The Netheron Chronicles by Joseph Black (the giving tree read aloud txt) 📕

kills for now, and instead of doing so, Detrick simply went over to his horse and mounted, and they continued as they had before, Detrick was awake now though, and Taurens mind was very busy, considering the idea he had come up with.
It was midday before he knew it, and looking up Tauren knew they must be close to the edge of the forest. He felt slightly uncomfortable at the idea of the plains, and at the idea of leaving his forest.
The trees had slowly changed over their morning’s ride, and where now all tall, thin pines, the trail become wider too, though it was still oddly empty of travelers. He wasn’t used to pines, and didn’t like the way they seemed to make the forest more open, but he enjoyed the needles that they strew on the ground, they were softer and less crunchy than the leaves he was used to.
He also enjoyed the strange lack of impeding underbrush, smothered by the carpet of needles. A part of the forest he had grown used to, but the lack of which was a novelty to him.
Ahead of them he saw bright light between the trees and sighed.
They had reached their destination.
They had reached the Great Plains of Netheron.

Arluine.

Arluines ruins.
Tauren was shocked, and awed both at once.
What else could this massive monument be?
High on each hilltop around them were massive stone towers, reaching up into the clouds, most still intact, though covered in moss now. Some few of them appeared to be in the process of falling apart.
Before him were heaps of perfectly cut rectangular rocks strewn in between these two hills in a perfect line, what else could they have been other than a massive fortress’s wall? In the distance he saw the building stones seem to go into the distance, forming one gigantic heap at one spot. Where he assumed the keep had been.
And the smaller heaps of perfectly cut rocks simply went into the distance, stacked in heaps all over the plain at irregular intervals, at places he saw walls of buildings still standing. . .
Arluine, once the capital of Netheron, once the greatest city of the universe, was now nothing more than heaps of scattered rubble, brought low by the powers of time and war.
Marlan, Edrin, and a couple of the older Arrels had always liked to talk about Arluine, about its size, its strength, its wealth, its beauty, about how it was once the seat of Nether power. . .
But those stories and tales had always ended with the Arrels and Edrin looking rather sad, and Tauren hadn’t needed to ask if something very bad had happened to it. And here it was now, standing before the fortress of legend . . . a ruin.
Detrick stepped up beside him and shook him.” Tauren, what was that?”
Tauren pointed up at the fortress.
Detrick shook his head, not understanding.” The rocks, yeah, I see them.”
“. That’s the ruin of Arluine.” Tauren said slowly, thinking the few words should be self-explanatory.
Detrick still looked uncomprehending, and shrugged, throwing his arms out to the side in a ‘and that is?’
Tauren frowned.” Haven’t they ever told you of Arluine, the greatest city of all time? It used to be the Capital in the old days, hundreds of years ago. It used to be where the ancient kings ruled, before Arreland came along.” Detrick should have heard of that at least.
Detrick shook his head again.” No, the capital in the old days was Kinsingskeld. Not this heap of rocks.” He looked genuine and Tauren was shocked.
He was sure that his grandfather and the Arrels hadn’t lied to him. That wouldn’t have made any sense, no, this was Arluine. But why hadn’t Detrick heard about it.
“Look.” He said pointing.” See those towers.” How could he have missed those?” And that wall over there. Didn’t you ever learn history when you were little?”
Slowly realization dawned on Detrick and he gulped.
“That used to be one big fortress.” He muttered, and then he glared at Tauren.” I was actually. I just never heard of Arluine.”
Tauren shrugged, maybe he just hadn’t been told. There was any number of reasons why you could have never heard about it.
“We have to get moving; those Halavardes might find a way to get to us.” He sighed.
He trotted sadly over to T’hunes body and pulled of the bloody saddle, sorting out his possessions and packing them in a make-shift pack. He regretted the horses death, he had become to like the small beast.
He sighed, the pack slung over his shoulder, his feet crunching on the dry grass, as he turned away from the dead horse, what now?
He walked over to Detrick, who had been watching him carefully as he worked.” What are you going to do now?” He asked.
Tauren smiled as best he could, but he had a feeling he failed miserably. Those Halavardes had dropped dead in their tracks for no reason, and had run away with those strange looks on their faces for some reason he didn’t know, it was a mystery he needed to unravel.” You’re going to keep going, get your message through. Get your commander the help he needs. I’ll be fine; I can make it back to the forest, once there I can survive.” He held up his bow which he had retrieved, then glanced up at the heaps of mossy building stones behind him.” But first I think I’m going to check out this a bit more. I have a few things I’d like to figure out.”
Detrick nodded glumly.” I’d stay and help you with . . . whatever, but . . . Sorry.”
Tauren felt a flash of affection or his companion.” Thanks. Really, thank you. I appreciate your help; you saved my life more than once already. I owe you. If we ever meet again, I’ll repay you.”
Detrick glanced at the sun, which was already falling over the edge of a hillside. The winter days where becoming more noticeable.” It’ll be night soon. I might as well camp here for now, it’ll be safer than out there.” He gestured to the hills behind them.
Tauren nodded; glad at the idea of having his companion for at least a few more hours. Then, turning, he paced for the nook in the stones he had seen earlier.” I don’t think it would be a good idea to camp in the open, let’s get in the ruins. I’m going to explore a bit anyway before I bed down.”
Detrick agreed without a word, and, together they headed for the nook in the rocks, leaving behind them four dead horse, and four dead men.

The nook in the rocks was nothing more at first than a spot were two of the massive walling stones had fallen together making a triangular tunnel about nine feet high and wide enough for three men to walk abreast, its walls were surprisingly warm and wet, and the soil underneath even had some kind of dark green moss growing on it.
It appeared to go for quite a ways as well, because they couldn’t see the end right away, it simply went off into darkness.
Without a look behind him, Tauren plunged into the darkness, closely followed by Detrick, leading his horse.
They weren’t to see the light of day for a long time still: a very long time.

The tunnel went perfectly evenly, as though it had been built, with the smooth trail, covered in strange moss, and damp walls.
They went in silence, their breathing magnified by the enclosed space, though their feet made not sound.
They had only been in to the tunnel for a few minutes when Tauren saw a light far ahead of them; he frowned and pointed it out to Detrick, not feeling as though words were appropriate for this place. It was a strange light; light blue, and far too dim to be daylight.
As they approached it, the walls began to slant inward, and the tunnel began to shrink dramatically, suddenly Tauren ran face first into a wall.
He stumbled backward with a short cry, surprised, having thought that the source of light was a long way ahead of them yet. But looking down it was there, a tiny little hole in a wet limestone wall, giving off a gentle blue glow. It would hardly be big enough for him to fit.
Behind him he heard a ring of steel on steel as Detrick drew his sword in surprised, ready to fight, apparently thinking Tauren had been attacked.
“I just ran into a wall, the light’s coming out of this hole.” He reassured him in a low whisper.” I’m going to find where it’s coming from.”
His companion nodded, sheathed his sword, and answered in the same whisper.” I’ll be right behind you.”
Tauren shook his head.” What about your horse?”
Detrick shrugged.” He seems to have the hang of things,” He grinned at the horse, who was licking water off of the walls and nibbling at the soft moss on the floor,” We’ll pick him up on our way back.”
Tauren grinned too, and knelt down, looking in the hole. He couldn’t see anything though in the light after the time in the darkness though. He blinked a few times and carefully started to pull himself through the rocky hole, jagged edges of rough stone catching on his clothes and slowing him down.
Finally he was all the way out, and slowly he stood, staring in awe at what surrounded him.
He was standing in a room hardly fifteen feet across, it had two hallways leading off into adjoining chambers, and its roof was low, just over his head. The source of light, to his amazement, was moss.
Thick velvety moss covered the roof,