Shadow Cursed Page 11

  “Are you hurt?” he asked reaching for her hand to see if she had been burnt.

  Tasha shook her head and picked up the crystal again. This time she didn’t even have to rub it as the crystal glowed immediately. She ignored the light and looked again at her dying patient.

  Her eyes widened and she touched the dusty wounds with her hand. Immediately the crystal brightened and the dust in all the wounds began to glow with the same intensity. The light shut off suddenly and she collapsed.

  When she awoke the sun had set and she could hear goblin war drums in the distance.

  When she felt up to it she asked Gabriel for a crystal. Hesitantly he handed her one and she held it tightly in her hand as she looked at the injured man and saw into him with her new sight. She felt herself slip deeper under his skin as she studied the healing that the crystal dust had begun and the way it was being absorbed into his cells. She looked at her own hand and saw the dust was also being absorbed into her skin. She finally looked at Gabriel and was astonished at the light that the crystal was giving off from his body but mainly from his hands.

  “I can see the crystal particles inside us like galaxies of stars,” she said. “They seem to be building up in the nuclei of our cells. But compared to you I’m barely glowing - you’re more like a fiery blaze.”

  “I did sleep in that cave last night, it’s possible that I absorbed more of the crystal dust than you’ve had the chance to,” replied Gabriel, seeing nothing out of the ordinary when he looked at his hands.

  “I suppose. I’d like to treat the others but until I know the full effects of the crystal dust I’ll only use it as a desperate measure,” said Tasha pocketing a crystal.

  Days passed as the rafts were pulled along by the ocean current. During the day the sun burned their skin and at night they huddled together for warmth, talking about their lives back on earth.

  As the sun set again highlighting the cliffs in hues of pink and orange and Gabriel settled in for another cold night he spotted a glow on the clouds from electric lights. The sound of waves breaking on rocks grew louder as he steered the leaking rafts toward what appeared to be a dark opening to a lagoon. When the paddling became harder he woke Tasha and asked her to help.

  Riding a wave and paddling hard they passed over a submerged reef near the entrance. They heard tearing sounds and water began to fill the bottom of the rafts. They paddled desperately through the towering entrance to Base One and finally beached on solid rock.

  Tasha collapsed with fatigue against the side of the raft and Gabriel used the last of his strength to pull the rafts out of the tide’s reach. Lying on the ground for a few minutes he waited until he could catch his breath. Natasha stirred at the sound of one of the men moaning. Gabriel realized she had no more strength to give her patients so he forced himself to rise to his feet again and walk towards the light source to get help.

  As he entered the beam of light he saw stairs cut out of rock leading to a pair of steel doors a yard above the tidal mark. The rock had been cut clean by a laser.

  Gabriel spotted a platform high up the cliff marked with its own light. Gabriel yelled for help and was overjoyed when the steel doors slid open to reveal a soldier armed with a rifle.

  CHAPTER 29

  Cane

  Cane made his way deeper into the cave system keeping to the darkest tunnels to avoid dwarven patrols. Eventually he found what he was searching for.

  The city of Stronghold lay before him filling a dome cavern three hundred yards in radius, supported by columns and arches of metal and rock that also served as stairs and bridges to reach higher buildings. Dwarves appeared more at peace here and he spotted dwarven women and even children running around. He relaxed as the beauty of the city washed the carnage of the dragon’s death out of his mind.

  Cane began his work by recording the layout of the city. Their appeared to be no order to the streets, some were narrow others were wide and all seemed to curve. There were dead ends and barricades scattered in random places and finally Cane realised the city was built for defence. Without a detailed map of the city an enemy attack would be uncoordinated and easily ambushed by the dwarves.

  Even with the defensive construction the dwarves built for beauty as well. Intricate stonework and metalwork adorned the walls and streets glowing under lamps suspended over the streets. Cane zoomed in on one lamp and was surprised at the size of the crystal they used as a light. In his home city crystals were rare and used only for script in machines. Light came from oil lamps or natural sunlight channelled into large communal areas.

  Cane turned his optics to focus on the women and children. They appeared almost like the men, helmets and breastplates on every one of them, they lacked only the beards. Even the women’s size was a match for their men. Small and stout, they were moving large packs on their backs that Cane wouldn’t even be able to budge. While very few carried weapons in their hands, there were always weapons nearby. As he moved through the outskirts of the city he could see beautifully designed weapons hanging in every house he looked in and even plain ones hung outside houses.

  Children played at war using padded weapons and shields, forming squares that would charge each other and end up in mayhem of screams and laughter.

  Cane entered a dwelling that appeared empty and searched for genetic material, keeping the recorder running. He studied the craftsmanship of the wall art depicting the family living in the house, all stern faced. He studied the furniture made from metal and stone with occasional script wrapping around the frail parts as if to strengthen them. The walls were warm to the touch keeping the rooms at a comfortable temperature. Using the x-ray feature of his optics he could pick out script running within the walls and floor in intricate patterns. He decided to try his mana vision optics and was astounded by the streams of power moving through the entire house, even the furniture was a part of the network.

  He decided that it was time to send the recordings and samples he had collected to the directors.

  He made his way into the back of the house and opened a wave link. A minute passed before a link could be established and Director Sutcliff answered, “You’re early for your report Cane. Have you discovered something important?”

  “Yes sir, I’ve managed to infiltrate the Dwarves’ city during an attack by a dragon. I’ve recorded the attack and what I’ve seen inside the city. The dwarves appear to be very proficient with script use. You would be amazed at the data that I’ve collected. I also have samples of hair from a family of dwarves. I’m sending the samples and data now.”

  The transmitter hummed as the samples left.

  “Well done Cane, stay where are you are for now,” ordered the director.

  “Sir, I’ve managed to enter a dwelling undetected, I have to move on before the occupants return but I will continue to observe what I can.”

  “No! Remain there as long as possible I want to send you some help. Clear an area for a four man crew to jump in and wait for further instructions.”

  “But sir, we need to maintain secrecy.”

  “Yes, but the opportunity you have created is too good to miss. Stay there! I’ll contact you with instructions when I have reviewed your data,” ordered the director before cutting the wave link.

  CHAPTER 30

  Laisarus

  Laisarus waited at the archery range for Amelia to arrive. Staring in wonder at the Barrier as stretched towards the sky at the end of the range in an impenetrable mesh of lush green leaves and dark brown branches topped with blue sky. He could easily make out the guards as they ascended the stairways that wound up the trunks in spirals to the platforms at the top.

  While Tagier gathered supplies for the expedition from the westernmost barrier storehouse, Laisarus had made an offer to teach Amelia how to use a bow.

  Laisarus could see her walking with Carthus in the distance so he tested the small training bow he had selected while he waited. The bow was lighter than he was used too and required little dra
wing power which was ideal for training. The elven runes traced on the bow also acted subtly to force trainees to fire in the correct manner. The bow twanged a few times and the arrows flew straight and true to the target hitting it every time in the kill zone.

  When they finally arrived Laisarus greeted them and showed Amelia how to strap the wrist guard on her left arm and the correct stance to take when firing.

  Carthus found a chair to sit on and massaged his knee while he watched them.

  Amelia was graceful on the draw but her first shots went wide and short. Laisarus watched her first ten shots then spoke words of encouragement and gave her some pointers. “Steady yourself as you draw back, see the target in your mind and the bow will seek to help you. Adjust the angle of the bow until it ceases to resist you and maintain the picture of the target in your mind. When you are ready to fire slowly release your breath and fire between heartbeats before you run out of air.”

  She nodded and followed his instructions. She drew back and held her body still, she pictured the target in her mind and the magic of the bow guided her arm until her aim was true and then it ceased to resist her. She began to breathe out at a steady rate and fired between heartbeats.

  The arrow sliced through the air and slammed weakly into the target just below and to the right of the bull’s-eye. She glanced happily at Laisarus and he nodded approval.

  Laisarus drew another bow from a stand beside him checking its string defects and bend for power. “You’re still a little stiff in your stance but that will go away with practice. Now don’t be disheartened but try this bow for your next shot.”

  She tested the draw and found it equal to the other bow, the wood however had no runes running on its surface or crystal embedded in it.

  She drew the bow as before but this time relaxed her body, and discovered the bow didn’t resist her movements at all, no matter how off target she got. Her feeling of pride was washed away for a second but she steadied her aim and guessed at the angle. The arrow left smoothly but sailed over the target by a yard and further to the right than last time.

  Laisarus waited patiently for her to say something.

  “The first bow had the same draw and feel of this one but the magic that aided me the first time wasn’t there. So the second shot was my real ability with a bow.” He nodded and so she asked, “Why don’t soldiers of the guard use magically enhanced bows?”

  “Those are trainee bows designed to train the bowmen to tap into their own ability, not to cripple their potential. The magic bows are unreliable at distance, sometimes they aim at the incorrect target and they take time to aim correctly compared to a plain bow used by a master.”

  “I would rather train with a plain bow then,” she said.

  “Good. Let’s see if we can find a bow with better draw that you can grow into. A plain bow.” He turned back to the rack to find one of the barrier guards barring his way.

  The guard was tall and lean with a bandaged leg. He gave Laisarus a harsh look and said, “This is my target lane.”

  “My apologies, I didn’t check the lane sheet. We’ll move over to the next one.” He made to move but another shorter guard put his arm in the way.

  “That’s his lane next to mine,” said the wounded guard motioning with his head to the guard barring the way.

  Laisarus looked him in the eyes and asked, “Are there any free lanes today?”

  The guard shook his head grinning.

  “Maybe I should check for myself,” said Laisarus brushing the hand away.

  “Perhaps you would like to shoot for a lane?” asked the other guard.

  “What is the target and what are the rules,” replied Laisarus crossing his arms in irritation.

  “The target will be within the outer limits of the circle and will be moved back in stages of fifty yards every three shots. We each fire three times and have to equal each other shot for shot to continue or better one another to win.”

  “Very well.” Laisarus flipped his cloak over his right shoulder and drew out a metallic triangular object in one smooth motion. A whisper of movement followed as the triangle unfolded, swinging on well oiled joints. Runes glowed finely in the seams of the weapon as a cable joining the two ends of the bow drew taut.

  The wounded guard stammered, “No magic bows allowed.”

  Laisarus studied the guard for a moment and was about to say something when Carthus came forward and studied the bow.

  Carthus announced, “The bow has no magical advantage other than to increase the drawing power by strengthening the bow and cable. Nothing that would give him an advantage, except in distance.”

  The guard glared at the Carthus and repeated, “No magic bows.”

  Laisarus made no comment but the bow silently folded up and he slipped it back into its pouch on his back. “You choose my bow, then I’ll choose yours.”

  The wounded guard agreed and searched the rack for a battle bow that was in good condition. Laisarus found a matching bow and they exchanged them.

  They each tested the draw and strings for weaknesses before grabbing a bundle of arrows.

  The guard’s partner moved the target to the fifty yard line then hurried out of the way. The first six shots hit their marks within the bulls-eye and the guard moved the target back another fifty yards.

  They fired and matched each other for the hundred, one hundred and fifty and two hundred.

  At two hundred and fifty the guard missed the bulls-eye on the second shot but not the third but Laisarus didn’t.

  At three hundred the guard’s shots were all wide of the bull’s-eye but still Laisarus managed to keep them inside the centre. Sweat began to pour from the guard’s forehead and his first shot missed the three hundred and fifty mark. Laisarus’ shot missed the bull’s-eye by a fraction but his second shot hit the bull’s-eye and the guard managed to hit the target in the second ring.

  Laisarus drew back to fire his last shot but as it left the bow snapped and the arrow went wide. The Guard drew back his bow and fired, it only just managed to hit the target.

  The wounded guard said, “Use your own bow.”

  Laisarus thanked him and drew his bow again. It swung open and Amelia could not help but wonder at the craftsmanship that had created the bow. He drew back the cable and she could sense the strain in it, held in check by the runes. He released it and the arrow flew through the air and hit the target dead in the middle. The arrow continued moving as it smashed through the solid wood backing and only the stripped feathers remained behind as the target wobbled on its legs.

  The guard held out his hand and said, “You win, the lane is yours. The name’s Dalanius and this is my friend Melthius.”

  “Laisarus,” said Laisarus shaking the proffered hand.

  Dalanius’s eyes went wide for a moment then he bowed and limped away. His partner trailing behind him couldn’t stop laughing but managed to get out, “You idiot, you challenged Laisarus. No wonder you lost. What are you going to do next, challenge Tagier to a swordfight?”

  Laisarus turned his attention back to Amelia. “Now let’s find you a bow Amelia.” He began searching the rack and testing the bows one after another.

  Amelia glanced at the retreating barrier guards and noticed that Carthus was following them.

  CHAPTER 31

  Gabriel

  Gabriel only half listened during the meeting called by Esperanza. The tent was crowded with both the General Esperanza’s and General Allister’s officers and the air was rapidly getting muggy. Gabriel could feel the sweat running down his back making his uniform stick to his skin. The two leaders sat at the opposite ends of the table with their higher ranking officers sitting on the long edges of the table and the lower ranks standing behind them.

  One of Allister’s men was listing the accomplishments of General McMillan at Base Three - which had been renamed Blackrock Keep - and how he had managed to secure the safety of his people in a mountain fortress with minimal losses of men. The officer w
ent on to detail the resources McMillan had gained for his people and the various projects they were starting to improve their conditions. Gabriel could see that Esperanza was not amused.

  In the time the Esperanza had been in charge of Base One it had been renamed Central by the civilians. A wall of concrete now surrounded the natural harbour rising three yards high and gave the defenders an advantage that kept their losses down. The wall was surrounded by an open area of land where the forest had been cleared to eliminate cover. The wood had then been used for building houses and firewood.

  The only electronic device still functioning was the heavily shielded mainframe whose information was being printed out day and night in case it malfunctioned as well. The mainframe remained the only contact with Blackrock Keep.