A great feeling of dread overcame Aeron when he and the Company were following the path apparently cleared by Arianne, Celene and Keira during their journey towards the Pit.
In an effort to close the distance between themselves and the Queen, it was Tamsyn who decided that a faster method of travel needed to be found after their encounter with the shifters in the forest. Although sceptical at first, largely because he had never seen the creatures described by the mage, Dare grew more and more concerned with what his wife was facing, and finally acquiesced to Tamsyn’s suggestion.
It was said that the griffins that dwelled in the high peaks of the Jagged Teeth were created by Mael during the Primordial Wars and were kept enslaved to service of the dark god. The Celestial Enphilim had freed them, allowing the creatures to fly free for the first time in their existence. In gratitude to he who had given to them the freedom of the sky, the griffins swore allegiance to Enphilim and the Order of the mage whom he had originated.
When the griffins arrived, they were a sight to behold. Their wings spanned fifteen metres across and their bodies were that of a great cat, with powerful back and fore legs. Their amber pelts rippled like gold silk fluttering in the wing and their heads were that of majestic birds of prey, with beaks capable of rending flesh with frightening ease. They came within a day of Tamsyn’s summons, and when they arrived they were more than willing to assist in ferrying the company to the Frozen Mountains when they learned that plans were underfoot to restore their old captor to power.
Thanks to the beast, they were able to cross Angarad in faster time than it would take if the journey were carried out on horseback. In a matter of days they were crossing the lands that would otherwise have taken weeks. The griffins had set them down at the top of the Frozen Mountains, and it did not take them long to descend its heights and find the trail that Arianne, Keira, Celene and apparently one other had taken to reach Mael’s Pit.
Aeron could sense the evil emanating from the canyons beyond the mountains even before they took to the hewn path created by Celene to the lair of the wyrms and the wyvern. The elf had no doubt that whomever this Enemy was, they were close. Who knows what terrible things had lingered in the depths of the world since Mael’s exile into the Aether?
‘We must hurry,’ Tamsyn spoke up, his eyes misting over as if he knew something that they all did not.
‘Why?’ Dare asked first. ‘What has happened?’
‘I am not sure,’ Tamsyn replied, lying. He knew precisely what had taken place, he could sense it even from this distance. Telling Dare would serve no purpose other than to send panic through the heart of the King and the Lord of Gislaine. To Tully, he had no idea what to say, for there were some things that needed to seen to be believed, and what the mage now knew about Keira Furnsby could be delivered no other way. ‘We must hasten our pace.’
‘I agree,’ Aeron commented and broke into a jog to make his point. He could see the edge of the patch, but what lay beyond the thorny barrier caused his mouth to fall open from shock.
‘By the Gods!’ he exclaimed.
All these surprises were starting to bother Dare greatly and his anxiety was increasing by the minute. ‘What is it now?’ he demanded, not knowing how much more of these cryptic exclamations he was going to take.
‘Look!’ Aeron pointed out as they stepped into what could only be described as a field of slaughter. Dead wyrms laid strewn about the bloody field, bodies cleaved in half, speared and slashed. It was a grisly scene of death and if that was not shocking enough to the senses, the wyvern that lay in the middle of a drying pool of blood was. The creature was buzzing with flies and other insects, its entrails exposed from its split belly. The smell produced made someone gag, Dare thought it might have been Merry.
‘It’s a wyvern!’ Kyou exclaimed. ‘I did not think that there were any left! I thought they were destroyed during the Primordial War.’
‘They were,’ Tamsyn answered, his expression grave. ‘These are not ancient creatures, these are young. This wyvern is not from the war.’
‘My wife was definitely here then,’ Ronen studied the slaughter around him and did not know whether or not he ought to be proud of her efforts or furious that she was placed in such terrible danger. ‘I recognise her handiwork.’
‘Celene has many talents,’ Dare frowned as he examined the beast and was grateful to say that it was definitely dead. Now on top of all the other reasons that he wanted to find Arianne safe and sound, Dare wanted to hear all about how they had managed to slay a wyvern of this considerable size. He was proud of all three women while at the same time terrified as well. ‘I had no idea wyvern slaying was one of them.’
‘It seems they are more resourceful then we gave them credit for,’ Kyou replied, rethinking his views on the lady’s ability to defend herself.
‘Celene we already knew, but Arianne has her own strength,’ Aeron replied, recalling how Arianne had rode to Eden Taryn with Keira.
‘The tracks are confusing to read,’ Aeron remarked as he turned his attention to the ground that was not smeared in blood. ‘However, all three survived the encounter. There are prints leading to that cave.’ The elf walked on ahead and started climbing the rocks into the cavern.
‘I believe your wife and her friends have acquired the Sword of Antion,’ Tamsyn explained as he climbed into the cavern behind Aeron. The jewel poised on the edge of his staff began to glow and light filled the cavern to show the sight that had greeted the women who had taken their rest within its walls.
‘It was here?’ Aeron asked, looking about the place with clear revulsion after seeing the bones of the animals and men who had met their end as the meal of the wyvern who had inhabited this cave.
‘For almost two millennia,’ Tamsyn answered casually as Dare and Aeron went to the far end, where they found further signs of their loved ones.
‘They rested here for awhile,’ Aeron explained, his fingers gauging time by the cooling embers of the campfire.
‘Well, killing a whole bunch of wyrms and wyverns can do that,’ Tully found himself saying to no one in particular, still unable to believe that Keira had taken part in all this carnage.
‘Someone was hurt.’ The elf picked up the crushed remains of vegetation and took a breath of it.
‘I know this weed,’ Dare stated as he took some from Aeron and breathed in its unique scent. ‘It is used for minor ailments.’
‘That’s good to know,’ Ronen declared, breathing easier after the elf’s initial announcement of someone being hurt. ‘So they found the Sword of Antion and kept going?’
‘Towards Mael’s Pit,’ Dare said with a nod. ‘Towards the Enemy.’
*******
She dreamed of Ronen.
She dreamed that he was near and that he was seeking her through the mist. It was good to see him, even if he existed to her within the boundaries of the dreamscape. She gazed at him with love and pride, noting that he was dressed for battle, sword hung proudly at his hip, braces on his arms and a shield with the Dragon of Carleon slung across his shoulder. Watching him as he drew nearer to her reminded Celene why she loved him so. They were two warriors who had spent their entire lives fighting one battle after another.
As the divide between them dwindled, Celene began walking towards her husband, wanting to feel his strong arms about her, and to tell her that he was with her and that whatever came after this, they would face it together.
When he said those words to her, Celene believed they could defeat anything.
‘Celene!’ A sharp prodding in her side made the mist around them dissolve, taking Ronen with it.
Celene returned to a reality where there were no ethereal mists swirling around her or the presence of her husband. Instead she was met by rather cold, wet and slimy rock scraping against her cheek, the stench of a stable that had not known cleaning since the Dawning of Man, and the understanding that she was going to die.
She sat up abruptly as her most recent memories flooded into her mind and she saw that she was in a small room that appeared to a dungeon of some description. The room was in a serious state of disrepair. Its walls were marred with mighty cracks and the ceiling was half missing. Beyond it there was no sky, merely darkness devoid of starlight.
Her head throbbed, and her effort to reach for it brought forth the discovery that her hands were bound behind her back. Celene attempted to stave off panic at this discovery, especially when she looked around and saw that the room, save herself and Melia, was empty. Arianne was not with them.
‘Where is she?’ Celene asked once she managed to sit up to face the Watch Guard.
‘Syphia took Arianne with her,’ Melia announced shortly. ‘The shifters brought us here.’
‘I have heard of these creature that are able to change shape,’ Celene muttered as she shook away the disorientation from being rendered unconscious. ‘But I thought they were legend.’
‘They’re real enough,’ Melia retorted bitterly. ‘They are probably more of Syphia’s children.’
Syphia. Celene closed her eyes, still unable to believe they had been duped for so long, that all this time the Enemy they had travelled so far to confront had been amongst them all the time. It made Celene want to kill something, but at the moment her rage was impotently trapped within their prison.
‘They were waiting for us,’ Celene hissed under her breath. ‘She must have told them which way we were coming.’
‘Probably,’ the Watch Guard nodded, finding no reason to disagree.
She had not known Keira long enough to feel the anguish and betrayal that Arianne and Celene no doubt felt. She wanted to offer Celene her sympathy at the loss of the friend who was never really a friend, but there was too much to do right now.
‘So, where is this place?’ Celene took the opportunity to study her surroundings more carefully.
Through the crack in the ceiling, Celene saw the outline of a city. Its spires and columns were broken, and it was clear that some terrible catastrophe had befallen it to be in such a state of dilapidation. Some of the buildings had crumbled away completely, exposing suites and rooms that were covered within with mosaics and withering tapestries. Moss and lichens grew over the gray stone with vines and cobwebs overhanging balconies and other high places. It did not require Celene to see much more to understand that they were presently being held in one of the ancient cities of the Sunken Lands.
‘This is Sanhael,’ Melia responded, attempting to loosen the bonds around her wrists but to little avail. As it was the outcome of her efforts made her skin feel raw and tender, forcing her to stop before she was further injured.
Sanhael. This was the birth place of the elves. From here, they had been given life by the Supreme who charged the Celestial Gods as the shepherds of Avalyne, to guide and nurture all that grew on its earth. Here, the elves had built the first great city before war and loss had driven them to hide behind the Veil. The first blood Mael had drawn in declaring his war against the Gods was to take this city and slaughter all who lived within its walls. Once he had claimed it for his own, he made Sanhael the seat of his power, and from here he launched his offensive against all of Avalyne.
‘Sanhael?’ Celene asked, supposing she ought not to be surprised that they were brought here. If Syphia intended to resurrect Mael, it stood to reason that she would do it at the former seat of his power. She strained to see through the small hole in the door of their cell. Beyond it she could hear the movement of their captors with no effort made to conceal their identity. Her heart clenched inside her chest as she recognised the meat of their conversation, because while the substance of their language eluded her, she knew the tongue being spoken.
The brutish speech of Berserkers.
As if aware of her realisation, Melia answered coolly, ‘we’ve been given to them.’
‘Given?’ Celene’s eyes widened as she stared sharply at the Watch Guard. She knew what that meant of course, but a part of her was still refusing to believe it.
‘Apparently the Berserkers are in need of distraction,’ Melia swallowed, her face showing her clear revulsion of their intended fates. ‘The Enemy has given us to them to entertain them.’
‘I would die first!’ Celene spat in horror. She could not even begin to imagine such a gross violation of her body, and for the first time since this all began, she started to feel currents of real terror surging through at being forced to endure such a thing.
‘You will die anyway,’ Melia pointed out wearily. There was a brief pause and she spoke again, this time her voice was lowered almost to a whisper, ‘We may be able to use it to our advantage.’
‘Use it?’ Celene asked, almost afraid to ask what she meant by that.
‘You do not need to know,’ the Watch Guard replied, appearing somewhat uncomfortable with the question.
‘Do not tell me that I do not need to know,’ Celene hissed with exasperation. ‘This is not the time for riddles.’
‘And I give you none, except to say that you must trust me,’ she repeated herself, still hesitant to tell Celene for the Lady of Gislaine might balk outright at the suggestion or worse yet, attempt to stop her from attempting it. ‘If we are to get out of here, we must apply all our resources to escaping so that we can help Arianne. They know you as the Lady of Gislaine and a member of the King’s Circle. They know you would not debase yourself in trying to seduce them. They do not know me, so they may believe it.’
Celene opened her mouth to protest but caught herself in time. Melia had proven to be a trusted ally during this entire quest and Celene supposed that trusting her in this matter was the least she could do to show her faith in the Watch Guard. Besides, she could not disagree with Melia’s logic. She would rather die fighting than raped and despoiled by Balfure’s savage creations.
‘I trust you Melia,’ Celene said after a brief pause. ‘Can I help in what you plan to do?’
‘Unfortunately not,’ Melia said with a little smile, grateful for the trust, for it was no small thing to earn Celene’s respect, especially after the betrayal they had suffered from someone so close to them. ‘I’m afraid this is work not worthy of the daughter of Angarad or more specifically, the Lady of Gislaine.’
Celene did not understand but then she did not need to. ‘Alright then, do what you must.’
‘Thank you,’ Melia replied before returning her thoughts to the matter at hand. ‘Wish me luck.’
Celene nodded as Melia turned her attention to the door and called out, attracting the attention of the guards at the door. One of them peered their brutish face through the opening in the door and seeing that she had caught their interest, asked to see their captain. She spoke in the common tongue but it was obvious that they understood her.
He entered the room a moment later, a sight to scare Celene who had faced far worse in her lifetime. Tall and muscular, his neck was thick and his face just as fearsome and ferocious as the Berserkers she had fought during the battle of Astorath. The two women felt like dwarves next to him. There was no way they could hope to overpower him on equal ground, and yet if they did not they would face a nightmare far worse than any death imaginable.
‘What is it you want?’ he growled, his sharp teeth showing as he made the demand. His voice was like a snarl and the rest of him was savagery given form.
‘I do not wish to die,’ Melia said simply, her tone was smooth, with a quality to it that was different from her usual speech, almost husky. Inwardly, however, the Watch Guard was fighting her fear because she was damn near terrified of what could happen if this went wrong.
‘You won’t die,’ he laughed wickedly, his eyes glimmering in twisted suggestion. ‘You two are the only females there are for my men. We will keep you alive for many, many years, or at least until we acquire more.’
Celene felt herself blanch at the thought and prayed silently to all the Gods that this plan of Melia’s worked, because being kept alive for the sole purpose becoming the Berserkers’ sexual relief was enough to make her blood run cold and long for death. The idea of being violated by this creature was threatening to force any sane thought from her mind.
‘I would come to you willingly if you do not harm us more than necessary,’ Melia offered seductively, forcing herself to remain true to her course, no matter how much his closeness unnerved her.
Celene had to admire Melia’s ability to play the part before this Berserker Captain, because she certainly would not have been able to manage the pretext of going with these creatures willingly, not while there was breath in her body. She almost demanded Melia to stop this insanity, but then remembered her promise to trust the Watch Guard.
‘Willingly?’ The Berserkers captain stared at her with uncertainty. ‘What difference does that make to us? We will take what we want anyway.’
‘You can do that,’ Melia agreed, aware of the dangerous tact she was taking but somehow she had to inspire this captain’s interest. ‘Or you can let me show you a world of pleasure beyond your understanding. Why do you think human males are so devoted to their wives? Love? Love is for fools. I am talking about lust, pure, dark and savage, the kind that makes the body scream for more. I can show you so much pleasure that your mind will know nothing but hungry craving and when that craving is beyond endurance, I will satisfy it with all the skill at my disposal.’
‘This is a trick,’ the captain snorted in disbelief, yet there was a glimmer in his eyes that resembled interest. ‘You are attempting to escape.’
‘I can show you,’ Melia suggested, her eyes still fixed upon his own beneath their heavy ridges. ‘Keep my hands tied and give us some privacy and I will show you just how much of this is a trick.’
By the Celestial Gods, Celene cried out silently in the confines of her thoughts. She was succeeding! This Berserker actually believed her!
The captain of the Berserkers stared at Melia for a second, trying to decide whether or not her offer was genuine. For a few seconds, nothing was said by anyone in the room, although both Melia and Celene were holding their breaths in anticipation of his answer. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached down and pulled Melia to her feet by the collar of her shirt. The Watch Guard stood up shakily, uncertain whether or not she was happy that he had fallen for her ruse. Without speaking, he dragged her out of the cell into the larger room outside. There were three Berserkers there already. Two were playing sentry outside their cell and one who was standing guarding at the door to this room. All turned their attention to Melia and the captain as he dragged her to the centre of the floor and lifted her roughly onto the table.
‘Show me,’ he demanded.
‘Tell them to go away,’ Melia replied glancing at the other Berserkers in the room. ‘This is not to be done for an audience, just you.’
She gave him the same smile that she had in the cell, the one that promised all sorts of pleasure if he submitted to her small request. ‘I do not need to be untied,’ she added, just to give him reassurance that she was powerless against him. ‘Just a little privacy.’
He considered her words for a short time before barking at the others in the room in words she did not understand, but they were clear enough when they started towards the door, sniggering to themselves with all kinds of derisive innuendo. Melia braced herself for what she needed to do and hoped it would succeed, because in her experience, men did not take rejection well and one who had been led as this one had would not hesitate to kill her for the insult.
The first thing he did once they were alone was tear open the buttons of her shirt, exposing her breasts to him. She could tell he liked what he saw by the quickening of his breath. Melia was sitting on the table, her legs spread slightly apart as the captain took position between them. His hand reached for her skin and kneaded the flesh hard. Melia almost gagged from the sensation but swallowed away her disgust. She smiled at him, pretending that his touch produced pleasure and that smile impacted upon him oddly—he did not know what to think. It was clear this Berserkers had never been with a female of any kind and was trying to satisfy his curiosity with her.
Unfortunately, this was as far as she was going to allow him.
Without any warning, Melia lifted her legs up to either side of the captain’s neck. She grabbed hold of his head with her feet. In one swift but brutal show of strength, she twisted sharply once her hold was secure and, before he had any opportunity to push her away, snapped his neck with a terrible crunch of bone. He fell to the ground without uttering a word and Melia exhaled sharply, relief escaping that held breath. Climbing off the table before the Berserkers at the door noticed what she had done, she saw their weapons on a table at the far end of the room. It appeared the Berserkers was going to divide them as spoils.
Melia found her sword and used it to cut the bonds around her wrists. It took some manoeuvring to accomplish that, but once it was done she gathered their weapons and returned quietly back to Celene’s cell.
‘I’m back,’ Melia announced as she entered the cell.
‘Where is he?’ Celene asked, not wanting to know what Melia did to acquire her freedom, not if her exposed chest was any indication.
‘Enjoying my seduction,’ Melia said wryly as Celene stood up and faced her bound wrist towards the Watch Guard so that she could be freed of them.
‘I will not ask,’ Celene declared as she took her sword from Melia once she was freed and Melia was fixing the buttons on her clothes.
‘Don’t,’ Melia showed her disgust without shame. ‘When this is done, I shall have to bathe for a month.’
‘We can go up that way,’ Celene pointed to the hole in the ceiling. Obviously the Berserkers never thought they would be able to use that as an escape route if their hands were tied.
‘Good,’ Melia replied glancing past their cell door. ‘I don’t relish facing those Berserkers when they find out what I did to their captain.’
*******
Escaping from the hands of the Berserkers was not as difficult as it appeared. However, finding Arianne was another thing entirely.
The city of Sanhael was largely intact despite its state, and had sunk to the bottom of a chasm following the Primordial Wars. Judging by some of the cracks weeping with water, behind the rock was the Brittle Sea . It would only a matter of time before it claimed this city like the rest of the undersea caverns. How this place had survived was a freak of nature, but they supposed the Enemy had never intended on remaining here for long, only until its foul plan reached culmination with the birth of Arianne’s child.
Unfortunately, their efforts to find the Queen of Carleon were hampered by the fact that their escape raised the alarm throughout the city, forcing them out of it until they could regroup and consider what was to be done. The underworld beneath the Frozen Mountains seemed to be a series of caves that intersected with the remains of Sanhael, and both Melia and Celene came to the decision to find someplace to hide until the Berserkers stopped searching for them.
Once it was safe to do so, they would continue their search for Arianne, though neither were blind to the difficulty of that. Celene had no idea whether it was nearing the full moon or what the Enemy’s plans were now that Syphia had Arianne in her power. Celene knew she was still alive, but the closer they approached the ritual that would see her child’s soul replaced with that of Mael’s, the greater the possibility became that she might take her own life to save Avalyne.
Slipping into the passages that led away from the city, Melia suggested they retraced their steps into the city, in the hopes that it might provide them with some clue as to where Arianne had led. They made their way down the meandering cavern of rocks and twisting pathways, when suddenly voices were heard from the further down the passageway. Voices in soft tones were echoing down the narrow confines of rock. Melia and Celene took cover immediately, not prepared to be discovered, at least not until they went after Arianne.
*******
‘Something draws near,’ Aeron announced to the Circle as they made their way down a passage of rock they had discovered to be full of tracks. Whether or not they belonged to Arianne or Celene was difficult to say, for there were many of them but at least they were fresh.
With Tamsyn’s guidance they had left the Frozen Mountains and crossed the canyons known as Maelog’s Tears to reach the Pit. The city of Sanhael that was driven into the earth following the Last Battle between Maelog and the Celestial Gods lay waiting beneath it. Descending into its darkness with ropes, the journey down was perilous and Tamsyn had promised to summon the griffins when they were ready to leave. Dare had wanted to approach Sanhael without being seen and flock of griffins would not go unnoticed.
Once on the ground, they avoided entering the city proper, choosing to use the tunnels to make a stealthy approach, as well as search to find the Queen and her companions.
‘What?’ Dare asked, unsheathing his sword and looking ahead with deadly intent. Since descending into this stygian world, his fears for Arianne had increased a thousand fold and he was eager to find something so that he could flay its skin from its body to learn the whereabouts of his wife.
‘I am not certain,’ the elf’s brow knotted in confusion as he replied in a puzzled voice. ‘I do not sense it as a danger, though.’
‘Isn’t that a good thing?’ Kyou quipped.
‘Could it be Arianne?’ Dare asked hopefully, but he knew it could not be that easy. Not after tracking all these weeks.
‘I do not sense her,’ Aeron replied and was rewarded with a disheartened expression from the King.
‘How close is it?’ Ronen’s weapon was drawn and ready for attack.
‘Very close,’ Aeron answered.
‘All of you,’ Dare spoke firmly to the rest of the Fellowship, ‘stay here. Aeron and I will go investigate.’
‘But…’ Ronen started to protest when Dare cut him short.
‘I need you here to protect our backs,’ Dare quickly explained. ‘Aeron does not sense danger but that does not mean it is not a trap.’
‘Alright,’ the Lord of Gislaine, was forced to concede that much to his King and fell back as Dare and Aeron continued down the passage.
‘Take care you both,’ Tamsyn warned good-naturedly as they drew away. ‘You do not know if what you find is a threat.’
‘Care to tell me what I will find?’ He stared at the wizard with impatience.
Tamsyn said nothing, merely giving him a bemused smile.
Sometimes Dare wished that Tamsyn was not quite so evasive. Then again, what mage was ever anything less than cryptic?
With Aeron leading the way, Dare followed the Prince of Eden Halas further up the tunnel, wondering what perils they would find. He had kept the others behind because the space between the passageway was narrow enough without too many bodies trying to fight if there was an attack of some kind. They entered a slightly larger cavern filled with protruding limestone formations and saw nothing but more shadows.
Aeron paused in the middle of the main track to the cave and swept his eyes across the terrain. Dare knew the stance well. He had detected something. The elf stepped away from the path, moving stealthily without making any sound against the gravel toward a particularly large stalactite. He was almost upon it when out of nowhere a lithe figure stepped out and threw a fist squarely in his face.
‘Aeron!’ Dare shouted and moved to intercept as Aeron tumbled into the dirt, landing flat on his back. The stranger’s movement was lightning fast as she took up position over him and aimed her weapon directly at the fallen Prince.
Aeron froze as he found himself staring into the sharp end of a crossbow’s bolt. The woman who stood before him had an expression of deadly intent fixed on her lovely face. He lay there for a moment, stunned by the attack, particularly since he had sensed no danger. Her intense stare did not waver as she looked upon him dispassionately, bearing the stance of an experienced archer who was waiting for her moment to bring down her target. As an archer himself, Aeron knew the tactic well.
‘Dare?’ Celene’s astonished voice suddenly filled the cavern.
His attacker looked away at the sound of Celene’s voice and Aeron swiftly took advantage of the situation. Swinging his foot sideways, he swept her feet from under her and sent her tumbling forward. She landed into the dirt next to him and Aaron rolled his body around swiftly, throwing a leg over her. Quickly straddling her hips, with one hand he tore the crossbow out of her hand and flung it aside while the other caught the fist that attempted to strike him. He clamped both hands to her wrists and pinned them to the ground. The whole weight of his body ensuring that she could not break free.
‘Melia!’ Celene exclaimed as she emerged from her hiding place and witnessed the conclusion of the melee. ‘It is alright! This is the King and Prince Aeron.’
‘Then tell the Prince to unhand me!’ Melia snapped angrily while she glared at the Prince, her pride stinging from their sudden change in circumstance.
‘If you are finished, Aeron?’ Dare stared at the elf mom