The Healer's Crown

Chapter Thirteen

The group had continued their journey when the sun had barely peaked over the horizon. The air was filled with mist as they carefully walked their horses on the jagged cliffs of the Obsidian Peaks. The air was freezing, and it bit at the exposed skin of their faces. The group had kept their resolve through it all, the men following Caelum people who fought beside him in many of the battles he fought. Seraphina couldn't help but feel slightly out of place among the men, their bond noticeable. Her thoughts were taken by a now familiar feeling: Lunara. She stopped, pressing her hand into the side of the rocky cliff.

"Do you sense something?" Caelum asked her, he hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. His men became uneasy as they looked around them.

"I sense Lunara here. What if it's the entrance to the Labrinyth?" She exclaimed, his fingers rubbing against the rock. Suddenly, the wall rumbles before a door sized hole slides downwards into the mountain, revealing a hidden entrance. Caelum led the charge, followed by Seraphina, prepared for the worst.

The  stone door shut behind them, plunging them into a thick unnaturally darkness. They began to panic until the talisman on Seraphina's neck began to glow and cut back the darkness.

"These walls could hold far more than stone, be careful," Caelum said, his men nodding in agreement. The entire crew had drawn their weapons, eyes squinting in the darkness.

They walked down a dirt path that was intercepted periodically with a stone staircase, leading them deeper into the bowels of the mountain. On the wall held a few scones, ordained with gems that had a sickly glow to them. The air felt damp and humid. The dirt was soft from the water leaking in from the rocks. One of the soldiers had tried to take a stone of the wall as the light source, but as soon as it left its spot, the gem became a useless stone.

The path became more intricate and periodically became a series of hallways with rooms. They began to search the rooms, finding sigils and items of Lunara; this confirmed their location. Each step they took further, Seraphina could feel the dark energy permeanating the walls around her. They reached a wooden door, and Caeluk reached to open it, but Seraphina stopped him.

"There's something behind this door," she said, sensing a presence, "something is watching us."

The group looked around, seeing nothing but rock around them. The tension of the group grew as their search became slightly more frantic. Caelum's eyes locked with hers, studying her face for a moment. He nodded, calling his men to stop the search, and he pushed open the door.

Inside this chamber, ancient relics lined the walls, armor, and weapons made of blackened steel and Obsidian. Caelum and Seraphina scanned the objects together, stopping at a familiar piece of armor.

This same armor from Caelum's castle.

They couldn't stop and ponder on it for too long. Behind them stood a blackened alter, which the men had begun to huddle around. The altar was made of blackened iron, adorned with iron thorns, which surrounded the altar. It was as dangerous as it was beautiful. One of them began to reach out to touch it.

"No, don't..." Seraphina reached out to stop him, but it was too late. In his pursuit to touch the altar, he had cut himself on one of the thorns. It was as if the altar was trying to hurt him. The blood dripped down his hand as he removed his gauntlet. His hand had grown gangrenous, and it quickly began to travel up his arm until he dropped to his knees. Dead.

The soldiers moved away from the altar, avoiding touching their withering ally. They decide not to stay longer and push on, going deeper into the maze. The walls progressively got damper as they progressed deeper, the ground turning to mud.