In Lost Dreams the Four Were Bound

09 - Nerin - With the Master Preparing for the Ceremony

Making his way in the darkness, Nerin stumbled along the dim tree corridor with four of his Hyunisti underlings in tow. Even though he had run the path every night for the past month, he still could not navigate the moldy walkway or the weathered stone of the deep structure. The idiots behind him would not lead the way, choosing to follow instead, making stupid jokes and nervous remarks. In truth, he feared the ruins as they did, but their apprehension was born of superstitious nonsense. His was out of respect for his master.

Annoyed with the simpletons, Nerin retreated into his thoughts. In his head, he practiced the presentation of his conquest, appeals to authority, and the humble acceptance of his lord's admiration. Everything was like clockwork as the scene unfolded before his eyes, just as it had night after night.

Caught up in his thoughts, Nerin missed an ignoble piece of stone protruding from the ground. Without a moment to react, he tripped over the slab and fell to his knees. Behind him, two of the bumblers snickered.

"Help me up," Nerin demanded as one of the pair came over to assist. "Enough of your prattle. Quiet, the lot of you!"

"But naisure Nerin, the air is much too silent," the one farther back said.

"Yes, naisure," the one holding his shoulder remarked. "It's enough to raise the hackles on my neck. Especially since the thing has been glowing down below."

"It's Lord Nerin," Nerin said, jerking his arm free from the dimwitted attendant. "And that thing is one of the greatest magicians ever to live, and you shall not forget it."

"Aye, lord," the talvuo said, dumbfounded. "Still, this seems wrong."

"No more wrong than your head will be if we're late," Nerin said as he marched forward. "Hurry."

"Yes, Lord Nerin," his lackeys replied. Behind the two bumblers, two better-trained talvuo carried a large bundle wrapped in hide, walking with steady steps as it lurched in their arms.

Eyeing the shadowy silhouette of the old stone archway, Nerin was overcome with a feeling of relief and dread. As his small party approached, he signaled one of his men to hand him the torch. As if in answer to the flame, a fetid wind ripped through the living corridor.

"To me, hurry now." Keeping their distance, the four men followed him into the underground ruin's gaping maw.

The stone structure was ancient, its walls and frescos older than the great tree above them. The fortress's underground halls had sat quiet as mold and mineral formations grew along their limestone interior. Like cancer, the degradation had spread throughout the old ruin till it was full of nothing but collapsed stonework and mud. As he walked in the faint illumination of the struggling torch, Nerin took in breath after breath of putrescence. The rotting morass of ancient plant life and crumbled stone permeated the air, making his nose curl with every breath. The roots of the tree above had done their worst to the ruin, carving out holes as they gnawed at the earth.

All of it was a bitter reminder that the Hyunisti had forgotten their pride and their history. They had given up on the place and settled for a life of quiet acceptance and enfeeblement. The frail talvuo had abandoned all notions of greatness and allowed Hyun and her followers to seal the entrance of the holy land. Just like his people, they had fallen into dissolution but somehow continued to thrive. The very thought boiled Nerin's blood. But alas, the meek had their place in his coming kingdom. For now, they served their purpose.

Despite the toil and bitterness, the place's mystique was not lost upon Nerin as he gazed at the worn engravings along the sunken walls. According to his master, the fortress once served as a seat of magic power gifted to the Emri by the Lorinian mage-emperor, Serne-Le Lorin. This seemed all but confirmed by the images in the dank halls. Runes of power were inscribed upon engravings of talvuo shamans and leaders. The walls hummed with life as the clear blood of the grand tree pulsed around and between them.