Entry #266443, added on 04-12-07 @ 7:12 pm EDT
Entry Access Restriction: None.
| The shadow land of Sumandir | Entry #266443 |
“Why is this place called the Forbidden Pass?” Landon’s inquiry broke the monotony of the silence and footsteps as they walked onward.
Taan claimed that he had only been through the Forbidden Pass a few times with Felraic, but to Cerine he seemed to know a lot more about it than he would be merely assuming. She glanced over at Rugo to see if he was thinking the same thing, but he made no indication. Instead, he looked as though he believed Taan’s story.
“The lands south of the Pass have not always been cut off from the rest of the continent as it is now. Everything past the Mounds was once called Sumandir, and considered part of our kingdom. I believe it used to be a fruitful land, producing rich spices and crops that have been long extinct. Trade routes for the exotic harvest were set up through the forest, which wasn’t treacherous in those times.
“That was until dark magic came to Sumandir. Those who practiced the new form of magic had been persecuted and banished from their lands, driven south until they met little resistance in the peaceful farming region. They were quick in taking over Sumandir, and enchanted the area with their evil sorcery.
“The mountains that divided Sumandir from the rest of the continent were formed out of the ground by a powerful spell. They say those who attempt to cross over the mountain route face immediate death. However, the Pass was created to provide access to and from Sumandir to the wizards. It was death to anyone else who didn’t know how to get through.”
Rugo was thankful the Pass was one straight path and not a labyrinth of corridors, though at a few points he swore he saw some branching off. He wondered if what he saw might be some enchantment Lamnos had cast over the Pass to confound any would-be trespassers.
Rugo stopped and reached his hand toward one of the seemingly illusionary walls, but felt a sudden tug on the sleeve of his tunic. Turning around, he saw that it was Taan, who gave him a pressing look as he pointed onward.
“Keep moving in this direction. We must not stray from our path,” the little man insisted.
His hand only inches from the wall, Rugo still felt the compulsion to extend the remaining distance to see whether or not it was real. The hard-pressed look from Taan turned him away, and he continued forward, his curiosity still tugging at him.
A rat scurried by their feet in the opposite direction, screeching. Only one thing would bring rats to a place such as this, other than the possibility of food and warmth. The cold, bare tunnel was no place for rats to infest, even with the occasional patches of filth they had walked through along the way.
Taan froze and looked just ahead of them, but Rugo still kept going. “Stop! What’s that up there?” He grabbed Rugo’s arm and held him back.
A large body lay slumped against the wall, motionless with a long spear protruding from its back. While it was still clad in chainmail, many of the chain links in the armor had been broken and fallen apart, mostly where the spear had been thrust through it. Rugo rolled the hefty body over using the flat of his sword, showing the man’s face. It was large and round with high cheekbones and dark skin. Thick black hair flowed from his head into a tangled mess under it, while his dented helm lay nearby. The appearance of the man caused Taan to shiver, as if he had recognized him.
Rugo was quick to notice his reaction. “Taan?” Rugo questioned. He didn’t even realize that he also had flinched at the sight of the body.
Taan could hardly speak. “I know who that is. This is not a good sign.” He leaned to take a closer look, and quickly turned away. “Yes, I was afraid of this.”
“What are you talking about? Who is this man?”
“When Lamnos would come to Amarest to talk with Felraic, he always came with this strong man here,” Taan explained, pointing to the dead knight. “He never said anything, at least not while I was present. He was just a silent figure. I don’t even know what purpose he served when he was with the two. I only heard his name mentioned once. Jaelon, I believe it was.” He scratched his chin in thought.
Rugo startled slightly. “What was that name again?”
“Jaelon.” He repeated and then asked, “Why?”
“I heard my father say that name before, after one of his battles.” A memory rushed into Rugo’s mind about the times he would spend in front of the fireplace with his father, relishing in the tales of what Marton referred to as the good old days. He could hear him speaking the very words in his head. “Those were the days when a soldier would pick up his sword and know that he was defending his homeland.”
During one of these times he had mentioned something about the Ebonites, a tribe of dark-skinned warriors from the southern regions that, like the barbarians in the east, wanted the Homelands for themselves. Marton fought their leader, whom he had named as Jaelon, as one of his first battles. This tale especially stuck out in Rugo’s mind, as his father would make sure to make a full account of his experience, like the names, the battle conditions and the carnage that ensued. Rugo even remembered pretending to fight against Jaelon’s kin in a battle of revenge.
He scratched his chin a second time. “I wonder what he has been doing with Felraic and Lamnos.”
“And why is he lying here dead?” Cerine asked.
Taan shrugged as he looked at Jaelon’s body again. “I suspect that he was a guard of the Pass, or something like that. I still don’t know why he is dead. What is even more puzzling is that he was killed by his own spear.”
Cerine cringed at the sight, like she hadn’t seen a corpse before. “In that case, it looks like he won’t need this any more now, will he?” Moving slowly, she reached out to the body and pulled the spear from the body, having some difficulty as she clumsily tried to pry the head of the spear from the punctured armor in the limited space of the tunnel. At least now she had a more formidable weapon. Even though it was larger and slightly heavier than the javelins she had used back home during sporting event, she felt comfortable with the spear. She tucked her dagger back into her belt.
Using the ring to light the way, Rugo led his fellowship deeper into the Pass, ignoring the trick walls that still appeared and disappeared as they passed by. Everyone remained quiet, except for Landon’s occasional humming softly to himself. It seemed like hours that they had walked. Being underground and unable to see the light of the sun made it difficult to judge how much time had passed.
Rugo suddenly stopped in midstep. Taan had to dig his heels into the ground to keep from walking into him.
“What is it?” he asked, trying to look past and see what Rugo had stopped to look at.
“I see a light up ahead.” Rugo lowered his hand to douse the beam his ring gave off. A bright gleam of light shone from the end of the tunnel. It was a brilliant white light, different from what he expected from an evil land of shadow. Strangely, the light didn’t brighten nor get larger as they got closer to it. The single patch remained steadfast where it was, until it started moving closer on its own.
The light now appeared in the form of a white orb with no defined boundaries, fading out seamlessly away from the center. Rugo stopped and stared into the light, which was bright but surprisingly didn’t hurt his eyes.
An image began to manifest itself in the light, first showing the contour of a human figure, then details of a long flowing robe and a long, curved sword held in its hand became more visible. The face was still a mystery, and before it could be revealed the orb of light disappeared, like a candle being quickly snuffed out.
“What was that, Rugo?” Cerine asked curiously. Apparently she didn’t see what Rugo could.
“Something in the light was familiar, like what I saw in the burning shop.” Rugo bit his lip and pondered over the situation. “I don’t know what it was, but I think that maybe Lamnos knows we’re here. We should be careful from this point forward.”
Taan remained silent, but from the edgy expression on his face, appeared uncomfortable at what they had just seen. Landon looked at him with a hint of skepticism, as if he knew he was hiding something from them.But he remained quiet, not wanting to lose their only ally at this point.
When the end of the tunnel came into view, they were more than happy to finally get out of the Pass. Once they stepped out of the cave and got a look at Sumandir, Rugo saw that it was beyond his wildest imagination. The dark sky was filled with clouds as dark and thick as molasses. Occasionally the sky would ignite with a flash of lightning, or the violent eruption of a volcano far off in the distance. The land itself was in worse condition than the Mounds were, if that was even possible. The only difference was that it was devoid of any remnants of trees, no stumps or roots where any had stood. Not a single weed peeked out of the barren gray land.
Another thing that was unexpected about the setting here, which Landon was the first to pick up on, was that the air didn’t smell as foul as they thought it would. There was no rank odor in the air; in fact it was quite the opposite. It was rather pleasant, and unusual, almost magical. Regardless, Rugo actually liked the smell. He inhaled deeply.
“Ah yes, so you smell it too. While the plants have long been gone, the aromas of the spices and flowers that once flourished here remain.” Taan took a deep breath as well, and nodded. “I recognize the faint smell of a rare flower that only grew here. There was one in a glass case I saw once in a wizard’s study. It was one of the last of its kind. I had the chance…”
“Now, where is Lamnos’ lair?” Rugo interrupted, scanning the landscape for any landmarks, but there was nothing as far as he could see. There wasn’t even a lone tower, which he assumed was the common lair for a wizard like he read in books and heard in bards’ tales.
Taan pointed off toward the southeast, where the horizon couldn’t be seen because of a thick cloud of smoke, rising like a wall to the sky and churning violently with evil magic. “He has a tower behind those clouds. He must be brewing something today.”
“Then it looks like off we go,” said Landon confidently as he starting walking across the long plain toward the cloud, ahead of everyone else. After a few minutes, he stopped, realizing that no one had followed him. He turned around and saw the others sitting on the ground and laughing at him jokingly at his sudden eagerness.
“We better rest first, Landon. We don’t know how long it will take us to get there, and if we’d have to face anything once we reach his lair.” Rugo looked up into the sky suddenly and shuddered. “What was that? I think I just saw something flying overhead in the distance.”
“Some sort of strange bird? Or a dragon, maybe?” Cerine looked in the same direction as Rugo, but didn’t see anything.
Taan nodded. “That is possible. Lamnos has used dragons for his bidding before. Sometimes it is to look for someone or something. One time he even sacrificed a dragon as part of a spell.” He grinned at the awestruck reactions on their faces. “Yes, it was quite an incredible feat to watch.”
A bellowing roar, unlike anything they had heard before, came from the direction of the cloud. |
© Copyright 2007 Mark C Bradley (UN: auric at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Mark C Bradley has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
|
Log In To Leave Feedback
Static Items
Books
Forums
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
