Anilyia (22 page)

When the tunnel opened into the first of the
Rainbow Caverns, the companions stopped to stare in awe. A large
waterfall fell from high above, creating a roar as it hit a deep
pool of water. An extraordinary amount of spray was created, which
was cool to the touch. Droplets of water began flowing down their
faces and their hair became soaked. Within this spray, rainbows
performed a ballet. Each one flickered through the mist,
disappearing then reappearing a short distance away. It was
mesmerizing to watch them move.

The moisture nourished a myriad of lush
plants. The sheer number drew animals and insects by the droves.
Tiliiflits were a large, flying insect similar to dragonflies above
ground. They were everywhere, each one glowing brightly as they
flew through the mist. Something about the waterfalls attracted
thousands to the cavern. The companions would duck and jump every
time one buzzed by.

So many tiliiflits attracted flying
predators, which also glowed. There was a constantly moving
lightshow around the waterfalls. Other birds like the huumpeek
moved from plant to plant, collecting pollen just as birds and
insects did above surface.

“It’s
so
beautiful,” Liselle yelled
to her companions. It was very difficult to hear each other talk
over the din.

Numerous footpaths led off the main road,
going around to the various caves. These were marked so people
could follow them without disturbing the natural beauty of
wildlife. The companions turned right onto the first one they came
across. Vevin led the way, skipping and dancing as he went from
sight to sight.

The others followed him, enjoying the
experience just as much as their dragon friend. Even Sir Danth was
excited and spoke animatedly about the waterfalls. He enjoyed the
sounds, explaining that they reverberated within his armor and
tickled his soul.

There were various smaller cascades
throughout other caves. All of the waterfalls either fell directly
into, or had streams flowing to three different lakes. What
couldn’t be seen was that the lakes extended for miles beyond the
rock wall. They were also miles deep in many places.

The largest waterfall fell to a pool in the
center of the main cavern. Guardrails ran along the lakes to
protect people from falling in while chasing rainbows. The lakes,
and especially the center pool, had strong undertows that were
deadly to anyone trying to swim in them. A few Rojuun had explored
by using spells enabling them to breathe underwater for long
periods, but even that was dangerous.

The companions walked along meandering
paths, pointing different sights out to each other. Liselle stopped
at each flower to smile at it. Vevin spent most of the time leaping
to catch rainbows that were always dancing away from him. He even
developed a new version of the rainbow dance as they explored.

They came to a quiet area with tables, and
took the opportunity to have lunch. A stream ran near their table,
but no waterfalls and they could talk without yelling. It was
refreshing not to have to deal with the constant roar.

Tathan wiped moisture from his face. “I’m
soaked from walking through all this mist!” he exclaimed with a
laugh. It pleased Liselle to see her cousin happy instead of dark
and brooding. “Why are you staring at me with that grin on your
face, Cousin?” Tathan asked.

“I’m grinning because I’m happy that you’re
happy.”

Tathan’s mouth twisted in amusement. “Well
that makes me happy.”

Vevin tilted his head to the side. “So
you’re happy that she’s happy that you’re happy?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I mean,” Tathan
said, pounding his fist on the table.

“Excellent! That makes me happy as well,”
Vevin declared.

Sir Danth chimed in. “Vevin is happy that
Tathan is happy that Liselle is happy that Tathan is happy.
I’ll
be happy if this doesn’t go any further,” he said in a
wry tone, eliciting laughter.

Suddenly, Vevin stopped laughing. “I hear
something. Shh.” He gestured for them to be quiet as he stood and
walked a few steps toward the opening of the cavern.

Tathan also stood, looking to see if anybody
was trying to sneak up on them.

Vevin waved him off. “It’s about the
princess. There are two Rojuun talking by one of the waterfalls,
both meju. One sounds like a guard and the other is his brother,”
Vevin said. “They don’t think anyone can hear them over the noise.
They’re talking about the princess.”

No one interrupted, waiting for him to
continue.

“The guard said he wants to kill the
princess,” Vevin said. Liselle gasped in alarm. Vevin shushed her.
“The brother asks why. The guard says, ‘The silly thing keeps
talking to me like I am the servant, not her!’ He seems very upset
about it.”

Sir Danth chuckled while a corner of
Tathan’s mouth turned up in a grin. They thought it amusing that a
Rojuun would get a taste of their own medicine.

“The brother says, ‘Can you not kill her for
disobedience? Humans
must
behave after all.’” Vevin rolled
his eyes. “The guard says, ‘No. She is human royalty and needed for
political reasons. I don’t understand human politics. They are
unnecessarily complicated.’” Vevin grinned. “I agree with him.”

“As do I,” Sir Danth said with an emphatic
nod.

“The brother is speaking again. ‘That is not
acceptable. Humans must obey us. The world will turn upside down if
they don’t. Do they not understand this?’” Vevin frowned at his
companions. “I seriously doubt the world will turn upside down if
humans don’t obey.”

They all shook their heads.

“The guard says, ‘They do not seem to
understand, Brother. I almost killed the girl the last time she
told me what to do.’”

“The brother seems to be consoling him now.
I hear patting on his back,” Vevin explained. “He’s saying, ‘I
believe it is time to kill the girl then. Our family is not happy
with the decision to hold this human vermin any longer. The human
emperor makes too many impudent demands of the Rojuun. For too
long, our family has been dismissed by others while we make
advances and new discoveries.’”

Liselle put a hand on Tathan’s arm. “I don’t
like the sound of that.”

“The guard replies, ‘You are right, Brother.
What do we do?’” Vevin looked back. “He sounds rather eager.”

“The brother’s answering, ‘It will take time
to arrange the details, but you and anyone sympathetic to the cause
will execute the princess and her servants. I will arrange for you
to have refuge in the family dwelling after it is done. We have
unlimited access to the fortress from our territories.’”

“The guard is agreeing, ‘I am ready to
fulfill my duty whenever you give the word, Brother.’”

“And the brother again. ‘Excellent. Thank
you for meeting me here. I will be in touch.’”

Vevin straightened. “That’s the last of it.
They’re walking away.”

“So what do we do now?” Liselle asked. “It
sounds like we need to save the princess soon or else she’ll be
killed.

“And the world will go ‘poof’.” Vevin made
another ball of light go ‘poof’, causing them to laugh.

Tathan was the first to speak. “I don’t
believe the world will go poof, but I
do
believe those two
meant it when they said they were going to kill the princess. We
also learned for certain that she’s in the fortress. Liselle’s
right. We need to save her soon.”

“Can you tell where the guard and his
brother are going, Master Vevin?” Sir Danth asked.

“No. Their footsteps are too quiet, like all
the Rojuun. They don’t make any noise when they walk and they’re
not talking anymore.” Vevin sighed. “You know, sometimes I like
Rojuun, and then we run into something like this where they behave
badly and I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“Humans are like that too, Vevin,” Tathan
replied. “Some try to do good. Others are decent most of the time,
but have moments of darkness. Every once in a while, a truly
terrible person commits crimes against others that make all of
humanity appear evil.”

Sir Danth rubbed his chin in thought. “Your
words are wise. So it is your belief that individual Rojuun can be
good or evil and this does not indicate that all Rojuun are one way
or the other. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Tathan answered simply.

“I like that,” Liselle responded with a
smile. “I think we’ve all been trying to look at them as one race
instead of individuals. These Rojuun don’t fit with others we’ve
known, like Marrraa.”

Vevin’s eyes swirled. “Wait a minute. Some
of the Rojuun are bad?”

Tathan wondered where Vevin was going with
the question. “That’s the conclusion we’re coming to, yes.”

“That’s excellent!” Vevin exclaimed, going
into a happy dance. “All I have to do is look for one of the bad
Rojuun and eat
them
.” He did a back flip into a sliding
step, all the time grinning widely.

Liselle said, “Vevin, you agreed not to eat
any unless necessary.”

“Aww.” Vevin’s shoulders slumped and the
dance stopped. “I’ll behave myself, but they better not attack me.”
The last was delivered with a carnivore’s intensity, unnerving to
his companions. When he realized that, he chuckled nervously.

“Have you seen enough of the Rainbow Caverns
for us to be able to continue, Vevin?” Tathan asked to alleviate
the uncomfortable situation.

“Oh yes.” Vevin went back to his happy
dance. “I’m ready to see Alluu now.”

“Let’s go then,” Tathan said, turning to
lead them out of the cavern. Liselle took Vevin’s arm, giving him a
reassuring smile.

Eight days later, they arrived in Alluu,
which sprawled throughout hundreds of interconnected caverns. The
primary cavern of Alluu was vast, with tens of thousands of Rojuun
and humans living in an area that covered hundreds of square miles.
The Cavern Road opened a few hundred feet above the city and then
sloped down.

The companions stopped at an overlook
amongst other visitors to gaze out over the city. The top of the
ceiling was so high that it could barely be seen. Vevin told them
that there were reinforcements all over it, artistically done as
one would expect from the Rojuun. A constant drone filled the air.
Weaving in and out of that drone was music from a multitude of
instruments and singing voices.

Vevin pointed to the northeast of the
cavern. “The fortress is over there against the wall. It looks very
formidable.” The others strained to see, but it was beyond their
abilities.

One of the more extraordinary features of
the city was the spires. Four enormous, round buildings rose to the
top of the cavern, disappearing into the heights. The companions
could see Rojuun, who looked like little specks, moving around on
the nearest spire. A man standing nearby explained that each spire
housed hundreds of Rojuun. He told them about magical rooms that
ran up and down the middle going to each level. It was one of the
few parts of the city where humans weren’t allowed.

After trying to soak in all the sights and
failing miserably, the companions made their way down the ramp.
Cavern Road ran through the center of the city all the way out to
the eastern side. From there it traveled to the Iynath Empire. It
was wide enough for twelve wagons to pass each other side by side
and was filled with caravans and people.

When they reached the bottom of the ramp it
was about mid-morning, giving them plenty of time to get to the
Fortress District and find a place to stay. Most of the buildings
off the Cavern Road for about ten blocks in either direction were
warehouses made of stone. They were large, with rounded corners and
roofs, each garishly painted in its own theme and colors. It hurt
the eyes to stare at them too much. Workers, mostly human, loaded
and unloaded wagons in warehouse yards.

Vevin led the way with Liselle on his arm.
After a while, they turned north into the city. Once again, Liselle
was in awe. She turned to look at each new sight. The Rojuun didn’t
stand out to her as much as the varied humans. Many wore exotic
clothes from faraway lands and spoke foreign languages. Everything
was different from the peaceful, open valley where she grew up. She
held on to Vevin a little tighter and he wrapped his arm around her
shoulder protectively.

Eventually, the warehouses disappeared,
giving way to storefronts. From that point on, the streets
meandered, making navigation difficult. Rounded corners and roofs
were dominant in the city, as though square edges had been
outlawed. The shops had multiple levels with personal dwellings
above for the shopkeepers to live.

There was no pattern to the shops. A leather
worker would be next to a restaurant, which would be next to a
furniture store. Goods hung from racks outside the storefronts,
which could be pulled inside when the shop closed, though it was
said that business in Alluu never stopped.

A riot of smells assaulted their noses.
Food, perfumes, leathers, ale, body odor and numerous other scents
filled the air. Three rivers flowing through the city created heavy
humidity.

Liselle missed the sun and felt as though
she was beginning to wilt. The erratic temperatures underground
were disturbing her too. One cave would be cool, but the next would
be hot. There were no seasons, snow or falling leaves. She didn’t
think she could live underground for any period of time and hoped
they would be able to find the princess soon so she could see the
sky again.

“There it is!” Liselle exclaimed, pointing
to one of the shops. The companions were startled by the sudden
outburst. She had been looking for a shop that sold the drumsticks
she liked and dragged Vevin there as soon as she saw it. Sir Danth
and Tathan chuckled and followed along.