The Vaetra Chronicles: Book 01 - Vaetra Unveiled (24 page)

After a few minutes of riding, the trail took the riders out onto a flat and wide outcropping of rock that gave them a commanding view down the crease between the two ridges that bracketed the trail. A tree-studded ravine swooped down and away from them, and the steady sound of a nearby waterfall filled the air. Hooves clopped loudly and echoed across the broad stone overlook as their horses left the hard-packed trail.

Ebnik dismounted somewhat ungracefully and fussed with his tunic in an attempt to straighten it out. Sulana suppressed a smile.

Ebnik raised his left hand and made a fist, which he pointed toward the open edge of the overlook. On his ring finger, he wore the ruby ring Sulana's team had worked so hard to recover. The ring began to glow.

Ebnik looked over at Sulana. "We'll have to lead the horses through on foot. The portal is not large enough to admit a horse and rider." He walked forward and stopped just before the edge of the overlook. He reached out as if to grab a handle and pulled his hand back toward his body. As he did so, a vertical crease appeared in the air that widened into a doorway. The doorway had no apparent threshold; it was simply an opening.

Fascinated, Sulana dismounted and stepped forward to get a closer look. The inside surface of the door was visible and appeared solid. It partially obscured Ebnik, now that the door was fully open. She peered around inside the portal. The light coming in through the doorway revealed what appeared to be the ground floor of a tower. All but one of the angled walls held another door. The one exception was where a staircase went upward.

Sulana stepped to the side of the doorway and looked behind it. From behind, the portal was an opaque rectangle with a dark grey, swirling surface. Sulana looked back around the portal at Ebnik, who was patiently holding the door open while she explored. "What happens if you touch the back side?"

"I have no idea. I've never known anyone willing to try it and find out," he answered her with a wry smile. "It has been many years since the portals were created, and no living sorcerer retains full knowledge of their construction."

Sulana moved quickly back to the front side and cleared her throat. "As the leader of this expedition, I probably shouldn't take chances just to satisfy my curiosity," she said.

"Wise decision," he responded, with a slight bow of his head.

Sulana walked back to her horse and took up the reins. She noted that the others had also dismounted and were ready to move. Daven held the reins of both his horse and Ebnik's. Would the horses be willing to go through an opening in thin air? She was about to find out.

Sulana led her horse forward and tightened her grip on her reins, ready for resistance. When she went through the portal into the tower, she was relieved that her horse simply followed her in. As she entered, illuminators sprang to life and lit the interior. She released her horse and returned to the doorway to take the reins of Ebnik's mount from Daven.

Everyone entered the tower without incident, and Ebnik closed the door behind them. He turned to face them all. "Welcome to the Portal Keep," he intoned, raising his arms to encompass the interior of the chamber.

The tower floor was crowded with all five horses and their riders, but everyone still had room to move around. Sulana could see now that the tower was octagonal with walls made of carefully fitted stonework. Each of the eight walls, except the one with the stairway, had a door in the center. The stairs led up to a wooden walkway that went along the walls of the next level to more doors. That level had a stairway that led to yet another level above it. The center of the tower was open, so she could see that the tower rose at least four levels higher before disappearing into darkness.

Daven turned to Ebnik. "How were you able to see the doorway? I saw nothing until you held the door open."

Ebnik held up his hand and wiggled the finger that wore the ruby ring. "This Portal Key allows me to locate the Keep's portals from a distance. It also lets me see them and open them. Perhaps more importantly, it allows me to exit the Keep." He gestured toward the other doorways. Sulana realized that their surfaces were completely blank and smooth. They appeared to be made out of some kind of grey metal, and had no apparent handles or lock that would make it possible to open them.

"So, what you're saying is, stay close to the wizard or you'll never get out of here." Daven joked.

"Precisely," Ebnik said with a tight nod.

Sulana looked over at the stairs and the walkway above them. A banister ran along the inside edge for safety, and the walkway seemed plenty wide enough to accommodate a horse if necessary. She wasn't sure how excited the horses would be about going up the stairs, however.

"Are these walkways strong enough to hold a horse's weight?" She asked.

Ebnik nodded. "Yes, if we bring them up one at a time. However, that won't be necessary. We're fortunate that the portal we require is here on the ground floor. If we had needed to ascend the tower, I would have recommended we leave the horses behind, in spite of our haste."

"Where are we?" Daven asked.

Ebnik understood what Daven was really asking. "The Keep is actually far underground in a location that is known only to Council members for security reasons. The secrecy is less important now, since the original tunnel used to begin construction has long since collapsed. The portals are presently the only way to reach the Keep."

Upon hearing that they were deep underground, Barek cringed and darted his eyes around the tower interior. "When do we leave?" he grumbled.

"Right now," replied Ebnik, as he stepped over to a portal that was two doors down from the one they had entered through.

Ebnik looked up at a blank plaque that was affixed above the portal. "This is the one," he said, and anticipating the next question he added, "The Portal Key lets me read the name of the destination on the plaque."

A flat rectangle of stone was affixed to the wall to the right of the door opening. Two glass ovals were embedded into it. The one on top was blue, and the one below it green. Ebnik placed his palm over the blue oval and the door suddenly disappeared to reveal a hilltop clearing surrounded by trees.

Sulana started to move forward, but Ebnik held up his hand to stop her. "Wait. The portal isn't open yet. The blue implement lets us see through the portal before we open it."

Talon nodded and raised the corner of his mouth in a half-smile. "Sensible precaution."

"Indeed. Paranoia can make one inventive at times," Ebnik said.

Satisfied that the destination was clear of anyone who might observe their arrival, Ebnik removed his hand from the blue oval and the portal returned to its grey, opaque state. He moved his hand down to the green oval and covered it with his palm. This time, the door clicked and popped open about a hand's breadth. A fresh, cool breeze blew in through the opening, bringing the scent of dry pine needles with it.

Ebnik pushed the door open and stepped out into the clearing, holding the door open for the others. Everyone filed out of the Portal Keep, leading their horses. Ebnik's horse followed the others out of the tower on its own. After everyone was out, Ebnik released the door and pushed it closed. He appeared to be pushing in pantomime, except for the gap around the door opening that rapidly disappeared. Once closed, there was no evidence that the door had ever been there.

Everyone looked around, trying to get their bearings. "Where are we now?" asked Daven.

"A short ride west of Northshore," Ebnik answered.

"Excellent!" Sulana enthused. "That saved us about a day's travel time. Let's get going," she said, pulling herself up into her saddle.

"Off to Buckwoods?" asked Talon, moving his horse to take the lead.

"No, let's stop by Northshore first, since it's on the way. I'd like to speak to Jaylan," she replied.

"What do we need him for?" Daven asked.

"Well, he was very helpful last time. As you yourself pointed out before, his knowledge of the area could be useful," she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

Daven looked like he might object further, but stopped himself and shrugged. "You're the leader."

Ebnik looked at Sulana with concern. "Is it wise to involve someone who has no allegiance to the Archives?" he asked.

"He's worked with us before and proved to be reliable. As it turns out, he's also a sorcerer, although he won't admit it to himself. I'm hoping that he will know something about Buckwoods that would help us prepare for what might be going on there."

Ebnik nodded his acceptance, and the group rode off the hillside toward Northshore.

I
watched the fishermen push off from the dock. The clunk ing and splashing of oars faded as they floated off in search of the day's catch. The sun had risen above the trees, burning off the morning clouds and brightly warming the village. The surrounding forest was a contrasting wall of bright greens and deep shadows that hosted a hidden avian orchestra of tweets, chirps, and song.

It was altogether too lovely and cheerful a day for my dark state of mind.

I patrolled the forest edge listlessly and stopped by the corral to rub Patches' nose. After our capture the day before, the two Raven Company men accompanied Meldon and me while we retrieved our horses. Patches wagged his head up and down and snorted as I walked away, probably wondering why we weren't heading home. I shared his impatience.

Peltor hung around the ice house, glaring at anyone who came too close and threatened to disturb Lord Thoron's peace. The Lord himself was busily making another amulet. The process seemed to take a lot of time, concentration, and a tremendous quantity of vaetra, so he could create at most one amulet per day. For me, it was a noisy process as well, but no one else seemed to notice the manifestation sounds that occasionally emanated from the workshop.

Kefer and Meldon helped out around the village wherever they could. Kefer tended the smoke house and Meldon helped in the garden. Jake, the wagon driver who Kefer and Peltor were supposed to be escorting, had left with the fishermen to help out on the boats.

As I patrolled, I tried to think of a way out of my predicament. My concentration was frequently interrupted by the influence of the amulet's Protector spell, which made finding a solution more elusive. The Protector enchantment stubbornly resisted any thoughts of escape or conspiracy against Lord Thoron. I was reasonably certain that I could disable the amulet and leave at any time, but I wouldn't get far on foot. I needed Patches to escape, but trying to saddle him up in full view of the village would raise questions I couldn't answer.

Besides, Meldon was stuck here too. I couldn't just leave him behind. And what about the villagers? They weren't technically my responsibility, but my conscience wouldn't let me leave them at the mercy of Lord Thoron and his insidious amulets. Lord Thoron wasn't hurting anyone physically, but his amulets mentally enslaved the villagers, and the rest of us, to do his bidding as surely as if we were shackled.

A small part of me still didn't want to escape. I was reluctant to scurry back to Borlan after failing in my task so miserably, or to face Dela after promising to be back last night. She would be worried out of her mind after Meldon's comments about magic. That anxiety would then turn to wrath after I returned home safely. Those concerns were minor in view of my current predicament, but the Protector enchantment reinforced them.

At the very least, I needed to free Meldon from Lord Thoron's grasp. Perhaps between the two of us, we could free the other two Raven Company men. The four of us together might be able to overwhelm Lord Thoron and put a stop to whatever plans he had.

If we could at least recover the delivery wagon and the driver, we could complete our mission. I hated the idea of leaving the people of Buckwoods at the mercy of a dangerous sorcerer, but if we left with the wagon, Lord Thoron might feel exposed and leave. I'd figure out a way to get word to Sulana somehow, and as Dela had said, let the magicians take care of themselves.

The first step was to figure out a way to free Meldon without alerting the others. Most of the morning went by while I considered and discarded alternatives.

Inspiration struck just before midday. I was grumbling to myself about having fish yet again for lunch, when a set of antlers above the doorway to one of the huts caught my eye. I thought of a duty that fit with my role as a Guardian of the Lake, so the Protector enchantment didn't interfere until I started thinking about how I would take advantage of the situation. But that was okay. The main thing was getting out of the village. The rest would have to be improvised anyway.

I walked over to Kefer, who was repairing the door of the smoke house. "Hey, how would you like to eat something other than fish?" I asked him.

He stopped working and looked at me with interest. "What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about running a patrol out onto the forest trail and looping back on the road. I might run across a deer along the way."

Kefer smiled as he considered my idea, and then he licked his lips and nodded. "I could go with you. You'll need two people to bring back anything you take down."