Delver Magic I: Sanctum's Breach by Jeff Inlo (read novels website .TXT) 📕

“But beware, this is not simply a tier full of tricks. There are things very deadly, even to a cliff behemoth. Spiked pits, pools of acid, falling boulders, and traps of other assortments wait for a single misstep. Sometimes you will see me step directly toward a pit while safe ground appears to my side. You must remember it is the trick of the gems. You must not trust what you see, for the pit will be safe and the solid ground will hold your death.

“This entire tier was constructed so that one who walked about in the light would die as foolish as the one that stumbled about in the dark. Even a delver moving inch by painful inch with his eyes closed would never avoid every pitfall that waits. Unless you enter knowing what is safe and what is not, you would not survive this tier.

“One other thing, once we pass into the void, the steps will disappear from our sight. Just as the ground beyond this spot is invisible to us, that which can be seen here can not be seen there. When I take my next step, I will disappear from your sight as you will disappear from mine. It is a safeguard to prevent anyone from finding their way back to the steps once they make the foolish attempt to truly enter Sanctum. Only those that know the true path would be able to find the stairs again.”

With the secret revealed, Tun gazed into the darkness that greeted them one and all. He watched it with growing displeasure, as if it were now nothing more than a curtain to be thrown aside. If it were vulnerable to the edge of his axe, he would have cut through it in disgust.

He knew his help was still needed. Knowing what evil lurked beyond the darkness, and knowing how to defeat it were certainly two separate entities, but the truth of what his people placed in Sanctum was now exposed. In his own eyes, the barrier itself did not live up to its long history.

The secret to Sanctum was his birthright as prince. It was something spoken of in hushed tones, a great burden. Now that he acknowledged it openly, spoke of it not only outside of royal blood but outside his race, it seemed almost feeble, almost laughable. The dwarf barrier to the unholy sphere was nothing more than a trick of light.

He and his brother knew which steps to take to gain safe passage through the tier, but the barrier did not seem as deadly now that it was truly revealed. He never felt as humbled as he did at that very moment. He spoke of what must be done with growing dissatisfaction.

“Once I pass beyond, I will ask that my brother remain here to guide you one by one to me. When you pass through the darkness, you must, without argument, step exactly where I tell you to. When we begin to cross the tier you must also do exactly as I say. No matter what it looks like I am doing, do not stray from the path I set. If you do so, you will not only cause your death, but the rest of us will probably die as well.”

Such a warning limped hollow and empty from the prince, but it needed to be said for it was the truth. The path to be traveled was narrow, with no margin for error. He looked to his brother before moving forward. “I expect you will be placing light gems as we go?”

“Yes,” John replied still somewhat remorseful from his brother’s previous remarks. “I will place one here when everyone has past and another at the door to the next tier.”

“What are light gems?” Ryson asked aloud.

Jon seemed grateful for the chance to remove his attention from his brother. “Light gems reflect light from outside, like mirrors. It is what the dwarves use to bring light to dark tunnels. I will place them at certain points of our travel to keep the light that is with us now with us as we venture forward. With your sword to amplify that light, we will never lose our current depth of illumination.”

Ryson considered the explanation and held it in regard with the gems which waited beyond the darkness, as well as the void itself. “Will you be able to penetrate the darkness? And won’t the gems beyond shift the light from where you direct it?”

“The gems that create this barrier of darkness do not stop light from entering,” Jon explained. “They only keep it from reflecting back to our eyes. As to the other gems, they will play tricks with the light I direct, as they will with the light from your sword, but they will not stop it from reaching its destination. Let me show you.” He reached into the pack which hung about his shoulder and pulled out a clear crystal gem. It appeared more like an octagonal piece of glass than a multi-faceted diamond. He took one quick glimpse of the opening above before placing it on the next-to-the-last step. Immediately, the light within the cavern doubled.

“Right now, I am directing light from our entrance back towards Ryson. His sword is now magnifying light from two different sources. Even without your sword, this reflected light would allow dwarves to see for long distances in tunnels. Even though the gems beyond this point will bend it, change it to create the illusions my brother spoke of, it will reach the door to the next level. For now, I will hold it in the open so that even when Ryson’s sword passes through, those that remain on this side will still have light.” He took the gem back in his hand and waited for Tun to retake command.

The elder prince said nothing. He simply turned, faced the void, and stepped beyond it. His body moved through the curtain of black much like breaking through the surface of water, though there were no shifting waves of dispersal. It simply gave way to his shape, and then returned to its original form. The veil remained intact, unfazed by the crossing as the darkness swallowed Tun whole.

There was no visual trace of the dwarf, not an outline beyond the void, not a glimmer of form within the darkness, yet he stood only a single pace beyond the last stone step which remained visible to them all. It was only the sound of his voice which reassured the rest that he was not removed to oblivion. “Send them one at a time, Jon.”

The order rang loud and clear and revealed his close proximity. Holli and Ryson stared with near disbelief at the spectacle. Her trained ears and his keen senses allowed them both to calculate the dwarf’s distance. They knew he stood no more than an arm’s reach from Jon, but neither could see even the faintest trace of the older prince. The light from Ryson’s sword continued to bathe the steps and should have shown upon Tun, but the curtain of black consumed the glow and covered the prince as if he stood miles beneath the surface in an airtight cave.

They were not given a chance to comment, for Jon quickly moved them forward. One by one he guided them past the void. The experience was near mesmerizing. Each moved up to face the darkness. It stood within a finger’s length of their noses. Their eyes could not penetrate it, not even Ryson with his ability to see in near total dark. It stood as a wall, solid and thick. As they stepped into it, they cringed as if their minds told them the wall would not give, but the veil did not hold the least resistance. It had no substance and it gave way to their movements as free as the air about them.

The first step would take a foot and an ankle through the screen. They would disappear just as Tun had vanished. Many wavered at that moment of crossing, looking down at a leg which broke through the void and was no longer visible. Uncertainty gripped them with unthinkable power as fear washed over their consciousness. Tun had warned them a single misstep could mean their doom and here they were stepping into an area they could not even see. The algors, Stephen, even Ryson were hesitant. As they stepped into the void, they felt the ground ahead, carefully probing for solid footholds. The ground was there and with the same rock solid sturdiness as any other platform.

Holli had the most difficulty with the crossing. How could she convince herself to step blindly into the void while knowing the area was laden with traps and pitfalls? Even as Jon waited patiently to guide her, she remained more than reluctant. Simply passing through a barrier with such little knowledge of what waited beyond was an action of the untrained, the foolish, or both. She tested the curtain with her hand first. The result was no different. Her fingers vanished, then the rest of her hand. It dissolved before her eyes just as everything else which passed through the void. She pulled it back rigorously and inspected it, as if she expected missing digits. Nothing, however, had affected her hand. She pressed it beyond the border of light and dark again. She let it linger there as she inspected the border on her wrist that was the limit of her vision. The darkness encircled her arm, just as something on the other side, out of her sight, took her by the hand.

She reacted near violently. She pulled, but whatever held her, gripped her tightly. Her eyes narrowed without fear but with contempt. It became a tug of war with the veil of darkness as the focal point. Instantly, she set her feet apart for greater balance and leverage. She pulled her shoulders back, as far as her gripped arm would allow. She bent at the waist and pulled rigorously and evenly against whatever held her.

With one violent tug from the opposing side, she was pulled from her feet. Against her will, she flew through the void. The mere instant of passing was something she wished never to go through again. For a split instant, during that miniscule moment that her wide open eyes surged through the darkness, nothing existed. The light from behind her disappeared, ravenously devoured by the void.

Thankfully, gracefully, life instantly appeared before her. Where there was once no light, there was now an abundance. She saw the surprise in the faces of her comrades who stood single file, though in a somewhat twisted line in front of her. Her hand materialized before her. She saw the hand of Tun still grasping it firmly. With his help, she caught her balance before she stepped wildly past the initial platform that waited beyond the stone steps.

She appeared more than ready to scold the dwarf. Her eyes fixed upon him as he released her. Her mouth trembled, ready to release a barrage of angry remarks, but she clenched her jaw. She remained in control as she questioned the dwarf.

“Why did you do that?” Her voice was cool, but demanding.

“I know you are an elf guard,” Tun replied stoically, as if he did nothing wrong. “Your reluctance was not surprising. I understood your need for care, but you must understand the need for haste. Though the safe path is set, the illusions are not fixed. They will