Belvedor and the Four Corners (Belvedor Saga Book 1) (48 page)

Despair settled in her chest as Arianna looked down to the floor inlaid with polished wood, limestone, and metal. If not for the piles of skeletons and dried blood staining the patterns beneath her feet, she would have thought the fortress the most spectacular thing she ever saw. She recalled General Indra’s last words.
The City of Undor has fallen but not in vain
. Her heart ached for the loss this grand city endured, and she hoped with all her heart it would see justice. 

The death revealed to them in the room of gold seemed nothing when compared to the slaughter which spread out before them now. The great city was bathed in blood and then forgotten with time. Tents of rotting food, mixed with the reek of rotting flesh, stung their noses, and barrels of wine leaked to the floor to create a sticky mess. The bones of women and children lay atop of each other in their daily garb, and workers slumped over the counters of their workstations.

For miles the city center stretched out in a pit of crude hopelessness. Arianna closed her eyes, trying to shield herself from so much pain. Her empathy overwhelmed her in this instance, so she tried to imagine something better. The grandeur of the underground palace made it easy to picture what life used to be like, and so she did.

Arianna’s mind scurried from reality, and she transported herself to the true City of Undor. She saw children with helms too big for their heads, brandishing toy hammers and shields. She imagined welders pounding away at some rare stone to craft another masterpiece weapon, and General Indra supervised with a hard-won smile. She pictured brothers sipping whiskey in the taverns, and she even saw mothers bartering for vegetables with the large coins they had found, the odd yet beautiful language hanging in the air.

Her mind broke free from its daze as her eyes settled on Jeom’s heart-wrenching expression. Wishing her imagination could be enough to revive such a loss, she pictured only the ghost of the city, but the reality came in the form of bones at her feet. Demetrius had been right… the room before had only been a glimpse of the dwarf haven. Thousands had died that day, and she knew who to blame.

“King Devlindor did this,” said Arianna. “I know he did! Hand me the scroll.” Her heart roared in her chest as she felt her cheeks grow hot with rage. Lessa fished a scroll out of her bag and placed it in her hand, not saying a word.

Arianna recited a passage from
Olleb-Yelfra the Fallen
. “In an effort to cleanse the land of evil, he exterminated all life with a magical bloodline, animal and human alike. Thus, stories of the Golden Age faded into fiction.” 

“The tyrant,” said Lessa, balling her fists.

“They seem so innocent.” Jeom lowered his hood.

“We have to keep moving,” said Demetrius, wary of his surroundings.

“Where should we go now?” said Lessa. “We can’t go back through that door again. It’ll lead us straight to the Vanishing Tunnels, and they’re obviously bewitched by the same magic that built this city to keep away unwanted guests.”

“So much that did,” said Jeom, kneeling next to the bones of a child.

Lessa frowned. “They seem to change the deeper we get, so who knows if we could make it back out again. Mundar’s map doesn’t track this far in.”

Everyone turned to Arianna who paid them no attention as she studied the scroll for the hundredth time.

“I don’t understand…” Jeom focused back on the massacre around them. “How didn’t we see this before?”

“Because, Jeom,” said Lessa, hugging him around the waist as he trembled. “We hadn’t really entered yet. Magic obscured our vision.”

“How so?” he said.

She gave him a soft smile. “You really aren’t very good at remembering what you read, are you? The podium in the stone room said that all would remain blind unless bidden into the city. That door…” She pointed to where they just left, “is the entrance and exit to Undor, and, if we take it again, we’ll just end up right back where we were… lost as ever.” She let go of Jeom and pulled Sano close to her chest as he vied for attention.

Everyone started fidgeting, more than ready to get out of there. The gloom surrounding them put them on edge.

“We need to go. There’s nothing for us here,” said Arianna with a ferocity in her eyes as she unsheathed her dagger, still clenching to the scroll.

She began to lead the group around the exquisite city, looking for another way out. They passed several tunnels as they followed the wall and saw lavished homes built into each one. They carved right into the stone walls of the passages like hundreds of tiny hollows fit for hundreds of tiny families.

Stacked on top of each other, ladders reached to the ones on higher levels. The four stole a glance inside one of the hollows and found small furnishings, beds, and fire pits, each with their own quirky styles.

“Dwarves were quite the artisans,” said Jeom. “I’ve never seen nor crafted any architecture such as this. It’s incredible… I’m sure not even my trainers have this kind of ability.” His fingers twitched around the axe, and he longed to know their secrets.

“Look, Jeom! It’s the axe,” said Demetrius, pulling his brother away from the path of the wall and into the center of the city.

As they headed towards the core, they came upon a statue plated in gold. It stood ten feet tall, fenced in by a grand fountain. As soon as they reached the border, water shot up in dancing strings all around the sculpture. For a moment, the devastation around them erased in light of the spectacular water show. “It seems this city’s magic lives on,” said Arianna, her eyes glued to the enchanted demonstration.

As the water settled, Jeom gawked at the detail of his axe carved to perfection. Even more so, a very regal looking dwarf with a serious look on his face was attached to the weapon. His hair fell around his shoulders and his beard touched his chest. Armor covered every inch of his body, and he even wore a helm embroidered in the same motif as the axe. Seated upon an ornate, white throne, without a doubt, this dwarf had been a royal of Undor.

“Here’s a plaque,” said Lessa, circling the fountain. “I think it’s some sort of tribute.” She looked up at Jeom, grinning. “Have at it,” she said, stepping aside.

Jeom scoffed and cleared his throat as he bent over to read the inscription:

King Undoriamus—founder of the great City of Undor. The great king slayed the three-headed dragon of Crissy who once dwelled in the tunnels of Blancoren. He crafted the golden axe from the bowels of the Vanishing Tunnels, the first of its kind. The Axe of Crissy, fused with the teeth of the slain dragon, is said to possess peculiar powers as the essence of the creature flows within the weapon. The beholder must have unbendable loyalty and strength in order to retain true control over the axe for our king was a believer in both.

Everyone looked at the axe in Jeom’s hand. “What happens if you can’t… control it?” said Arianna.

Jeom rubbed at his neck. “It doesn’t say,” he said. “It just goes on to tell of how the king died in a later battle, protecting the city. You were right, Lessa. That’s how it came to be called Undor. He left the Axe of Crissy in the protection of his people, and it has been passed down for centuries to his descendants.” He gulped, surveying the giant statue as he finished summing up the plaque.

“Does it say what kind of power it possesses?” asked Demetrius.

Jeom only shook his head. His eyes locked on the great dwarf king, and he almost felt the need to drop to one knee.  

“That’s a very special weapon you have. Care for it, but I really think we ought to get going now,” said Arianna, breaking his reverie as a chill ran over her body. Her head snapped up, expecting to encounter another ghost, but, to her relief, she saw nothing lurking nearby. 

“Yes,” he said. “Lead the way.” 

“Okay.” Arianna turned in circles and then threw her hands in the air. “I have no clue where to go!” Her shoulders slumped.

“I think we should follow the birds,” said Demetrius as he started walking away.

Everyone followed behind him, muttering at his vague logic.

“What are you talking about? What birds?” asked Lessa, raising an eyebrow as she pulled at his robes.

“We’re in an underground fortress. Birds might be a bit hard to come by at the moment,” said Arianna. Sarcasm dripped from her tongue, but she didn’t feel like guessing at his rationality. Her patience grew thin, and they all needed a break from the doom and gloom underneath Blancoren.

“Those look like birds to me,” he said, nodding his head to the ceiling. He continued along his path, feeling sure with every step, as the others stayed close behind.

Everyone raised their heads to the ceiling, and, sure enough, saw hundreds of birds. Not real by any means, but painted in iridescent colors, creating the facade of a peaceful outside world on the face of the architecture. The images dazzled Arianna’s mind as she recalled the painting turned dream from her night in Solomon’s home. She pinched herself just to be sure she hadn’t fallen back into her dreams.

As her eyes adjusted in the dim light, she saw the images glowed in the dark. Clad with portrayals of forests, rivers, and an open sky, the high walls mimicked the best of nature. Craning her neck, she found it impossible to even see where it stopped as the dome narrowed inwards with the mountains. 

“It’s unbelievable,” said Lessa, her voice lost with the wind painted in wisps above her head. “How… Why?”

Arianna closed her eyes, savoring her imagination. She knew why. “So they could have some fresh air down here in the dungeons of the mountains. Just like your paintings… a break from reality,” she said.

The birds flocked around the city over wispy, white clouds and through green, swaying trees. Bizarre orange, pink, and lilac flora sprouted from the bottom of the walls, and wild creatures lurked through the tall grasses. Even a sun with swirling, golden rays melted into a vermillion sky—the most beautiful depiction of any alfresco they’d ever laid eyes upon.

So beautiful. Too beautiful.
Arianna doubted it came to life by brush. This art seemed touched by magic, the colors almost standing free from the walls. She knew magic could be overlooked by those who had no will to see. General Ivo had proved that to her. Still, it was a wonder they didn’t notice it before. Then again, the devastation around the city was just as mind-blowing, and she understood how that could steal their attention.

Arianna narrowed her gaze at Demetrius. “But what do you mean follow the birds?”

He gave a low chuckle and explained his theory. “Look,” he said. “I spent all my life learning about nature and how things work. See how the birds are all flocking in one direction?” He pointed up ahead. “Even the trees and the grass are swaying in the same breeze because that’s the way it works.” Everyone gazed around as understanding replaced their confused expressions. “If we follow the nature, maybe it’ll lead us to the real thing. We can only hope, but that’s my guess.” He shrugged his shoulders as he sauntered away, guided by the birds.

“It’s not like we have anything to lose by trying out his theory,” said Arianna, running after him.

Jeom and Lessa agreed, following Demetrius’ lead.

Guided by the paintings, they saw shining tigers watering by a lake and antelope galloping through the pastures. Even a myriad of butterflies suckled at the painted flowers on the ground. The lustrous images seemed so life-like that they felt as if they walked free of the mountains.

With all eyes glued to the walls, no one was watching their step until they stumbled over each other when the images subsided. Everyone let their eyes wander back to the front, and Arianna staggered as she looked upon her nightmare.

She stepped forward, drawn to her reflection in a mirror.
This is not me.
Her reflection donned the crimson robes of her district, her presence just as alluring as that of a ghost’s. Arianna’s hand flew to her face as the reflection smiled, a flash of blue-silver flickering across her eyes.
I am not her.
The reflection reached out her hand, and Arianna took another step forward.
 

“It’s a door!” said Lessa, pushing past her.

Snapping out of the daze, the girl of her nightmares vanished. Arianna faced the mirror with Lessa by her side, only now she saw her true self. White robes covered her skin, tangled curls fell around her face, her cheeks covered with dirt, and brown eyes stared back. She shook her head as the nightmarish image faded, turning her mind to the present. 

“You’re right,” said Arianna. She titled her head up and saw high double-doors reaching the ceiling of the first floor. The doors were crafted of dusty mirrors, laden with curly gold handles, and piles of dwarves had died very close by. Stepping around the bodies, the four placed themselves in front of the mirrored gateway. Their faces looked tired and long from the trying journey, and their eyes burned with a lust for fresh air.

“This has to be it,” said Demetrius.

Arianna tucked away her dagger and grabbed the handles with both hands, pushing inwards. She still held the parchment, so it crinkled under the contact. As the doors slid open, a cool breeze splashed her face. A long, twisting hallway stretched out before them as they stepped inside. Every inch clad in mirror, and a soft light trickled from up ahead. The mirrors mimicked the City of Undor as another fresco decorated the walls, floors, and ceilings. The sight was breath-taking, maybe even more so than the city itself.

Soft strokes of gold created a sunny meadow filled with wild flowers and humming birds. Violet-leafed trees with swaying limbs sprouted up the walls, and gilded clouds floated across the ceiling with cerulean dragons peeking out with sleepy eyes. The more Arianna looked, the more she felt certain the pictures moved, and her heart smiled in the presence of another spectacular magic trick.

They tested the durability of the floor, but it didn’t crack, so they moved onward through the golden-glass portal. Glancing back for one last look at the city, Arianna swore she saw several sets of eyes watching as they went. Then, the doors swung shut behind them, sealing off the city tomb and replacing their immediate thoughts with visions of hope.