The Shattered Land: The Dreaming Dark - Book 2 (49 page)

“What do you mean? Is it listening to us right now?” Lei grinned. “Is it talking about me?”

An artificer of exceptional skill can duplicate the magical abilities granted by the Mark of Making. Therefore, there is no way to verify that she truly possesses the mark
.

“It is aware of you,” Pierce said.

At last, the gate of Karul’tash stood before them. The base of the spire was taller than the trees of the jungle and easily hundreds of feet in diameter. The stone walls were deep red, polished to a reflective finish and completely smooth; there were no signs of wear or age. The gate itself was a block of obsidian, three times Pierce’s height and nearly as wide.

“What now?” Lei asked.

Guided by newfound instinct, Pierce stepped up to the door and slammed his hand against it, striking as hard as he could.

“Dak ru’sen Karul’tash. Hasken ul tul’kas.”
The voice was deep and resonant, and Pierce could feel the vibration in his skin. It seemed to emanate from the door itself.
You have come to Karul’tash. Provide words of passage
.

Countermeasures will be activated unless the words are given quickly and in the proper voice. You must let me speak for you
.

Pierce could feel Shira trying to form words, but she was still a passive presence. He hesitated. So far she had acted within him—but he had never allowed her to control him. If he let go … could she maintain control? Could she force his consciousness into the sphere?

There is no time. You must let me speak
.

The temperature in the area was beginning to rise. Pierce let go, and Shira rushed in to fill the void.

“Talkos. Han’tal. Isk.”
Pierce heard himself speak with a strange, alien voice, deep and rasping.
“Archshaper Kastoruk has come to Karul’tash, bringing slaves and supplies. Open the gate and let fall the wards.”

As the echoes died away, Pierce felt Shira disappear into the shadows of his mind. His voice was his again. The gate melted, obsidian liquefying and flowing in to line the long dark corridor on the other side. For a split second, the invisible labyrinth flashed into view, a complex maze formed of walls of red energy—and slowly, the walls faded away.

“That was … strange,” Lei said. “Is it safe now?”

“Yes. Stay here, and I will signal Daine.” Pierce sprinted across the field, moving at his top speed. Traveling in a straight line, it took him less than twenty seconds to reach the middle of the field and catch the party’s attention. He waved, and they began to move across the field.

It was only then that he saw the movement to the east, just above the treeline.

A firesled heading for Karul’tash.

D
aine swore. Years ago he’d vowed never to use a bow, but if Pierce had left arrows, he would have broken the oath in an instant.

“Lakashtai, link us
now!”
he yelled as he sprinted forward, “and I want Shen’kar!”

Done
.

You soil my soul with your thoughts, outlander!
Shen’kar’s mental voice was filled with fury.
Only the spirits may speak to me so!

THERE’S NO TIME FOR THIS!
Daine roared, and Shen’kar faded to silence.
Pierce! Catch!
Pierce was still running toward him, and Daine flung the longbow at the warforged with every ounce of strength he could muster. Pierce leapt up and caught the whirling weapon, and by the time he had landed he had an arrow to the string.

Back to the monolith!
Daine commanded.
Drop the staff-wielder if you get a clear shot, but we need to get the wards back up. The others can’t be far away!

The firesled was closing on the monolith. Daine was running at full speed, but he was still far from the crimson tower.

Lei! Take cover!

Her thoughts are not linked to ours, Daine
. Lakashtai’s thoughts were calm and cool.
The power has a limited range, and she is still too far
.

A ball of flame engulfed the gate of the spire. When the smoke cleared, Daine could see no sign of Lei.
She’s no fool
, Daine thought.
She must have gone inside
.

They come
, Shen’kar thought.

The edge of the jungle was alive with fire. Dozens of Sulatar soldiers were emerging from the treeline, carrying burning banners and flaming spears.

Run!
Daine said.
We can’t engage them in the open. We need to reach the gates!

Uul’she and Kulikoor will slow the advance
, Shen’kar thought, and
I shall show them the danger mocking the clouds
.

Slow the … Shen’kar, that’s suicide. Call them back!

It is already done. It is the right of the warrior to choose his death
.

“Elves,” Daine muttered, but he thought of the battles he’d fought, and the courage of two soldiers who would face an army.
Good luck. To all of you
.

A second blast of flame burst against the gate of the monolith. Shen’kar sang a soft invocation and then pulled away from Daine, racing forward with inhuman speed. He was a ghostly blur in the fading light of dusk. Moments later he had reached the gates, and without pausing he vaulted into the air, rising in an astonishing thirty-foot arc. He slammed into the side of the sled and pulled himself aboard. The bombardier raised her hand, and Shen’kar was engulfed in a cone of fire. Even as Daine cried out, the fire faded—and Shen’kar was unhurt.

You cannot burn the wraith with flames
, Shen’kar whispered into Daine’s mind.
I am a shadow of the night, and such magicks cannot touch me
.

As both elves drew weapons, a pair of arrows sang through the air and thudded into the staffer’s throat. Shen’kar lashed out with his spiked club, and Daine looked away; clearly this situation was under control.

At last he reached the tower. “Lei!” he called.
“LEI!”
She was nowhere to be seen, and the walls and soil were blackened from the blasts of mystic flame. For a moment an iron hand closed around his heart.

And then she emerged from the gate.

“Daine!”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank the Sovereigns!”

“No time,” he said, forcing himself to push her away. “Lakashtai, link her!”

Already done
.

We’re going in. Shen’kar, get your soldiers and take point. Don’t go farther
than a hundred feet in
, Daine thought. “Pierce, I need that ward back up!”

The Sulatar were marching across the field, and at this distance Daine guessed they were over a hundred.

“There is a problem, captain.” Pierce was kneeling down, inside the glass-lined gate.

“That’s not what I need to hear right now!”

“The firebursts have damaged the shard that raises the wards. It is not responding to my commands.”

Flame!
Daine ground his teeth.
Can’t anything EVER be easy?
“Lei, can you fix it?”

“I don’t know, Daine. This is Xen’drik! I’ve probably never seen anything like it.”

“Get over there and find out,” Daine said, “and if you need encouragement, just look at the approaching army.”
Shen’kar, what have you found?

No response.

Shen’kar?

Daine turned to Lakashtai, who was frowning. “The link has been severed,” she said. “Sharp and sudden.”

“They’re
dead?”
he said.
Can this get any worse?

“Always,” Lakashtai replied, “but I am not certain that is the case. The tower feels … empty. Unnaturally so.”

“It is the tower, not you,” Pierce said. He had pulled a bundle of arrows from Lei’s magical pack, and now he was pushing them into the ground in front of him, preparing for the assault to come. The army was moving slowly, but the enemy would soon be in range. “Karul’tash was built during the war against the inhabitants of Dal Quor, who possessed mental powers similar to yours. The defensive enchantments of the building shield Karul’tash from mystical scrying and suppress the use of mental abilities.”

“How—” Daine began, than shook his head. “Never mind.”

“Can this shield be deactivated?” Lakashtai said. She spoke calmly, but Daine could see the tension in her eyes.

“Yes,” Pierce said, “but not from here.”

“If we don’t get those wards up, we won’t have to worry about it,” Daine said, as the drow continued to stream across the field. “Lei?”

“I’m
working
on it!” she snapped. “It’s a bizarre design, but … it feels familiar somehow.”

A small party had pulled ahead of the main army. “Look next to the standard-bearer, captain,” Pierce said. “I believe that is Gerrion.”

Daine squinted, but his eyes were not as keen as those of the warforged. “Do me a favor, Pierce—if this doesn’t work, kill him first.”

Pierce nodded. “It will be done.” He brought an arrow to the string. “Time runs short. The wards do not cover the entire field. They are almost at the border, and in any case, soon we will be in range of their bows.”

“Lei!” Daine said.

“I’m doing the best I can!”

“Do better.”

“All right.” She stood up. “Pierce?”

“Come inside,” Pierce said. “You do not want to be trapped beyond the door once it is sealed.” The travelers sprinted into the mouth of the tunnel and Pierce rapped against the wall.

“Dak ru’sen Karul’tash. Hasken ul tul’kas.”
The ancient voice shook the tunnel.

Pierce hesitated for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was a thunderous rasp.
“Kej’dre. Isk. Han’tal. Kulas Kastoruk ru’sen Karul’tash. Drukil ejil ul siltash!”

Nothing happened.
“Drukil esul ul siltash’un!”
Pierce said.

Daine sighed. “Very well. Lei, get ready to—”

A blinding flash of ruddy light banished the drawing gloom of night. Cries filled the air—elven voices and shouts of alarm.

“Door?” Daine said.

“It appears to be broken,” Pierce said, “but the wards have been restored.”

“Fine. Pierce, with me, we’re going to take a look. Lei, we need
something
to fill this hall. I don’t care what.”

Understood
. She was already fiddling with a shard of clear glass she had pulled from her pouch.

“Let’s go!”

Daine and Pierce ran for the entrance. Pierce went out first, and he loosed an arrow the instant he was out of the passage;
judging from the cry that followed, the victim was at least a hundred feet away. Slipping up to the mouth of the tunnel, Daine peered around the edge.

Over a dozen drow had made it through the deadly wards, and the burning banner still twisted in the wind. In the lead were two familiar figures. Gerrion brandished a blazing sword in one hand and wore a pulsing buckler on the other. He stood next to an older elf wearing an iron crown—the high priest Holuar, and Holuar was pointing right at them.

“Get back!” Pierce spun sideways, smashing into Daine and throwing him back into the tunnel. A gout of flame struck the entrance, and for an instant Pierce was outlined by fire.

“Pierce!”

The warforged staggered forward a few steps. “I will survive, captain, but I fear that the priest can bring that power to bear again if we reveal ourselves.”

Daine shook his head. “Everyone down the tunnel! Lei, I hope you’ve got something to slow them down.”

“Yes, captain,” she called, as Daine and Pierce ran toward her. “Just a little farther, and … this’ll do.”

Turning around, she flung the crystal shard up the passage to the surface. An instant later, it exploded in a burst of mist. A blast of frigid air swept over Daine, frost forming on his skin. He blinked, and when his eyes opened, the tunnel was blocked.

By ice.

“Ice?” he said. “We’re under attack by masters of fire, and you give me a wall of
ice?”

“It was that or fire,” Lei replied.

“Wonderful.”

Daine took a moment to study their surroundings. The air was stale and slightly cold, though Daine imagined Lei was to blame for the temperature. The hall was about twenty feet across and roughly as tall as it was wide. The walls and floor were formed of the same red stone they’d seen outside, with no signs of blocks; it was as if the tunnels had been carved into a massive slab of stone. Light came from the walls themselves. Every surface was covered with words in a flowing script unknown to Daine, painted in cold fire.

“Lei?” Daine said. “What does it say?”

“Many of the inscriptions are simply proclamations of light,” Pierce responded, to Daine’s surprise. “Others speak of protection and secrecy—I suspect these are the shielding glyphs that I spoke of earlier.”

“He is correct,” Lakashtai said. “I … I cannot feel Kashtai’s presence. I cannot call on my inner strength.”

“Great,” Daine said, “but aside from our melting wall and powerless kalashtar, everything’s fine? We don’t have to fight—”

“Giants,” Shen’kar said. The glowing inscriptions covered every wall, but somehow the scorpion wraith found a shadow to step out of. Xu’susar stood beside him.

“Of course,” Daine said. “Naturally. How many?”