Pyre & Forge by Jonathan Moeller

Author:Jonathan Moeller [Moeller, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Azure Flame Media
Published: 2020-08-16T22:00:00+00:00

11

Motaylakar

Mazael, Aericura, and Lothar hastened through the tunnels, following the glow of Lion’s hiltshard.

After they escaped from the crystal cavern, Mazael set a fast pace, and neither Aericura nor Lothar objected. They might have eluded Najorakh, his calibah soldiers, and the giant serpent that he had summoned, but Mazael doubted that Najorakh had been killed in the explosion. For that matter, he doubted that Najorakh would abandon the pursuit. Mazael had caused a great deal of trouble for the San-keth since he had become the Lord of Castle Cravenlock, and no doubt the archpriest would wish to repay that debt with interest. For that matter, if Najorakh killed Mazael, he would use it to raise his standing and prestige among the other San-keth clerics.

Best to keep moving, then.

It galled Mazael’s Demonsouled blood to leave a fight, and it kept urging him to turn, to kill and kill until he stood in the blood of the calibah soldiers and saw Najorakh lying slain upon the floor. But Mazael’s mind ruled his darker impulses, and he knew that returning to face Najorakh and his guards would be suicide. Lothar was a skilled swordsman, and Aericura was a powerful wizard and a capable fighter, but the three of them would not be enough to overcome a San-keth archpriest and scores of calibah.

Besides, Mazael hadn’t come here to fight the San-keth. He had come here to remake Lion and destroy the Wraithaldr.

Though perhaps he would be fortunate, and one of the other hazards of this underground maze would kill Najorakh. So far, it looked as if the Ironborn, Najorakh, and possibly the Neptari had arrived to claim the Forge. The gods only knew who or what else might show up. Perhaps one of them would be a match for Najorakh.

But anyone who could kill a San-keth archpriest had a good shot at killing Mazael.

The tunnel opened into another large cavern, and this one held enormous crystalline clusters that glowed with a harsh red light. Aericura said they had a powerful magical aura, but she had no idea what the crystals would do or how they would react if someone cast a spell at them.

Mazael decided that he would rather not find out, and they kept moving.

They passed another cavern that held crystals that glowed an eerie, ghostly blue, and another filled with crystalline clusters that shone with a pale purple light. Aericura said that all of them had magical auras. Mazael wondered if the crystals were a natural occurrence, or if the High Elderborn had somehow cultivated the things like a farmer growing mushrooms.

They came to a tunnel that sloped downward. A rough channel ran through the center of the floor, and a stream splashed and bubbled its way through it, the water clear and icy. The noise of the stream filled the tunnel, echoing endlessly against itself. The air within the tunnel was cold and clammy, with an odd mildew-like smell. It was unpleasant, but not overpowering, and the cool air was a relief after the long run through the crystalline caverns.

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