The Hollow: At The Edge (31 page)

Apparently they took
their smuggling very seriously in Vollumir.

Caellix pushed the door
wider, and waved the others through. Dhulrael crawled in, and
dusted himself of.

“Where are we?” Caellix
asked.

“We are in the house of
my friend Huirril. Let us say, he had quite the interest in keeping
these tunnels operating.”

“Where is he now?”

“He is... You found him
the forest when you found me.”

Caellix nodded in
understanding. “Is there anyone else here?”

“I do not know.”

“Stay here.” Caellix
crept up the stairs to the upper floor, and checked the door. It
opened without resistance, and she slipped out without a sound.
Serrel waited at the foot of the stairs, as the rest of the group
came in through the passage.

Vost pushed his way
past, and took the opportunity to shake his coat dry over
everyone.

“Really?” Serrel hissed
at him.

Vost just stared back
in amusement.

The door opened, and
Caellix poked her head down, and waved them upwards.

At the top of the
stairs, Serrel found himself in the nicest house he had ever been
in. The furnishings were clearly expensive, and interestingly,
decorated in the style of the Empire, rather than with elven
aesthetics.

He joined Caellix where
she peeked out of a window.

“Anything out
there?”

“Looks quiet,” she
commented. “How far to the Illudin?” she asked Dhulrael.

“Not far,” the elf
replied. “Several streets. I know a few shortcuts that might give
us some cover.”

Serrel pulled the
seeking crystal Grimm had given him from his pocket. He held it in
his hand, and weaved a connection with it. There was nothing really
dramatic about it, but Serrel did feel a strange pull in a certain
direction. That was the best way he could describe it. Not so much
a force as much as a vague compulsion in his mind. He turned in a
circle until he faced the direction the feeling was strongest.

“That way,” he
said.

Dhulrael frowned. “Are
you sure? The Arch-Magus said it was at an intersection that way.”
He pointed to his left.

Serrel shrugged. “Well
the crystal says it’s that way.”

“Are you using it
right?” asked Caellix. “Do you even know how to use it right?”

He sighed. “This is the
first time I’ve ever tried this, so no, I can’t be entirely sure
I’m doing this right. But I made a ship move by myself, and I
jumped off a cliff while weaving a shield and being attacking by a
wolf monster at the same time. By comparison, this thing is rather
simple.”

“No need to get tetchy,
Fresh Meat.”

Snow and Jurgen joined
them.

“Well?” said Jurgen
shortly.

“We may have a
problem,” said Caellix. “The elf says the Illudin is one place, but
Fresh Meat’s little glass things says its somewhere else.”

“Maybe they moved it,”
suggested Serrel. “What’s in that direction?” he asked Dhulrael,
gesturing in the direction the seeking crystal indicated.

Dhulrael consulted some
mental layout. “I think... A few houses, maybe a temple... The
market district. Hmm... They could have moved it to the market
square,” he mused.

“Why?”

“I do not know. Perhaps
it is better defended. The intersection I told you about was good
for transport, but the market is deeper in the city.”

“I don’t want to waste
time running around this damn city,” said Jurgen. He looked at
Serrel square in the eye. “Are you sure?”

“If the Fresh Meat says
it is, then it is,” Caellix said coldly. “I trust our mage,
Captain,” she said to Snow.

Snow nodded. “But we
don’t know where it is for certain. In could be in the market, or
it could be somewhere else.”

“What if we stick to
the sewers?” suggested Caellix.

“They might not have
those as thoroughly guarded,” said Jurgen.

“And sewers are right
in your element,” Caellix added nastily.

“Unguarded tunnels are
always a plus in my line of work.”

“I can point us in the
right direction,” put in Serrel. “As long as we move towards the
Illudin... Provided we can get back to the surface again...”

“There are access
hatches all over the city,” said Dhulrael. “My predecessor had them
installed after the city’s plumbing kept getting backed up. I will
find us a way.”

Annabella, who had been
listening, muttered, “Sewers. Why do I always end up in a bloody
sewer?”

“Poor life choices,
Kincade,” said Caellix. “Let’s head back down.”

She stopped Dhulrael as
he moved off and asked him in a suspicious tone, “Why is it that a
school teacher turned politician knows all the secret tunnels and
hidden passages in the city?”

“Two reasons. One: I
was responsible for paying for the upkeep for all these places, and
two: history shows us that any politician who values his skin being
attached to his body should know how to get into and out of his
city undetected.”

“Elf,” said Caellix
with a small smile. “Were you planning on running away with the
city treasury?”

“Dear Sergeant,”
Dhulrael replied innocently. “I honestly do not know what you
mean.”

They backtracked down
into the smuggler’s tunnels, and then took the second tunnel into
the city’s sewers. A hidden door disguised as brick wall took them
into the main line.

It was as disgusting as
Serrel had thought it would be, but at least the constant fall of
rain overnight meant that the majority of the fluid coursing
through the thoroughfares was stormwater run off, and not something
else. Still, it stank, and there were things floating down the fast
coursing water that Serrel didn’t want to think about.

Serrel and Caellix led
the way, with Dhulrael behind them, offering the best path. Serrel
let the seeking crystal point them in the right direction.
Fortunately they seemed able to stay with the larger sewer lines
that ran under the main streets, and at least had access to a
raised pathway running alongside the fast flowing sewage channel,
so no one had to wade into anything unseemly. Vollumir’s sewers,
Dhulrael declared proudly, were a technological marvel, far ahead
of their time when they were constructed, and a true wonder even in
these modern times. Caellix offered to throw him in the water, so
he could have a closer look.

As they progressed, the
pull of the crystal became stronger and stronger as they neared
their goal. Finally Serrel came to a halt when the crystal began to
point almost directly above them.

“It’s there,” he said.
“And... I don’t think it’s moving.”

“If memory serves,”
said Dhulrael slowly, “that should be in the center of the market.
Strange. From their previous location they had access to the city
walls, and the gates. From here, they are too far away. They could
not have line of sight to weave spells at us.”

“I guess they have
something else planned for us,” said Caellix darkly. “How do we get
up?”

“This way.”

Dhulrael led them down
a side tunnel, to a ladder leading up to a metal hatch.

“It should open up in
an alleyway not far from the market,” he said. “I think.”

“You sure it doesn’t
open up in the middle of a busy intersection, swarming with
Ferine?”

“Well, when I go out to
buy vegetables, I do not usually travel via this route, Sergeant,
so I cannot be completely sure.”

Caellix sighed, and
climbed the ladder. She examined the hatch, then whispered,
“Locked. Get Kincade.”

Annabella was directed
to the front of the group. She picked the rather simple lock very
quickly, finishing with a dramatic flourish. Then she slowly and
carefully pushed the hatch upwards a crack, wincing at the sound of
rusty hinges squeaking, and peered out.

She mouthed down at the
others,
Alleyway. Looks clear
. Then she opened the hatch
wider and climbed out. A moment later she waved a hand to signal
they were in the clear.

Caellix scaled the
ladder first, followed by Snow, then Dhulrael and Serrel. It was
raining hard when Serrel emerged at street level. He pulled up his
hood, and pressed himself against the wall of the alley out of the
way of the others.

The alley was narrow,
but wide enough for maybe two people to walk down side by side. It
opened on either end onto wide, cobbled streets. The seeking
crystal was indicating through the building on his left. He pointed
for Caellix to see.

Dhulrael whispered in
the sergeant’s ear, “Both streets lead to the market square.”

“They’ll be guarded,”
said Snow next to them. He looked about the alley, and spotted a
tall drainpipe along one wall, leading up to the roof of the
building. He pointed to a blackclad figure crouched in the shadows.
“You. Um... Caster Stabby...”

“Blackwood,” corrected
Victor.

“That’s what I thought.
You’re one of Jurgen’s lot. Be a sport, and climb onto the roof and
take a look around.”

Victor nodded. He
reached up and took a firm hold of the pipe.

From her position near
the end of the alley, Caellix waved her hand frantically, gesturing
for everyone to drop. Serrel pressed himself into the shadows, his
heart beating frantically. There were heavy steps. Very heavy
steps. Then something walked past the alley along the street and
briefly into view.

Serrel had a glance of
something huge and solid, like a statue come to life. The veins
along its bare arms were lines of glowing red, visible through
flesh. It didn’t even slow in its steps, walking right past the
alley without a glance, and disappearing from view. Two Ferine
hurried in its wake.

The group stayed low
and unmoving for several more moments. Then Caellix turned back and
exchanged a glance with Snow.

Snow tapped Victor on
the shoulder, and pointed upwards. Victor scaled the drainpipe
rapidly, and disappeared over the eaves of the building. Many tense
minutes later, his head head reappeared. He pointed at his eyes,
then at them, and then up at the roof. Basically,
You should see
this
.

Jurgen climbed up the
drain pipe without a word. Caellix pointed at Brant, indicating he
should climb up as well. She followed quickly after them. Serrel
hesitated, then tapped Dhulrael on the shoulder.

“Hold this.” He passed
the elf his staff. Dhulrael gave him a confused look as he took it.
Then Serrel went to the pipe, and started to climb.

It was slick with
water, but the supports were strong, and close enough that even
Serrel, who was the first to admit he was not really the physical
type, could climb it fairly easily. Caellix pulled him roughly over
the eave of the roof, but didn’t give him a chance to catch his
breath.

He followed her along
the sloping and very slick roof, holding onto the gable for
support. He passed by a dead Ferine as he went, its body slumped
securely over the gable, blood trickling down with the rain. They
walked across the roofs of at least three joined buildings until
they reached the end of the row. There they crouched and looked out
over the market square.

“So, do you all reckon
this looks bad?” Victor asked casually.

The square was filled
with Ferine, at least three dozen by Serrel’s rough count. There
were a few more dotted about the rooftops surrounding the square,
but all of them were staring riveted at events below, and didn’t
see the group of interlopers.

The Illudin stood in
the center of the square, beside an ornate water fountain. There
was an elf beside it, lit red from the gruesome light of the
Illudin. He was holding a staff, and addressing another elf
kneeling before him. Neither appeared to be Ferine. In fact, both
of them were dressed in quite refined clothing, apart from being
soaked from the rain. Several more elves stood patiently
nearby.

As the group watched,
the standing elf and the kneeling supplicant appeared to have a
conversation. It was impossible to hear their words over the sound
of the rain, but it looked as if the head elf was asking questions,
and the supplicant was answering.

Then the elf handed his
staff to his kneeling companion, who stood up, and lifted the staff
into the air. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and the first elf
said something to him, perhaps a word of encouragement. Or a
threat.

The second elf thrust
the staff skywards, and weaved the ether. An immense arc of energy
shot from the end of the staff and discharged into the clouds
above. It was like a huge bolt of lightning connecting the elf to
the sky. Green arcs of crackling energy danced across the clouds,
lighting up the city in green.

The weaving elf poured
his energy into the sky, every last drop, and then collapsed onto
the ground, lost in the Hollow.

The first elf pulled
the staff from his weakened grasp, and then he placed one hand on
the Illudin, and connected with it. The Illudin flared, but this
time there was no uncontrollable release of energy, no huge beam
discharging into the sky. The energy poured into the mage, filling
him up to the point of destruction. He eyes became pools of fierce
red light.

Then he dropped his
hand onto the head of the second elf, and funneled the energy into
him.

Serrel wasn’t exactly
sure what to expect. The elf receiving the energy began to shudder
and convulse. His flesh began to glow from within, his veins
lighting up into long lines of red fire. Then he began to grown.
His muscles increased in size before everyone’s eyes, tearing
through clothes suddenly far too small. Even with the rain, Serrel
thought he heard the cracking of bone.

It took several long,
shocking minutes for the process to complete. Then the mage pulled
his hand from the Illudin, and the flow on energy came to a halt.
He stepped back on unsteady legs, and surveyed his work.