Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (45 page)

Seeing there was not going to be an end to George’s rant anytime soon, Kepler plopped onto the ground.

“Tell him that killing everyone that enters his cave is pointless, and it solves nothing. Tell him there will be a reward for traveling with us. Tell him a life of luxury will follow. Oh, oh, oh, and tell him that we intend to rule this land, and that he would be wise to hang with us.”

George put his hand to his chin. “And we better not threaten the little guy, so tell him if he says no, I won’t harm him. Tell him I only want something from the inside of his cave, and after I retrieve it, he’s free to go. I think if you tell him all that, it would be good enough for now.” George paused and then blurted, “But make sure you tell him that we would prefer it if he was with us.”

Kepler smiled as a jaguar would. He looked at George and for the first series of moments since their introduction, he jested. “That’s it? Are you sure there isn’t anything else that you want me to tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him, and tell him? I would hate for you to miss an opportunity to tell him something. It’s not like you’ve given me enough to tell him already. Perhaps I should tell him now. George, do you think I should tell him now?”

George rolled his eyes. “Just tell him, damn it!”

The demon-cat laughed, and after a few moments of speaking with Maldwin, he translated. “George, he said to tell you—”

George cut Kepler off. “I get it already. I sounded like a moron. You’ve made your point. Now get on with it.”

Kepler chuckled. “He’ll travel with us. He hates the cave his family lives in. He lives here only because his family wants to avoid you humans. A number of his family was killed by your kind, and he uses his visions only as a way to defend those he loves. That’s why he didn’t send Kroger walking down the pass toward the pool.”

George’s brow furrowed. “Okay, that makes sense. Then he realizes that his visions cause people to drown themselves.”

Kepler turned to Maldwin and proposed the question. “He said he thought the people simply left and never returned.”

George studied the rat’s demeanor. He could see that Kepler’s revelation was causing the rodent stress. “Damn, I think he looks remorseful. Does he know his home is called the Cave of Sorrow?”

Again, Kepler queried the rodent. As Maldwin looked toward the entrance, the jaguar translated. “He said he had no idea, George. All he wanted to do was protect his family. He’s the only one who can use the visions to make the humans go away.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” George replied. “What else can he do with his visions?”

A long conversation followed between the jaguar and the rat. Eventually, George interrupted them. “So what’s he saying?”

Kepler cleared his throat. “He can channel the visions to evoke many emotions, not just sadness. Apparently, his family was given the gift to help with some sort of test. He doesn’t remember the details, but the rat does remember that this is why they received the power. Apparently, a group of dwarves was to be kept out of the cave. His family was to use the gift for this purpose, but the dwarves never showed. After that, they decided to use the visions to keep other predators away ... especially the humans. The power is a comfort to Maldwin, but he’s never used it with malicious intent. He simply wants to live in peace in his own territory.”

George laughed. “Tell that to the poor saps at the bottom of the lake.”

While George continued to muse over his response, Kepler remembered the reason why the dwarves never showed. He had been friends with the Serpent King, Sotter long ago. He knew it was the snake who had murdered the dwarves, but he never knew why. The Serpent King had asked Kepler for permission to slither through the Enchanted Forest. The message that was delivered by Sotter’s runner said, the Serpent King had some dwarves to kill near the Pool of Sorrow. They had a map of his kingdom, and he was going to get it back. The message never said what the dwarves were doing at the pool or anything about the cave.

The demon realized George now had the map that Sotter was after, but the jaguar could only guess what George intended to do with it.
Perhaps he wants to make the serpents serve him or use the map to seize their territory,
he thought.
The map must possess secrets
. Kepler now wished he had cared more about what the Serpent King had been up to.
Why would the map take George inside the cave, especially if it depicts the serpents’ kingdom?

The demon further thought,
Why would the dwarves need to enter the cave? This must be the reason why George needs to go inside.
I wonder what he’s after. Is it what Sotter wanted?
Why would two different beings have the desire to prowl the same territory?

Kepler would have to wait to find out until the human exited the cave with the answer. He thought it best to stay quiet since he could not do anything about it anyway. George was too powerful, and the human would destroy him if he tried to force the answer out of him. Besides—his connection with George was growing, and he could see that the human’s mind looked for every opportunity to dominate every situation. Perhaps this was not a bad alliance after all.

Kepler moved to the mouth of the cave and used the rocks to scratch his back as he continued to talk with George. “Maldwin said if you provide his family a safe lair, he will travel with us and remain loyal. He asked that you give your word that you’ll provide this haven of safety once you’ve gained the power you’re after. He also asked that you seal the cave. His family can use other escapes to hunt for food. He also wants to say goodbye to his family. This is important to him, and it’s non-negotiable.”

George thought a moment as he took note of the anxiety in Maldwin’s eyes. “Kep, do you believe him? Do you think we can trust him?”

“I do. I think the rat will be useful. He doesn’t have a devious bone in his body, but he’ll do whatever it takes to protect his family. I think you should use this to our advantage and allow him to travel with us. I may even be able to teach him to speak with you as we quest.”

George smiled at the cat’s use of the word quest. “Tell Maldwin...” He stopped and realized he was about to do it again. He took a deep breath and continued. “Oh my freaking hell, don’t tell him anything. Inform Maldwin that I’m agreeable to his terms. But I would like him to stay out here with you until I retrieve what I’ve come for.

“When I exit, Kroger will seal the cave after the rat has said goodbye to his family. Oh ... and please ask Maldwin to give Kroger some happier visions. I’m sick of listening to his big ass cry. I’m going nuts. His sobbing is killing me.”

It did not take long before Kroger’s crying turned to smiles. The big guy warmly hugged himself and started to sing in gorilla tongue.

George rolled his eyes as he looked at Kepler. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s snuggling himself now. How in the hell did I sign up for any of this? I don’t remember the application asking if I had experience with giant morons.”

Kepler’s brow furrowed. “What’s an application?”

George threw his hands in the air and shouted over his shoulder as he turned to enter the cave, “I’ve got to get out of here! I’ll be back!”

The demon watched as George disappeared into the darkness. He could not wait to get the answers to his questions. What did the dwarves want in the cave, and was it the same thing George was searching for? The cat allowed himself to get lost in thought.

Eventually, Kepler looked down at Maldwin and spoke in the rat’s language. “Does the cave have other secrets?”

Maldwin nodded. “My visions are not the only magic that protects this cave. Fear surrounds what is hidden. Your friend may not scurry out of the darkness. His days of scavenging may be over.”

Kepler lifted his head, and as his red, glowing eyes found the entrance to the cave, he laughed. “We shall see if George is truly a master of the hunt after all. Fear ... how delightful.”

After a few more moments of pondering, Kepler turned to face Kroger. The demon-cat also understood gorilla. The knowledge of this language had saved his life seasons ago when he was threatened by Kroger.

Kepler shook off the memory and watched as the simple-minded, big fella sang a lullaby that his gorilla mother taught him as a child. Even Kepler’s vicious heart had to smile at the sight of the pathetic sweetness.

George made his way into the cave. Realizing more light was needed, he pulled out another torch from his pack, fumbled around in the darkness, and produced his antique cigarette lighter. The lighter had been passed down from his great-great-grandfather, a lie he told everyone. The truth—he stole it from a Vietnam veteran while doing court ordered charity work for the VA Hospital in Orlando. He had refilled the lighter the day before he sold Brenda her RV, and considering how dark the nights were on Grayham, he would continue to need it and could use it for quite a while before it ran out of fluid. It was one of a kind, and he carried it everywhere, despite the fact he did not smoke.

He lit the torch and studied the map. Once he had his bearings, he headed for the secret door. The cave was moist and wet, the floor slick and smooth, like massive amounts of water had raged through it for many seasons. The air was stale, and he would need to be careful of his footing. He tried to grab hold of the walls for balance, but they were just as slippery as the floor. It was clear why it took 8 Peaks to go from one end of the cave to the other, but there was one positive quality about the wet surfaces. They reflected light well.

According to his Rolex, it took him over an hour to get to where the secret door was marked on the map. Setting the torch down to free his hands, he ensured the moisture on the floor did not extinguish the flame and then searched the walls. There had to be some kind of hidden latch or switch to toggle. He checked the entire area more than once, but found nothing.

Frustrated, George returned to the torch and snatched it off the ground. With the flame above his head, the light filled the tunnel. From the way things were going, he might need to exit the cave and ask the rat for assistance.

He sighed, “You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s got to be here.”

He was about to give up and leave when he noticed an area about 10 paces deeper into the cave where the wall failed to reflect the light. He moved to this spot and stood in front of it. Again, he held the torch above his head. The light was passing through the wall, and as a result, a dull spot was left behind that looked like an entrance, yet the wall still appeared to be solid.

It was worth a shot. He reached out to feel around, but the wall faded away. His hand destroyed the magic as it passed through the illusion, and a pathway was revealed.

But of course,
he thought.
Why wouldn’t a wall disappear around here? Just another messed up thing.
Without wasting another moment, he stepped into a long, narrow corridor that stretched in front of him without a visible end.

He would have taken another step, but he heard something that made his heart sink. His daughter’s voice filled the darkness. “Daddy, help! Stop it! You’re hurting me!”

Fear seized George’s mind.

Again, Abbie’s voice echoed, “Don’t touch me! Aahhhhhh! Daaaaaddy!”

George called out, “I’m coming, baby! Daddy’s here! Whoever you are, get your damn hands off her!”

George’s hand trembled as he lifted the torch and started to run toward his daughter’s cries. The walls and the floor in this part of the cave were different. They were not smooth like before. Instead, they were rough. Footing was much easier to find, but the end of the corridor remained untouched by the light of his torch.

With each step, his daughter’s screams echoed. “Daddy, make him stop! It hurts!”

His heart raced as his pace quickened. “I’m coming, baby! I’m coming!”

Over 900 panic-filled footsteps pounded against the floor before the light of his torch found a door at the end of the corridor. The door was solid, made of a thick wood, maybe some sort of oak, and it was painted red. A small, half-arch window rested eye-level at its center. Beyond the door, no light was visible through it.