissal of Brimmelle’s comment.
“And what do you know of our getting to this place?” Brimmelle asked bitterly.
Santorray slowly rose to his knees. “I saved your life by carrying you out of the forest and onto this beach.”
“Dragged, is more like it,” Grewen chuckled as he pulled another branch out of his robe.
“Oh.” Brimmelle showed little appreciation. “I don’t recall being in any danger in the forest.”
Thorik and Ericc agreed with a nod.
“Regardless, daylight is burning, we can’t sleep the day away,” the Fir said as everyone collected their gear and headed south.
Exhausted, Santorray slowly worked his way to his feet and began to follow. “You’re welcome,” he sarcastically said to the distant gr
oup of travelers.
Chapter 36
Ambrosius’ Home
Thorik’s Log: June 14th of the 650th year.
We have left Lagona Falls and need to keep hidden until June 21st, when the threat of the Eve of Light sacrifice has passed. We are almost there. Just one more week.