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Gobehyz sat back on the throne. Peak Sol was indeed a mighty
fortress. It was not however, impregnable. He had single handedly defeated the
palace defenders and dethroned the king. The King put up less of a fight than
Gobehyz would have thought. But Darin was something more than a simple king. He
told the men to stand down when Gobehyz entered the throne room. Logan had
barely made it to the king before he commanded the troops to evacuate. And
then, he just let the invader sit upon the holy throne. Logan shifted in the
chair and propped his head up with his hand.
“So…Gobehyz
Logan returns with a woman. I thought I’d never see the day.”
“It’s been
awhile, King Darin. Have you been well?” The king smiled. “Better than you seem
to be, Logan.” The king carried a chair from the foyer and set it before Logan.
“And, I’m impressed that you found a woman willing to put up with your
attitude. My condolences, lady Eryn.” She smiled. “Not at all, your majesty. I
am very happy to be with master Logan.” Darin nodded and took a seat. “What are
you doing here, Gobehyz?” Logan frowned and glared at the king. This man was
clever. Too clever. He was appointed to the throne after completing the trek up
Mount Eclipse. At the top of the mountain lay this palace, Peak Sol. Only, he
had not made the journey on foot. He rode a bear. The man tamed a bear in one
week in order to climb a mountain. Darin was as smart as he was strong. He was
always planning something.
“I’m
looking for the last book. I know where the others are.” Darin cocked his head.
“But, the first volume was lost. The Royal family lost it about forty years
ago. You would know that, if you payed any attention at all.” Logan bit the
inside of his cheek. Of course it had. That put a halt to his plans. But Ryan
was coming with the second part. His plan hadn’t been ruined yet. “Very
well…but I’m still going to light the forge.”
“A very
grave mistake, Gobehyz. Guilt already consumes your life; do you wish to make
it worse?” Logan shook his head. “This time it will be different, Darin. I am
in control.” The king nodded sarcastically. “I see. Of course you are.” He
stood and walked out of the hall. “Try not to get your blood all over the
tapestry when this horribly backfires. I just had those repaired.” The king
left to return to Zander’s Cove. Hopefully the king would point Ryan up here
when he arrived. Eryn walked over to the throne and leaned against it. “What
are you really up to, Logan?” Eryn was looking a lot better since being freed.
The weight she lost during her confinement had returned, and she was able to
fly again on her wings. The feathers that fell out had been replaced and their
healthy brown color had returned.
It was
times like this that Logan remembered that she was really a demon. An unholy
creature from another plane of existence. A force that was too dangerous to
leave alive. But she was needed for Logan’s plan. It involved using her powers
to ignite a magical artifact called a forge. These ‘forges’ do not produce
weapons, rather they dispense them. These ‘forges’ were more like vaults. Logan
was more interested in a piece of the book he sought. It was in this forge, but
opening it would be a problem. There was one matter that needed to be taken
care of first. Now that all the pesky inhabitants had been removed, Logan
needed to scour every inch of the palace to look for the Forge. Inside, and
out. And the blizzard had not let up since their ascent. Logan rose to begin
the search.
What better
place to start than the outside? Logan slipped into his heavy cloak and took a
walk around the perimeter. The walls encompassed an area of about twelve miles.
The forge could be anywhere outside. At least it was only snowing at the moment.
He marched through the knee deep snow, guided only by the pale light of an
obscured moon. The cold clawed at his mind and body with each passing minute.
Logan flared a bit of earth magic to keep himself warm. Earth magic was
special; it could block physical or magical harm for the user. In this case, he
used an inoculation to keep the cold from doing any lasting harm. If only he
were a fire mage, he could just melt all the snow.
Logan
couldn’t tell if he was sick of the cold or satisfied with his search when he
turned to go back inside. The blizzard picked up again. Regardless of his true
reason, his magic would not protect him from those fierce gales and the
bombardment of hail. He shook the snow out of his hair and took a deep breath.
The warm air of the palace filled his body and soul. It couldn’t be outside,
because Logan would have felt the magical presence. He bit his lip and walked
towards palace underground. Prisons and torture chambers were empty. No sign of
anything in the servant’s quarters. Only a few stone motifs decorated the
storage rooms. None seemed important to the forge, so he left them after
jotting down a quick note for his personal journal.
The magical
presence grew more powerful as he reentered the throne room. Eryn stood in a
doorway. “Master Gobehyz, I have prepared some supper. Would you care to eat?”
Logan nodded and followed. The two sat down in the dining hall. Throughout the
meal, the power of the forge waxed and waned. It pulsated like a heartbeat and
echoed inside his brain. Logan finished his meal and stayed a while to chat with
Eryn. All the while, he was thinking of the location of the forge. He rose
after saying thanks and resumed his search. The dining hall and kitchen were
empty. The throne room was empty. He had checked every room in the palace,
including the king’s private quarters. It was nowhere to be found. Tired and defeated,
he took a seat on the throne again.
It was not
there. No matter where he looked, no matter how he searched, the forge was
hidden. Gone. It wasn’t in the armory, it wasn’t in the vault, it wasn’t
outside, and it wasn’t in the king’s quarters. It was most likely hidden in
plain sight. He closed his eyes and reclined in the chair. An outline of the
palace appeared in his brain. He checked off everywhere it couldn’t be. He was
left with the foyer and the guest rooms. Eryn brushed up against his arm. “I
never did repay you for saving me back there, Gobehyz.” Logan opened his eyes
and smiled kindly. “No payment is needed. I was simply doing a favor for
Donald.”
“But –“
“I mean it.
And believe me…in due time you shall repay me.” He stood and stretched. “You
may sleep in the king’s room for tonight. I will continue my search.” Eryn
nodded but remained where she was. Logan left the room and began to inspect the
foyer. Nothing out of the ordinary. A large fireplace gave heat to the entire
palace, which was no small feat. He searched around the fireplace and even
extinguished the fire to look all around. Not a thing to be found. He searched
the guest rooms long into the night. Eventually, fatigue took over and he fell
over onto a bed for a moments rest. Morning was upon him before he realized he
had fallen asleep.
Logan
crawled out of bed and stretched. He popped all the joints he could and fished
into his pockets for his medicine. He took a bit, and his muscles and joints
felt relieved from their pain. He did some more rigorous stretches. Soon, he
was awake and ready for the day. He noticed that Eryn was still asleep. He
smiled at the thought of her roosting like a bird for the night. Once the humor
faded, he went back to the foyer. The fire had gone out since last night and
the cold began to set in. Logan tossed a few logs into the pit. The fatigue
from last night caught up with him as he threw one log. The wood hit the top of
the fireplace, sending a clang through the palace. Logan instinctively rubbed
his hand over the area to see if anything got chipped. The metal was fine, but
a layer of soot and ash lay over the metal.
Logan
rubbed some more and uncovered a pattern. Scholarly curiosity made him go fetch
a rag to wipe down the metal. Several destroyed cloths later, he had discovered
a most peculiar pattern. But, it wasn’t for the forge. He rebuked himself for
letting his hopes rise. Instead, he struck one of the matches and lit the
flames. The patterns began to glow. A faint orange at first; but as the metal
grew hotter, the glow grew brighter. After an hour or so, the seal was red like
blood. Logan watched in awe as black runes began to appear over the pattern.
Little wonder he never found the runes among all the soot. Logan let a genuine
smile creep across his face. The forge was before him. The runes finished
appearing and began to turn and grow. His eyes were playing tricks on him.
“‘Offer the
hand of a demon to the sacred flames. Once purified, then shalt the treasures
be thine.’” He spoke the words again aloud. A third time. Then, in the ancient
language spoken by his people. A brilliant white sigil appeared in the back of
the fireplace. This was it. The forge needed a demon to operate. Logan ran to
Eryn. “Eryn, come now! I’ve found the forge.” She roused herself from sleep and
stared at him sleepily. “What? Oh…you did? That’s marvelous!” She jumped out of
bed and practically flew over to him. “I need your help to open it though. Can
I count on you?” She smiled broadly. “Of course you can, Master Gobehyz. What
do I need to do?”
“Come with
me. I will show you.” The duo ran towards the fire and Logan pointed out the
sigil. “All you must do is put your hand on that sigil. Then, leave the rest to
me.” The flames had grown since he left. Eryn nodded and stuck her hand
forward. She yelped as the flames licked at it. She retreated and began to cry.
“I don’t think I can do this.”
“Please!
You can. I know you can.” She tried again, but with the same response. She fell
to her knees. “I can’t! I’m too frightened.” Logan opened his mouth to argue,
but the words stuck in his throat. Finally, he knelt beside her. “I’m sorry for
asking you to do this. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings.”
“But I’m
the only one…who can-”
“I
know…I’ll figure something else out.” He took a quick glance at the focus on
his right forearm. Half of the indicator pits were lit. He frowned. That might
just be enough for what he had in mind. “Give me your hand.” She clutched it
close to her. “Please.”
“No!”
“Eryn…”
“No, no,
no!”
“Please…trust
me.” He held out his hand. She timidly put it out to him. He clasped her wrist.
“Now then, don’t resist. I’m going to coat your hand in a barrier until we get
to the mark, alright?” She nodded as their hands moved closer. An amber light
enveloped both their hands and they pushed further on. The flames attacked, but
were repelled by the barrier. Logan began to sweat from the strain. “I’m
letting go now…touch the sigil.” Their hands became dangerously hot instantly.
Eryn pushed forward and touched the mark. The forge began to glow. Eryn was
barely able to scream when the flames shot out like a dragon’s breath. The
red-blue flames engulfed their vision. A thin barrier of amber light stood
between them and burning. Logan was now bleeding from his eyes and ears from
the stress. The flames finally died down and Logan dropped the barrier. He
dropped to his hands and knees coughing up blood. Eryn was still in shock from
the trap. Gobehyz recovered enough to wipe off most of the blood. He forced
himself to a sitting position and stared at the forge.
A small
little handle had popped out of the wall where the sigil had been. “Heh…Darin’s
going to be mad about the tapestries. I don’t think that there are even ashes
left.” He struggled to a stand and walked over to the handle. He gave it a tug,
and burnt his hand. He was so close to his goal now that the pain meant
nothing. He kept pulling until it clicked. The back wall dropped, revealing the
treasures that lay within. Inside was a blade made of a cloudy metal and
another black book. Logan let his tears flow. After all this time, the last
book was finally within his reach. But his hand was drawn to the dagger. A
unique weapon, it seemed to be made of an alloy instead of a pure metal. But,
the only metal he knew that was nearly transparent was the legendary mythreal
ore found in the old legends. Was this one of the weapons used by the Sages to
defeat Calamity?
Logan put
aside the knife and took the book. He opened to the front cover. Sure enough,
it was the book he had been searching for. Logan eyed it hungrily. He began
shaking as he flipped through the pages. Page after page, filled with secrets
long forgotten. He feverishly scanned read it; turning the pages with unbridled
excitement. He wanted to glean all of its contents, to learn the most painful
of truths. Then it stopped. Not one half of the pages were completely filled
before the text stopped. He frantically searched for anything more. The blank
pages mocked him with their silent laughter.
Logan at last let out a chuckle.
His posture fell. “I don’t believe it…it’s not even finished! Is it…is it
hidden? Is there another half? This is it – all of it?” He closed the book. He
sulked for about an hour. He stood and picked up the knife. A fit of insanity
washed over him. Logan laughed until his
sides hurt; until he could hardly breathe. “This is just too funny!” He laughed
all the way to the main door. He burst through it like a madman. The echoes of
insanity rang all the way down to Zander’s cove, some hundred miles away. “Come
now, my sweet.” He called behind him. “We must go and pay a visit to our fair
Princess of Col.”
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