Of Ancient Passages: Chapter 16: A Secret City

Alunda comes back carrying the wood. “Thanks for the help.” His sarcasm is not heeded.

Tsuk builds the wood up in the center of the camp. Alunda points to it and flames come. As night comes, Tsuk and Alunda stay near the fire. While Sol climbs into bed. I should note that by now, he has given up all notions of stopping her from sleeping with him. How can he?

D’ereen climbs in right behind him. “Do you wanna talk about it some more?”

“No, I want to put it behind me. Goodnight.”

In the morning, Alunda opens the food bag. Empty. “Shit. Maybe I can….” He smiles as if remembering something. He pulls up his sleeve. On his shoulder a star (marked with ebony ink) ripples. “The star is not translucent. It moves just fine. It’s close.” Alunda slaps Tsuk in the forehead. He smacks the flap of the tent.

“Wake up! It’s time to go! Wake up!!” He rolls down his sleeve.

Tsuk rubs his brow. Sol and D’ereen both wake from their sleep. Everyone’s bellies rumble. Each one of them had forgotten to eat yesterday. They pay for it now.

“Do we have anything to eat?” Sol asks.

“You want food? Then we have to travel for it.”

“How long?” Tsuk wonders aloud.

“Umm. An hour maybe two.”

An hour maybe two later. They stand in the middle of a swamp. “You see. This is where umm gets us.” Tsuk says.

“We are here. This is a private place. Not even the Empire can find it.”

“The Empire cannot find a swamp?” D’ereen questions.

“It is a secret city. This is just the entrance. A way to get in. What you see is just an illusion.”

Tsuk swats his neck. “These mosquitos feel real enough. Hurry, if it is true.”

Alunda takes off his cloak, dumping it on D’ereen. Rolling up his sleeve, he reveals the star. The edges around his tattoo glow. A ghost of the shape steals from his skin, disfiguring itself. The lines build themselves up into a rectangular shape.

Matter bends into the rectangle. The landscape folds into the bend. A host of light gathers and molds the rectangle into a doorway. There is a trying sound as the landscape within the doorway fractures and fissures. Pieces hang in place, behind the sight of a city shows through.

Alunda takes back his cloak. “Are you coming or are you going to stand gawking?”

They step through one after the other. The first thing that catches Sol’s eyes (even more than the clock tower) is the waterfall. As they pass under the covered bridge. The mist sprays on them. Producing a short tingle cool.

Passing out of the bridge the city is in pure spectacle. A sight to defy all others Sol has seen. Sapphire eyes widen. A gasp escapes from parched lips. The sight is paramount.

The sky is sunless. A single, long, black cloud hangs above. A dark cast is out. Lampposts move up either side of the streets. Towers rise behind the architecturally pronounced houses.

Stores of various magical kinds line the sidewalks. Names pop out at them: Jaggies Wands, Burrows Staves and Staffs, Sweeties and Treaties, Nuaros Artifacts and More. In all of Valtier, there cannot be another place like this. Who but the learned can find it. This last refuge for mages. This last city.
“Welcome to Zenkara.” Alunda says.

People walk and go their way. Hollow shapes pass between them. Spirits float the streets. Here the more payable customers are the unliving.  They have places for respite and sation, even work. Places offer cater. In any way, the unliving may need or want.

A specter appears out of the masses. The eyes are solid silver. “Welcome honored guests, we are glad to see you.” It bows low. “May I be of service to you?”

Alunda does the talking. “We are hungry; we will also need sleep later.”

“Yes, of course. Please follow me.”

Its empty shape floats off. Gliding, it slows, looking back, waiting for them to follow. It goes at a decent pace when they start to come along. Two lefts they make, then a right. The bricks lead the way. The specter disappears into the second establishment on the left.

Sol opens the door, going inside. The rest follow. The wallpaper is white with strips of yellow daises going vertically. The woman at the desk wears a pink kimono. She is a kalidorean, I believe.

Looking up from her schedule, she notices the guests. “Welcome to the Bubbling Brew Hotel. How may I accommodate you?”

Sol clears his throat. “We are looking for rooms?”

“Okay. There are four of you. Will two rooms do?”

Before anyone can say another word, Tsuk cuts in. “Yes it will. I will be paying. None of you will disagree.”
“Here are your keys.” She says before giving them to Tsuk.

D’ereen snatches one of the keys from him. “Yoink.” She grabs Sol’s arm walking him along.

Tsuk elbows Alunda good temperedly. “I guess that means we get the same room again. She really is the oddest person I have ever met.”

“I know it and so does he. Here she is just the same.”

Tsuk walks on. “I want to see our room before we get something to eat.”

The young woman at the desk pokes Alunda on the shoulder. “Hey. I get off from work pretty soon.”

“Do you?”

She bites her lip. “Maybe we could….”

“Miss I would love to.”

Her eyes widen, hopeful. “Great.”

“I will see you soon.” Alunda says.

***

                                           
SEVEN HOURS LATER



The room smells of sex. It comes from the opposite bed. Two lovers lay in content. Who might you expect these to be? Any guesses? Any hopes?

Well you are absolutely, one-hundred percent…wrong. The covers hide the naked bodies. The sight is unexpected. Alunda and the desk lady are passed out. The ache in my head makes the past seven hours hard to recall. The walls are swirling.

Nauseas, I close my eyes. I fall into sleep, after some time. Dreams come in dysphoria. I see a wave of blood crash over me. Distant figures try desperately to swim away.
Then I see the crime. My eyes go wide. Panting, sleep will not come again. As calmly as I can muster, I get out of bed. My foot snags and I fall.

Tsuk lies asleep on the floor. “There is the second. Where is Sol?” I say.

Leaving the Hotel, I start to look. The moons are coming in it is nearly dark. I pass into the Mallowsage Distract. I prop myself against one of the lampposts. The dizziness is back.

Once the throbbing soothes out, I continue. I walk on until I come into the Silverholly Distract. My worry is growing. It tugs, nags, and fills me with grotesque possibilities. Shaking it away helps.

As I keep down the grass beside the road. I hear high sloshy voices. A sign above the place reads: Highfall Inn. I do not need to read the sign to tell you what place it is. People sit on the curb, drunken out of their minds.

“This place? Is that why I feel this way?” I whisper under my breath.

Going inside. I find Sol sitting at a round table. He is not alone. Three others are with him. One of my sister race, a female luminalfer (or light elf, if you prefer). A male human narian. And a female nephasil.

Two of them grimace. The luminalfer does not. Sol lifts his head. Peanuts and pretzels are stuck to his forehead. They laugh at this. A waft of smoke comes from his ears. The laughter is louder.

“What have you done to him?” I ask.

The drunken narian speaks. “He hod hi Dragonbane.”

“Sounds to me you have had one too many.”

“I…I…I am jus sleepsy. I’m fizt az a whitsle, thrisztle. Fit enough tu stil got tha las dragon.”

“Quiet Karum!” Says the luminalfer.

“Looking for something are we?” I have to pry.

“As a matter of fact we are.”

“Join the club.” I say.

“What are you looking for?” Asks the nephasil.

“We have to go to Cruxib to find out.”

“We just came from him. He is mad. But somehow useful.” The luminalfer says.

“Good.”

“You seem different from the dokkilalfer I have met.” The luminalfer recognizes.
“I am.”

“What is your name?”

“D’ereen and yours?”

“Namora.”

“Good to meet you Namora. I must go. Come on Sol.”

Clumsily he gets up. “My head hurts so much.”

“Dragonbane, huh, no wonder our heads hurt.” I say.

He hangs on to me and I to him. Slowly we walk, trying hard not to upset our condition. Either way the thought of Sol holding onto me makes me giggle. It surfaces scenarios of the most erotic. A naughty smile creeps up.

By the time we get back to the Hotel, it is dark. The stars are out. The lamps create a wonderfully nostalgic light. The air about brings a notion of old time. A memento (even as bad as I feel now) to keep as a splendid time.

The desk lady has gone. The two remain sleeping. I lay back down, grateful for the soft bed. Sol rushes to the bathroom. Sounds of hacking can be heard.

The Winter Solstice will be coming up soon. I wish I could go. Maybe we can. Who says we can’t? We would have to go to a bigger city. There they are more fantastic.

This place is great. I hope we can stay a long time. I have a feeling we will not. Alunda seems the type not to dally. I stretch. It really is too bad.

***

Alunda wakes up in the early morning. “Wow what a yesterday. Amara that was the girl at the desks name.” He walks into the bathroom; he looks at himself in the looking glass. “Don’t I look like shit.” Splashing water on his face helps. “Wake up!” He shouts. Not just to himself but to everyone.

Sol wakes with a start. “Do you have to shout?”

“Where are we going?” Tsuk asks.

Alunda puts on his cloak and picks up his staff. “To the Desert of Lost Souls.”

“Doesn’t that sound cheery.” D’ereen says.

“I know we will find Cruxib there but it sounds like a bad idea.” Tsuk says.

D’ereen grabs ahold of Sol’s arm. “This is starting to sound like bad idea.”

Sol dissways the notions. “If Alunda and Exezla think we will find Cruxib there. Then that is good enough for me.”

“Thank you my apprentice.”