SWNOVELS Chapter Guide Us
It was midnight when the companions reached the foot of the Wayward Mountains, and they stared at them with blurry, sleep deprived eyes that wondered how in the Abyss they would ever climb over those things.
It would be a long hard climb, and they would have to leave the horses behind, which meant they would have to walk the rest of the way back as well.
No one was looking forward to the journey. Especially the fallen king, who's shoulder was beginning to bother him again.
"So, I know that there is a tunnel here, and it does lead out, but I haven't actually searched it myself, so I don't know exactly if it leads straight there." Rentham said, leaning on Rey as they walked towards the foot of the mountain. "It is wide enough to walk through standing."
The four companions found the tunnel under a few thickly grown vines, and after cutting them away, they found themselves staring into something as dark as the Abyss.
"One moment." Rey slowly set the king on his feet and drew out a spell book, searching through it for a moment. His fingers eventually rested on a page and he concentrated, his mind discarding all thought except the one at hand.
His eyes opened eventually and blue light shown out of them, the light shinning down into the deep tunnel and spreading down through it.
After a few minutes, Rey closed his eyes once again and swayed a little, Drusilla jumping to catch him if he was to fall. He pushed her away after a moment and than stood up, holding his head with a hand. The spell was finished, and he looked as if he had an answer for them.
"What was that about?" Jaden asked, a sword already in hand.
"I was searching the tunnel, and it is too deep to see what is really down there. I can tell that by all the spiders and insects that lurk in it, it can't go down too far. Everything needs air." He took in large breaths of it himself, resting a hand against a tree as his crystal blue eyes stared out from beneath his dark velvet robes, his low cowl blending in with his ebony hair.
"Shall we take it?" Drusilla asked, looking at their leader.
"I don't know. Do you all think it would be safer to go in the tunnel, or over the mountain?" He replied, looking at each one of them for a moment.
"I think the tunnel would be our best chance. It will protect us from wind and falling from giant heights." Jaden said, his sword still drawn. "Though strange creatures do lurk beneath the surface. It is your call."
"I say the tunnel." Rey said, almost dragging Rentham towards it. "As you said, we won't fall down there."
"Yes. He is right. Come on Jaden." Drusilla said, following as well, her long, flowing pink locks blowing in the wind. She turned around to see him still standing in his original spot, confusion spreading across her face. "Are you alright?"
"Something is . . . is down there. I don't like it." He shook his head. "Yes, we wouldn't fall from dizzying heights but . . . Drusilla, for the first time in my life, I am scared so bad I believe my hair will turn white."
He did seem abnormally pail. His skin was usually an olive color, but now it was ashen. The Red Witch drew closer, her eyes looking him up and down in concern. "You should tell Rentham."
"He will not believe me." He replied, shrugging. "I already said it would be safer, and Rey seems to have made up his mind about it."
Drusilla shook her head. "We can still turn back, if you really think it is not safe."
"No, lets just see what happens." Jaden said, gazing down into the tunnel. "After all, nothing can really harm us. We have powerful magic, and me and Rentham are more than capable to take the front lines if anything were to happen." He didn't meet her gaze, only looked at the ground, or the top of her head. He didn't like locking eyes with her anyway, it might . . .
"You are probably right. Now lets go." She smiled and took him by the hand, leading him into the tunnel.
If she had turned, she would of seen his face turn from white to red in a split second.
KeloRena jumped along giant floating stones that lined the cavern, his stark white hair waving around his face as the sulfur pits below blew updrafts at him, thus making the rocks float. You could cross easily, for the air wouldn't let you drop, but that was only if you stood in one position the entire time you were in it.
A flick of the wrist, a toe out of place, and you would plunge into the boiling pits and be never seen again.
KeloRena was a Drow of 204 years. He had trained to use a scimitar since he was old enough to pick it up, and his whole life was dedicated to such a task. He had to master the sword, he had to use it to defeat the monsters around his home.
He did not live with his people. He had left long ago after killing a Matron, who had destroyed his family before hand. She did it quietly though, and only he had escaped. He took it upon himself to have his revenge and slit her throat after everyone was gone.
The only problem was that the Matrons daughter had caught him in the act.
The high priestess tried to kill him with her dark magic, but he had let loose a light stone, which screamed in her ears as well as flash bright light around her. KeloRena escaped than, not wanting anymore deaths on his hands.
He realized later that he should of killed her long ago.
"Rey, stop!" A woman's voice screamed. He landed softly on another floating rock and than turned around, looking the way he had come.
There were strangers in his cave.
"Who is that?" Jaden asked, staring at the stranger that lay at the other end of the sulfur pit.
"I don't know." Drusilla replied, slowly pulling the dark warlock away from the edge as she stared also. "Rey here wouldn't of even seen him, he would be plunging to his death if I hadn't stopped him, the idiot!"
"I was looking at the formations along the ceiling. I have never seen something so beautiful before." He shrugged. "And it is a long enough way down that I could cast a levitation spell and float back up here, without any assistance from you."
"Whatever you say." She snapped back.
"Hello, good stranger!" Rentham said, holding his shoulder as he neared the edge, eyeing the strange person that stood on one of the floating rocks. "We are just trying to get back to the surface, and were wondering if you could be our guide, maybe, or just point us in the right direction! We do not have a map, or-"
The person started to talk quickly in some unknown tongue, pointing at the fallen king with a long, slender sword.
"Oh, he is a Drow." Rey said, like it was blatantly obvious.
"A what now?" Drusilla asked.
The dark warlock started to go off in the same tongue as the stranger, and they talked back and fourth for a bit before Rey finally turned back to his companions. "He said that he will not be our guide, and to get off his land before he kills us."
"Unlikely. There is four of us, and one of him." Jaden replied.
"Three." Rentham corrected, still holding his shoulder.
"Oh . . . right." The assassin nodded and smiled a little sadly.
"So, should I tell him that if he doesn't let us pass, we will kill him as well?" Rey asked.
"Yes, tell him that." The fallen king answered.
Rey replied in the Drow tongue again, his teeth gnashing each word as if it were a sneer. The stranger replied eventually, sounding a little more demanding and turning fully towards them, drawing a bow from his back.
"Uh oh." Drusilla groaned.
Rey threw his hand up and knocked the Drow from the rock, sending him flying across the other two and onto the other side of the pit. The dark warlock than cast another spell and floated across the sulfur pit, his hand still holding the Drow still. "Come on, we have not got all day!" He shouted at his companions, making it to the other side without any trouble.
Drusilla jumped across easily, while Jaden tried to help their leader across. His shoulder was really giving him pain, and all they could do was try and null it for a bit. He would not permit them to use their magic, or his own, on the wound and claimed that they needed it for a later time.
But they knew that if it didn't heal soon, it would get infected, and probably spread through out his arm, and than straight to his heart.
"WHOA!" Jaden cried, Rentham almost toppling over one of the last floating stones. Drusilla cried out and cast a wall spell, watching as their bodies hit hard on her magical, invisible force field.
Rentham shouted than, his hurt shoulder the one that had rammed against it. He bit his lip and tried to shove back the tears in his eyes, not wanting his companions to see how in pain he really was. One of them might think to heal him, and such a spell could drain the whole essence out of a magic user for at least a day.
Who knew if they would need two magic users or not in the next hour?
"Stop squirming, it will only make it hurt more!" Rey growled at the Drow as his magic held him still.
"Alright, lets let him up." Rentham said, holding his breath to try and control the pain as he walked over, leaning on Jaden.
Rey snarled and broke the spell, backing away as Jaden went to stand the man up. They didn't know what the dark warlock had done to him exactly, but they knew he wasn't in any shape to fight.
"What do you want!?" The Drow shouted in common, his voice thick with his native language.
"We want you to lead us through this tunnel. To the surface." Drusilla answered, her eyes glowing in the darkness as Jaden lit a torch. Most of them could see heat in the tunnel, from their Elvin parentage, but the assassin was getting a little tired of it. It messed with his concentration habits.
"NO!" He spat, it landing on the Red Witch's boots. She slowly looked down at it, but didn't do anything further.
"You don't, we will throw you in that sulfur pit!" Rey snarled, grabbing the man by his shirt. "Your name and business! Now!"
"Alright!" He screamed, it echoing through out the cavern as the dark warlock slowly backed away. "Alright. I am a rouge, I do not serve any Matron, and I have no business." He shrugged. looking down angrily at the cave floor.
"Name!" Rey shouted, making the Drow jump a little.
"KeloRena."
The companions were silent for a moment before the dark warlock shot forward and grabbed the man, hoisting him to his feet. "Alright now, Dark Elf, bring us out of here, and NOT the way we came!"
Slowly their new guide turned and lead them deeper and deeper into the tunnel. They only hoped he wasn't leading them to their doom.