Chapter 15
Tiberius
Waking up was difficult. It was still completely dark, and it took Tiberius several moments to remember where he was. His back was aching. The climb through the twisted forest had been incredibly hard, forcing him to contort his body and use muscles he’d been babying since having the Balestone removed from his body.
He rubbed his face and took several deep breaths. He wanted to stand and stretch his stiff muscles, but Lexi was asleep on his shoulder. He stroked her face until she woke up. He felt her body stiffen but he quickly reassured her that everything was all right.
“It’s okay,” he said. “We’re safe. Just time to get moving again.”
“I just fell asleep,” she complained. “It’s so dark—how can you know what time it is?”
“I’m certain—come on.”
He rubbed her shoulders and scratched her back until she stopped complaining. He was tired, too, but he was also anxious. They were close to their goal, and he couldn’t help but feel the excitement of approaching the heart of old magic in the world before the cataclysm had destroyed it all. In his mind he could see the wizards and their apprentices walking through the town’s wide streets. There was a time when the ruins they were in was a bustling place full of ideas and optimism. He hoped there might be some books on magic that he could find along their way. He was desperate for more magical knowledge, and missing the opportunity to collect the books the old wizard in Devonyr had collected was still difficult for Tiberius to accept.
They ate a little, but neither had much appetite. Once they had crawled back out of the building they were sheltering in, they tried to see any sign of sunlight overhead, but there were too many twisted branches and trunks, so Tiberius summoned his magical light.
“
Fulsi
,” he said softly, immediately smothering the bright light that wanted to shine out in all directions.
Instead, he forced the light to shine down at their feet, so they could see where they were going, but everything else was merely shadow.
“How are we going to find anything like this?” Lexi said.
“I don’t know,” Tiberius said. “But I don’t want to attract unwanted attention.”
“You think there are more of those creatures that chased us?”
“Maybe,” Tiberius said, not saying what he really thought.
The creature they had run from the day before wasn’t really a predator. It didn’t want to kill them, but rather just force them out of its territory. If they ran into something that wanted to eat them, they might have a much more difficult time escaping.
They wandered through the ruins and between the thick trunks of the huge trees. Tiberius hoped they would find something that would mark the difference between the town and the old commune where the Order of Wizards had hidden the Emerystone. But everything seemed the same, and the forest was so crowded with trees and debris that they were forced to change directions often. Soon, Tiberius was afraid they were wandering in circles.
“Are you sure you’re headed the right way?” Lexi asked after a while.
“I think so. Something is driving me forward.”
“Could it be just your desire to succeed?”
“It could be,” he admitted. “It could also be a sense of something magical.”
“I’m totally lost,” Lexi said. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to find our way back.”
“I can use my Find North spell,” Tiberius said. “If we keep moving south, we’ll find the commune. And then we’ll be able to get back to the tunnel, I’m sure of it.”
“I wish I could be as certain as you are. All this darkness makes me feel hopeless.”
Tiberius tried to remain positive. He didn’t like the darkness either. The air was humid and rank with the smell of earth and decay. There was no wind, and the trees seemed to hold the heat in so that they were both sweating as they walked along. The straps on Ti’s pack dug into his shoulders, and his feet hurt from walking on the uneven terrain, but despite it all, he kept moving forward.
“
Repperi Arctoa
,” he said, occasionally checking to ensure they were moving south. The Find North spell forced him to turn, almost as if some invisible force were twisting his shoulders. Once he was facing north, the force vanished, and he relaxed. He was then able to turn around and lead them south.
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. They hadn’t eaten much that morning, so Tiberius guessed it was still early when he felt hunger stirring in his stomach. They stopped and ate lunch, which was more of the same bland rations as the night before. They sipped their water, which was warm and tasted like the wooden barrel it had been stored in on the war ship. They were so hot and tired, they were tempted to guzzle it all down, so they forced themselves to drink just enough to keep them going.
The thought of being lost in the darkness was terrifying. The gloom at the forest floor and the shadowy trunks of the trees all around them made Tiberius feel as if the darkness were alive. The weight of the huge trees seemed to press in on him, and his mind fought against a sense of panic that kept flaring up. They heard animals but saw nothing. They had no idea if what they heard were small forest creatures or horrific beasts, but Tiberius’ imagination attributed every sound to a horrific monster that was just waiting to pounce on them.
Hour after hour passed; eventually the ruins stopped appearing in the darkness, and Tiberius guessed they had passed through the town. Now there was nothing around them except for the dark trees, and Tiberius had to fight his own doubts. Maybe they weren’t in the right place. Maybe they had passed through the wizards’ commune without even knowing it.
Lexi walked beside Tiberius almost as silently as his shadow. She let him lead the way and didn’t question him. This was his mission, and she was there to support him. It made him feel good to know she was there, but it also terrified him that he might be leading her to some horrible fate. She could have waited on the ship in safety and been at least comfortable, but he was glad she was there. He felt selfish for wanting to keep her so near him, but her presence gave him a confidence that he sorely needed in the gloom of the forest.
Tiberius guessed it was late afternoon when they finally stopped to rest. His feet and back were aching, and they were both tired.
“Maybe I was wrong,” Tiberius said.
“It was worth a try,” Lexi said gently. “It was a long shot to think that we might find it on our first try.”
“I just don’t get it. The commune should be here.”
“If this is the right town. Maybe we haven’t traveled far enough yet.”
“I wish I could know for sure,” he said bitterly. “I hate the thought of giving up.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. We’re still alive. We haven’t been hurt or captured. We just didn’t find what we were looking for.”
“I want to push on, just a little while longer.”
“We only have enough rations for one more day,” Lexi said. “If we don’t turn back, we won’t be able to get back to the war ship before we run out of food and water.”
“Just for a while,” he said. “I just need to be sure.”
“I’m with you, Ti. I’ll go wherever you tell me.”
He wanted to hug her and kiss her and declare his undying love to her for saying that. He felt tears welling in his eyes, and his throat was suddenly more dry than ever. No one had ever had so much confidence in him before.
“Well, let’s get going,” Lexi said.
She stood up and pulled Tiberius to his feet. He readjusted the pack on his back and then started out. Every step felt like a mistake. There was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind that told him he was a fool. If he wasted their time now and they had difficulty finding the tunnel again, they could die down in the unrelenting darkness.
He was just about to turn back when he noticed that something was different. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something had changed.
“Is something different?” he asked Lexi.
“I don’t think so.”
“I can’t figure it out, but something has changed.”
He looked around. The forest was still a dark, oppressive tangle all around them. The air was still fetid and hot. He looked down—the ground was still just dark soil, but then it hit him. The ground wasn’t soft like before. He bent down and brushed at the dirt with his fingers. Just below the surface, covered with a layer of fine dirt, were cobblestones.
“Look!” Tiberius said excitedly. “We’re on a street.”
He hurried forward, and suddenly they found themselves on a wide, straight road. The trees grew close on either side, but in front of them, the path was clear. They moved forward quickly, passing the ruins of buildings on either side. Part of Tiberius wanted to stop and explore the ruins, but he knew he didn’t have the time or resources. His curiosity had been stifled by the unrelenting heat and darkness. Now, all he wanted was to find the Emerystone and get out of the twisted forest.
“Can you believe it?” he asked as they hurried down the straight, even path.
“Is this it?”
“It has to be,” Tiberius said.
The massive trees grew close to the path, which was just wide enough for a single wagon to travel on, but it was the most open space they had been in since entering the forest. They couldn’t see much to either side. There were ruins, much like in the city behind them, but they were hidden by the trees. On the path, the small light Tiberius had conjured shone much further than before. They increased their pace without really thinking about it. Tiberius was certain he was close to his objective and couldn’t wait to see what lay ahead.
At the end of the path was a dome-shaped building. It looked strange in its construction and in the fact that it was still intact. Everything else in the forest was in ruins, but the dome-shaped structure seemed untouched. The walls and roof were made of stone, and there was a heavy-looking wooden door blocking the only visible entrance.
“That has to be it,” Tiberius said.
“I can’t believe it,” Lexi said.
“We have to go in.”
“Wait, what if there is something living in there?”
“If there’s something alive inside, it would have to be a person. There’s no way in except through the door.”
“Humor me,” she said. “Let’s just inspect it from all sides before going in.”
Tiberius didn’t think that was necessary and he was anxious to see what secrets lay inside the dome-shaped building. But Lexi had supported him since they had left Avondale. He wouldn’t refuse her now, not when all she wanted was to inspect the building before going in.
“Okay, let’s check it out.”
The spaces around the sides of the dome were much narrower than the wide pathway that led to the structure. The trees grew close, forcing Tiberius and Lexi to walk beside the building. Tiberius put his hand on the stones, which were cool and solid. There were no windows and no other doors. The entire structure seemed to be in perfect condition. When they had completed their inspection, Tiberius turned to Lexi.
“Well? What do you think?” he asked.
Nothing else had been visible in the commune. The twisted forest had invaded and destroyed everything except the dome. Exploring the structure wasn’t just the best option, it was the only option.
“Let’s go,” Lexi said.
Tiberius reached out and touched the door. The wood was smooth and warm, seemingly unaffected by the damp air around the roots of the forest. There was a small iron ring attached to the door. Tiberius pulled it, and the door swung open, the rusty hinges grinding together to make a horrible screech.
Tiberius and Lexi froze, listening for some sound that might indicate danger. Ti half-expected the noise of the door to have roused some horrible monster, but the commune was silent. The light from Tiberius’ spell shone into the building and revealed a very plain-looking stone wall only a pace or two into the structure. On one side the wall ended abruptly; on the other, it curved along just inside the outer wall, forming a corridor.
“That is strange,” Lexi said. “What is this place?”
“I don’t know,” Tiberius said. “I guess we’ll have to go inside to find out.”
Tiberius led the way. The roof to the narrow hallway was low, and Ti guessed that the corridor led halfway around the building before opening up into a larger room.
“Is this a tomb?” Lexi asked fearfully.
“I don’t think so,” Tiberius replied. “Maybe they took everything when they left this place.”
The room seemed empty, and Tiberius let his magical light grow stronger. The interior of the dome was completely dark, but so was the forest, so the room didn’t seem all that different to Tiberius. There were no furnishings in the room, not even sconces along the walls for torches.
“Is it a temple?” Lexi asked.
“Possibly. The Balestone was in a temple.”
“What’s that in the floor?”
Tiberius wasn’t sure. He could see a dark spot, but the more he increased the light, the darker the spot became. They moved forward slowly. The floor was made of smooth stones, which were now covered with a layer of dust that made them feel slick. There was no moisture in the room and nothing to look at except for the dark spot on the floor. As they got closer, Tiberius realized the spot was actually a hole and around the hole was an inscription.
The pinnacle of all known magic is Nativus Magicus. It must only be practiced by the most dedicated of wizards.
“This is it!” Tiberius said in a quiet but excited voice. “We found it.”
“Found what? What did we find?”
“This is where they hid the stone. It has to be. Nativus Magicus is the Fourth Order of Magic. It must be down in this well.”
“Why would they hide the stone down a well?”
“I don’t know, but where else could it be in this place?”
Lexi looked doubtful, but she didn’t argue. Tiberius let his magical light shine brighter, and several feet below the floor they were standing on, they saw water. The dark liquid reflected the light back up toward them, and as they leaned over the well, they could see their reflection. At first Tiberius was startled, but he quickly realized he was only seeing a reflection of himself.