Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Chased (III)

The losts surrounded the rock mountain where the living had disappeared. As they did so, they discovered that the mountain expanded underground, and the rock base became ever wider. Since it seemed to have no end, it was impossible to besiege the underground. In any case, they thought that the same rock that didn't let them pass, would not let their prey escape.

However, that didn't reassure Warkmon, who had contacted his father.

"It may only be a fortress. If they're trapped forever, so much the better. But talk to Cahldor, perhaps he knows something. Use the obsidian orb, I'll tell him to contact through it," he replied.

"Yes, father."

He took a black orb out of the box. Its polished surface had a soft shine under the dim light. He placed it in front of him, and stared at it, as a faint thread of mana continuously circulated through it. Finally, after a few minutes, it reacted.

"Warkmon, be brief. I have a lot of work to do," a harsh voice greeted him.

Warkmon gritted his teeth. He didn't like that tone. He didn't like his ally either.

"Cahldor, the Guardians of the North have disappeared into an impenetrable rock mountain. They were against the rock, protected by several spells that hid them. A shadow was leading the attack, and thousands of beasts surrounded the entire area, even underground. When they broke the defensive barriers, they had disappeared without a trace," the vampire explained.

"Their footprints?" the renegade Guardian of the North asked. He was the one who had betrayed his people in the past.

"You know how shadows and beasts work. If there were any, they've trampled them. Can you think of how they could've escaped?"

Cahldor remained silent for some time. Although he cursed the losts and the shadow for destroying the clues, he had to admit that this was very strange. Furthermore, those who had escaped were his enemies, who surely wanted to kill him. They could waste all his plans if they managed to return.

The work to demolish one of the entrances to his old home continued. He hoped to be able to enter in a couple of years at most, and then he would make sure that they would never wake up again.

It would be even better if he found a way to wake them up one by one, tied up, defenseless. That way, he could absorb their essence.

If possible, the renegade would also get the Eternal Flame, but he had promised it to his ally. It wouldn't be easy to get it without him finding out, since he was personally supervising the operations. Although, if the opportunity arose, he wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of it.

"Wait... It could... No, impossible, they can't be real... But it's the only explanation..." he muttered, without really considering what he had remembered.

"What do you mean?" Warkmon was surprised.

Cahldor hesitated for a moment whether to explain it. For him, it was just a story.

"There's a legend from a very distant past, in which our people allied themselves with others to carry out great works. Our city is said to have been one of them, but it's assumed that it's nothing more than a legend. Although, if that legend were true, it would explain this situation. It's said that there was a network of fortresses, it could be one of them," Cahldor related, not quite believing it himself.

"What!? Why haven't you said anything about that until now!?" Warkmon demanded, furious.

"Calm down. It's just a legend, a tale. I've never seen any of those supposed fortresses, nor has anyone I knew. They were supposed to be rock mountains turned into shelters, that were connected to each other by tunnels in the bedrock. If they existed, why didn't they use them to escape before? It doesn't make any sense, but it's the only explanation I can think of. Perhaps, one has survived the millennia, if they've ever existed."

"If it were real, could it be connected to another? How could one get in?" the vampire worried.

"I doubt it. I find it hard to believe that one exists. Two connected is impossible, it'd be known. As for how to get in, no idea," Cahldor shrugged, downplaying it.

"You better. Just in case, I'll have the inner areas reinforced for surveillance. Let me know if you can think of another explanation," Warkmon asked.

He received no response. The renegade Guardian of the North had cut off communication, which made the vampire frown. He neither liked his attitude nor trusted him.

"I hope he's not right," he wished to himself.

"Are you sure this leads somewhere?" one of the guardians who was holding a stretcher asked.

On it, the Locksmith was lying, now out of danger. She had been treated for her most serious injuries, but certain damages couldn't be healed in such a short time. The breakage of her magic circuits was especially serious, which would prevent her from casting spells or opening locks for months. Without a doubt, that was a serious setback.

"We better," another answered. She was holding a mana torch.

They were going through a tunnel dug into the rock, with no one being able to imagine how they had drilled it. It had enough space for two to walk comfortably next to each other, and a height of just over two meters.

They spoke in a very low voice, because the echo was quite annoying in that place. They didn't know if it was because of the rock itself, or because of the special treatment it had received in the past. The truth was that their steps echoed all the way.

It took them a couple of days to reach the end, to arrive at a large room similar to the one they had found after entering.

"The circle is intact! Thank goodness, I've always wanted to study it," the Locksmith was happy. She had already woken up.

She got up from the stretcher, and looked at it with curiosity. The previous one had been damaged after forcing the opening.

"Mom, be careful. Just look at how to open it, we don't have time to study it," her son came over to help her get up.

"You don't have time, I do. I'll stay here to study it," she declared.

"You can't do that! We need you!" he was alarmed.

"Maxlir, darling, right now, I'm a burden. For everyone's sake, it's better if I stay here. You can't take me, I'd slow you down," she refused.

"That's not true! Tell her it isn't!" he looked back, anxious.

"Don't put them in a difficult position. They know I'm right, and you too, if you think about it a little. From now on, you'll have to be the Locksmith. I trust you," his mother kissed his cheek.

"Mom... Please..." he sobbed.

"Come on, come on. You're too old for this. Let your mother play with her engravings, and you go on adventures," she hugged him, comforted him.

It still took her a while to convince him, while the others rested and prepared the food. After leaving that place, they didn't know when they would be able to take a break again.

A few hours later, she saw them leave, and closed the door behind them. Luckily, there were no enemies near the exit.

She stared at the wall for a while, worried about her son, her people, the mission. Finally, she sighed, and turned back to the circle.

It would be a lie to say that she didn't want to study it, but the Locksmith wouldn't have stayed there if she were in perfect condition. However, since she had to stay, it was better to take advantage of it. It was a rare opportunity to study an ancient magic engraving in perfect condition.