The Sword that Binds (Book of Worlds 1) (17 page)

All that was left was a small stone barracks to the left of the road, with a skeleton crew to make sure the elves didn’t try to sneak across. With no way to cross, they had been forced to backtrack to the village and make their own plans.

Which lead to the situation Sarena was in now. She spent the first morning in the village buying several dozen feet of rope, then went back to the edge of the river in the afternoon to start working. Cutting down a few small trees and lashing together the trunks took little effort with Tyrus’ edge, and by the time night was falling she had a shoddy looking raft made. It would have worked well enough, except for one problem.

This close to the elven lands there were quite a few more monsters around. Even the river was full of them. The village was half a mile away because it was too dangerous to live near the banks, and Sarena thought she didn’t have to worry about anyone finding out about her crossing because of it. She had left the raft on the bank overnight while planning to use it to cross the next morning.

Only when they arrived at the bank just after dawn they found the raft completely destroyed. The wood had been torn to shreds. Deep gouges ran all across the logs that were haphazardly strewn across the area. Sleeping next to the remains was a creature right out of nightmare.

When Tyrus had said there was something was next to their raft, Sarena was expecting a normal monster that she could dispatch quickly before they set off. Instead what she found was a sleek, black, scaled creature the same height as Uckey and twice as long. Its four short legs had only three toes similar to a bird’s talons, all ending in thick claws as long as Sarena’s hand. A wickedly barbed tail was wrapped around its body as it curled up on the bank. As soon as Sarena stepped out from the trees it opened its yellow eyes and lifted its lizard-like head.

It looks like a smaller version of Ankaros. Does that mean it’s a dragon? I thought Uckey said they didn’t actually exist.

“Uckey. What in the seven hells is that thing?” Sarena asked worriedly.

“What luck! An actual water drake, this far from the ocean! I’ve always wanted to study them, but they’re just so rare!” Uckey exclaimed.

“Right.” Sarena rolled her eyes while drawing Tyrus.

The drake stood up and lowered its front legs, taking the unmistakable posture of a beast about to pounce. Sarena didn’t waste any time, drawing on her wind element and preparing herself. It didn’t disappoint her as it leaped forward with its jaws open, as fast as lightning.

Dodging to the left, Sarena brought up Tyrus and struck the beast on its flank. Her blade scraped along its scales, leaving nothing more than a thin white line.

“Um. I don’t think I’m going to be much help here, Sarena,” Tyrus said. “I can’t give you strength anymore.”

“I know,” she replied.

As the water drake landed where she had stood before it lashed out with its tail. Sarena was expecting the move and ducked underneath it while trying to think up a strategy. Her power had grown since they crossed the Teroban, but she wasn’t sure how long she would last before she ran out.

Instead of turning and continuing to attack Sarena, the drake lunged forward towards Uckey. The gnome hadn’t moved from where he stood at the edge of the trees, and must have looked like easier prey.

Sarena panicked. Uckey was practically useless in a real fight, and the drake was almost as fast as she was. There was no way she could reach it in time. She stretched out her left hand while shouting out. The world shuddered to a halt around her as she called on the stone, directing it towards the space in front of the drake immediately.

As the world shifted back to its normal speed the ground beside Uckey exploded. A thin sheet of stone blasted out of the ground, forming a wall in front of the drake. It crashed into it at full speed, cracking the sheet and sending shards of grey stone flying through the air. Sarena watched it fall to the ground in a daze, stunned and unable to move.

Calling on the stone again, she poured all of her power into one last desperate gamble. She didn’t have the strength to cut through its scales, and it was fast enough that she wasn’t confident in being able to strike its eyes safely. If her plan failed then they were doomed.

The world burst back into motion as Sarena felt her body fall to the ground bereft of strength. The ground all around the drake erupt as mounds of stone rushed into the air. A wedge shaped object formed as the stone combined, creating a guillotine that weighed several tons above the drake.

It was eerily quiet around them as the guillotine fell, crashing into the back of the drake’s neck. She hadn’t been able to make the edge of it very sharp, but she was hoping the sheer weight of it would take care of that for her. The black monster let out a short shriek as it was forced to the ground, the inexorable weight of the stone crashing through it.

Sarena sighed in relief.
Thank the gods. I can’t believe that worked.

She felt a shadow pass over her and looked up at Uckey.

“Quick thinking there Sarena! You’re growing stronger even faster than I anticipated!” Was the last thing she heard before passing out.

When she finally woke up it was already late afternoon. She had taken a small blue core from the water drake before mounting Uckey and heading back to the inn, collapsing on her bed and falling into a deep sleep instantly.

She had woken up earlier that morning, determined to make a new raft and cross the river before night fell.
What are the chances that another water drake would be there?
She had thought.

Well, it turns out the chances are a lot higher than they expected. Sarena was able to overhear some of the locals at breakfast. The water drake she killed the night before was part of a large pack that had moved in around almost a decade before. Thousands of the huge monsters crowded the river for almost one hundred miles, blocking anyone from fishing or crossing by boat. Nobody knew why they were there. They normally lived exclusively in the ocean, hundreds of miles to the east, and never in a pack bigger than a dozen. It was a mystery that nobody had been able, or willing, to solve.

Sarena wasn’t interested in
why
they were there. She just wanted to know how to get past them.

Are we really going to fail after coming all this way? Just because some addle-minded king decided to start a war for no reason?
Her grip tightened around her spoon at the thought.

“Uckey says he
might
have an idea, Sarena,” Tyrus said, interrupting her thoughts. “It doesn’t sound that reliable to me, but it might be our only chance.”

Sarena sighed. “Let’s hear it then. I refuse to give up when we are this close.”

“He said that there are...tunnels...that run underneath the Agraven.”

“And what makes that so unreliable? What’s wrong with these
tunnels
of his?” Sarena asked.

“They aren’t
his
tunnels. He doesn’t even know who or what made them. They’ve been there for as long as anyone can remember, and they’re so extensive that they’ve never been completely mapped before.”

Sarena stood up walked towards the door of the inn after scarfing down her stew as quickly as she could.

“Get on with it Tyrus. What is it you’re not telling me?” She said as she stepped outside and turned towards the stables.

“Well. It sounds like most people who try to explore the tunnels never come back. And it’s not because they get lost. An entire regiment of dwarves tried to use them to invade the elves during the Great War, but even they disappeared. Their connection with the earth makes it impossible for them to lose their way.
Something
is in those tunnels. And whoever or whatever it is, they are still making them.”

Sarena opened the door to the stables and walked over to Uckey’s stall. His head was sticking out of it, staring at Sarena excitedly.

“I’m
so
glad you agreed, Sarena! I’ve always wanted to explore the Labyrinth again! The council only let me go once. Said they didn’t want to risk losing a national treasure after that,” he said.

“What do you mean they’re still making them? I thought nobody knew where they came from,” Sarena said while ignoring Uckey.

“That’s right! Yet the tunnels around Stewrix and Mount Eberak - the dwarven capital - are mapped for the most part, but sometimes new branches will pop up overnight!” Uckey replied.

Sarena opened the gate and lead Uckey out of the stables before mounting him. She hadn’t bothered taking any of their belongings off of him the night before.

“Lead the way, Uckey. I trust you know where to find an entrance,” Sarena said.

“Wait! Just like that? Not even a little bit of argument?” Tyrus asked.

“What choice do I have, Tyrus? Nobody in their right mind would try and cross that river. I could barely manage to kill just one of those drakes, and I seriously doubt there’s anyone in this tiny village that could do better,” Sarena said and shook her head. “No. I’m done complaining. Life has never been fair to me before, so why should I expect it now? If these tunnels are the only way to get through, then it doesn’t matter how risky it is. The only other option is swimming through drake-infested waters. Would you rather do that?”

Tyrus went silent as Uckey walked out of the town and turned off the road to the west. The trees around them were spaced widely enough that it didn’t impede Uckey as he trampled through the undergrowth.

“Start searching for the tunnel with your magic, Sarena. There was a branch nearby that draws close to the surface last time I was here.” Uckey said when the sun was almost directly overhead.

“How come you can’t do it Tyrus? Isn’t that your specialty?”

“I can’t sense more than five or six feet into the earth. There’s too much in the way with no path around it,” he answered.

“I guess that makes sense,” she said while nodding. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

Sarena let her stone magic fill her, bringing the world to a halt. She could feel all the stone around her, but no sign of any tunnels. She wasn’t sure how she would know if she found one in the first place. Instead of releasing her power she tried to focus on simply holding it, and the world returned to its normal speed while she was still able to sense everything around her.

“I don’t feel anything. Are you sure we are in the right place?” She asked.

“Try and reach further then! The Labyrinth should pass right through this area!” Uckey encouraged her.

Reach further? I’m not Tyrus! How am I supposed to reach further!

Instead of trying to reach further, Sarena pulled on her power, gradually letting more and more fill her. She could feel her impressions of the stone around her becoming clearer. The hazy image of the world beneath her slowly changed into a clear picture, as if she was no longer viewing it through murky water anymore.

“Ah! I think I found it!” She said while pointing to the south. “Head that way. It doesn’t feel like it’s going any higher, but I can feel a hollow area in that direction.”

“Perfect! Once we get over it, use your power to make a shaft down to it!” Uckey said while trotting to where she had pointed.

“What? Make a hole? Uckey, it’s almost twenty feet below us! Only half of that is solid stone, how am I supposed to get rid of the dirt?” Sarena said exasperatedly.

“Just use the stone to create a tunnel down to it,” Uckey said.

Sarena stared at the glow horse.
Is...Is he an idiot? No, what am I thinking, of course he is.

“Uckey. Did you forget that I just spent an entire day recovering from making
one
big rock and dropping it on a lizard?” Sarena asked.

“Well it might take some time, but it will work in the end! Besides, Tyrus helps you recover much faster than an ordinary shavren, and you’ll find you grow stronger when you exhaust all your power like before!” Uckey exclaimed.

“He’s right you know. Your core grew a lot after you killed that drake. It would have taken you at least a week to be back on your feet if you didn’t have me here,” Tyrus said.

Sarena grabbed the hilt of Tyrus and squeezed.
This is the only chance we have. If I can’t do this we might as well give up.

She jumped down from Uckey’s back and sat on the leaf-covered ground with her back against a tree. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but she didn’t want to lose her balance while working and fall.

Uckey’s words had given her an idea, but she wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to do it.
Only one way to find out.
She thought.

Closing her eyes, she sent her power into the stone she felt far beneath her. She
pulled
, creating a ring roughly six feet across and drawing it upward. Her power was draining rapidly as she forced the stone ring to grow upward, displacing the dirt above it and making the ground tremble. By the time the ring had reached the surface her mind was feeling sluggish, and instead of continuing she released her power.

She kept her eyes closed as she rested, her strength recovering quickly with Tyrus’ help. When she felt up to trying again she sent her power back into the stone below them, inspecting the work she had done.

A hollow cylinder of stone had been created that stretched all the way from the stone base up to the surface. The walls were only a few inches thick, and she doubted it would last long after they left, but she didn’t need it to last forever.

She nodded in satisfaction.
Now for the hard part.

With the first step of her plan done, she sent her power into the stone at the base of the cylinder. Instead of drawing it upward as she had done before, she broke off chunks of stone and sent them into the tunnel, working her way up from the bottom. It didn’t take long before she felt her mind slow again and was forced to rest.

Seven hells! How heavy is this stuff? I barely made any progress!

She repeated the cycle of working and resting, losing track of everything else as she went. After every rest she was able to move more rock than before, to the point that by the last cycle she was able to grab an entire two foot thick slab of stone at once. As soon as she broke it off from the final thin layer of rock, she felt the stone shatter and the earth shook.