Lost on Taikus by D.L. Gardner

Author:D.L. Gardner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure fantasy, wizards, Coming of age stories, Diary of a Conjurer, dragon stories, magic, sword and sorcery
Publisher: D.L. Gardner
Published: 2018-04-09T00:00:00+00:00

Gloom

They raced through the woods, hopping over roots and dodging the brush that protruded over their path. The trail took them into marsh and wetlands before a sharp incline slowed them down. Abbott panted as he caught up to Constance and plucked a leaf from out of her pure white hair.

She looked over her shoulder when she spoke. “It’s not much farther. But we must be careful now. Warrior women are often found hunting in these parts because the deer come down from the highlands to graze in the meadow. If they saw us here, we’d be in trouble. But worse, no one’s supposed to know where the entrance to the cave is.”

Abbott dared not speak. The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble again, if for no other reason than for Claudia’s sake. Constance stopped to bundle her hair in a bun and tuck it in her collar. She pulled out a green hood and pulled it over her head. With her knife drawn, she crouched low and walked cautiously. Abbott followed suit, though the boots he wore were clumsy and noisy. At the edge of the forest, they looked out over the meadow where a doe and fawn grazed peacefully. Beyond the grassland was a stone cliff.

“That’s it?” Abbott asked. Black rock stretched to the graying sky. Rain clouds hinted at a coming storm.

“Yes,” Constance answered.

“How do you get there without stepping out into the open?”

“You don’t. But you don’t have to stand out like a red flag on a ship’s mast either. Do what I do. Crawl!”

No sooner did their bellies hit the ground than the doe lifted her head and froze. Abbott wished they hadn’t spooked her. It would be safer for them if they had gone unnoticed in case someone else was lurking in the woods. Constance kept moving, unchanged by the startled deer. No warriors appeared, and the doe and her fawn simply wandered farther away.

Abbott slid along the grass behind Constance. When they came to the other side of the meadow, they stayed in the shadow of the cliffs up against the cold rocks. She led him directly to a tiny crack between two boulders. “This is the mouth of the cave,” she whispered.

“That?”

She nodded, sucked in her breath in and slid through the crevice. Abbott squeezed in after her. “Makes me wonder how wizards even know about this place! Did they use magic to get in?”

There was no light inside. As soon as the rock walls surrounded him, damp musty fragrance permeated the air. At first it smelled sweet, like mushrooms and mint. But as Abbott felt his way through the tunnel, the sweetness subsided. He kept his hands on the rock walls and stayed as near to Constance as he could. He wasn’t afraid. But his heart pounded uneasily against his ribs. Maybe they shouldn’t have come so far, so late in the day. If there is a storm brewing, he and Constance might have difficulty going home.

“Do you still have your raftal?” he asked, wiping the cool sweat from his brow.

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