A Dead God's Tear(79)

For a moment her own hands hesitated, the thoughts of a thousand possible dangers flitting through her head. Marcius jerked, agony contorting his face, and she untied the pouch as fast as she could with her one good hand.

She unstrung the pouch with practiced caution, lifting the object inside up by the chain. An amulet? Was this the reason he went into the Myst by himself? Was this what led her spirit beast to die? She felt the familiar rise of anger, but as quickly as it formed, she pushed it away. Now was not the time. She could mourn properly once they were back in Selenthia. Still, the human wizard had some things to answer for.

Selene didn't know what exactly she intended to do, but he would give compensation, though, in reality, what exactly was proper compensation for the loss of a friend? Did she have the right to demand it? They had grown close over the last few weeks, and she had begun to consider him on friendly terms. He confused her, though. His actions, his thoughts, everything was so foreign to her. She felt so thrown off balance by him. Were all humans like this?

She curled her fingers around the amulet. This had to be what was hurting him, and despite whatever her feelings were about the human, she couldn't stand by and watch it. She set it down on the nearby crumbled ruin of what looked to be a pillar and picked up a cobblestone that had been uprooted or perhaps fell from the tower. Selene raised the stone high above her head. . .

I wouldn't do that. . .

She stopped mid-smash.

There's a good girl. Now put the rock down.

Her lips grew tight and she raised the rock up again.

If you want to kill your pet human, then go ahead and do it.

"Who are you?" she whispered, once again lowering her arm. The amulet flashed.

You know who I am.

"The abomination in Acaelyn Hollow. What did you do to him?"

Come now. There is no need for name calling. And all I'm doing is prodding him along the path he must take.

Marcius gave a groan, drawing Selene's attention. The apprentice had fallen to his side, curling up into a ball as he nursed his head. She turned back to the amulet. "Stop it, now!" she growled, "You're going to kill him."

Kill him? That is the farthest thing from my mind.

"He already almost got killed by the nether beasts, thanks to you. Your actions do not justify your words."

Foolish simple warrior caste. This amulet protects him from the sight of the beasts. The ones that appeared were drawn there by me to goad him to complete the favor I asked of him. Consider it a way of showing him the alternatives. You were the one that brought you two in danger, running in to "save" him and spilling their blood.

Marcius had been safe this entire time? Following that line of thought, the one that was responsible for the death of her spirit beast. . . was her. Selene's stomach fell at the realization, and she slowly sunk to her knees in disbelief.

Ah, I see it has finally dawned on you. Now, though, you couldn't save your friend, perhaps you could save the human?

"Stop hurting him," she said weakly, "He's done nothing to you."

What assurance do I have that he'll do what I need him to do? Unless you wish to help me?

She felt as if she was falling, spiraling downward, and it took every fiber of her willpower to pull herself up. Still, the audacity of such a request ignited a fire in her heart. "Why would I help a monster such as you?"

This is why. . .

Marcius lurched forward, coughing. She crawled toward him, nursing her injured arm. The coughing got steadily worse and he leaned to the side and puked, thick chunks of blood lacing the contents.

She turned back, her eyes flashing, the fire a roaring flame now. "You're a despicable fiend!" she said in elvish, "Faelon will have no refuge for you. I will hunt you down and have you account for your actions. I will not rest until you stand before the Elders for your crimes!"

How naïve can you be, child? They know exactly what it is that I'm doing. There is more at stake here than you know. If only you'd keep your nose out of things that don't concern you, we could have avoided all of this. Now, final chance. Accept and save your friend, or he will die.
     
 

     

Her head swam at the implications. The Elders knew? She wasn't surprised. The machinations of the long lived elves went deep and far beyond her understanding. She didn't broker much in that trade, her own skills and interests were purely martial in scope, but she didn't like the fact that they dealt with such a creature.

She could only hope that they did so for the good of Selenthia. Selene believed the thought with everything she had; it was all she had to hang on to anymore.

Knowing what you do now, I think it is time for us to make a deal, yes?

With a heavy sigh, she turned to the amulet.



❧　❧　❧



The clarity came in like the calm after a savage storm. The pressure in his temples lessened and the ceaseless images and sounds vanished, leaving nothing but a sense of peace for the beleaguered apprentice. Marcius breathed a sigh of relief, and he spent a few moments, eyes closed, just relishing the feeling of blissful silence.

"How are you feeling?"

Marcius opened a single eye to regard the elf. She was hunched over him, her expression guarded. "I feel much better. The pain just vanished suddenly. My stomach hurts a little. What did you do? I don't remember much."

"I did nothing," she said. "I just took care of you the best I could. Do you know what caused it? Was it the thing in your pouch?"

Marcius glanced at the pouch on his belt. It was still there, but the glow was muted, as if it was resting. "I don't know. It might be the place itself. Maybe it's because I'm a wizard?" He ran his fingers nervously through his hair, "I just don't know."

Selene's eyes narrowed for a moment, but then her face lightened. "Are you capable of standing?" Marcius nodded. "Let me help you up."

He gave her a questioning look but took her proffered hand anyway. There was a rancid taste of copper and bile in his mouth and he ran his tongue along his teeth in a vain attempt to clear it.

It didn't work.

He looked around. They were closer to the tower now and it loomed over them, far larger than it had appeared originally. It was dark, but in more ways than just those pertaining to light. Marcius wasn't sure exactly what lurked within, but there was an overwhelming feeling of sadness that flowed from the deep recesses; a regret of tales untold, or perhaps of the fate of the former inhabitants.

Marcius felt the pull. The amulet wanted him to go in. Inside was where he needed to be. For a brief moment, he considered throwing the amulet away, but he shook away the notion. He had the feeling that it was important to his, and more importantly, Selene's safety. The chance was too risky.

"Do you still want to go in?" Selene asked, surprising Marcius as she stood next to him.

He stared at her, "I thought you were against it?"

Her jaw flexed, "I am, but if we are careful, there is time to take a look around before the sun rises and the Myst recedes."

A thought struck him, "Selene, what happens if we're still here when the Myst leaves? Will we be stuck here?"

"I do not know. The Myst changes and twists. We could be anywhere. I heard no tales of ancient towers within our borders, and yet here it is. I can tell you that the tower is not elven in make." She paused for a moment considering the possibilities. "If that amulet in your pouch led us here, perhaps it could lead us back. Come, if we wish to explore, we should do so quickly."

Wait, when had he ever told her that it was an amulet? He opened his mouth to ask, but the elven woman was already moving, heading to the entrance of the tower.



❧　❧　❧



The tower had seen better years, as the stone had crumbled and cracked in most places. It looked as if it was about to fall at any moment. The door, however, was wrought of a solid metallic material and had no such weakness.

Marcius stared at it for a moment, taking in the fine make and intricate carvings of vague figures that he didn't recognize. "How do you propose we deal with this?" he asked Selene.

The elf didn't say anything, running her good hand along the solid obstacle as if considering it. "It's pretty solid," she conceded. "But is the rest of the area around it?"

She gave a heavy push against a cracked brick along the side and it crumbled, falling completely in. From there it was simple to remove the surrounding area around the lock. Amazingly, the hinges were in good condition, made of the same material as the door. It swung open smooth, silently.

The inside was dark, damp, and as Marcius stared into the inky blackness, a wave of stale air wafted up from the recesses. "Down or up?" Selene asked.

"Excuse me?" Marcius, squinting, couldn't see anything beyond the traces of light that penetrated from the outside.

"I forget that humans need more light than normal," Selene admitted. "Perhaps we could use the thing in your pouch?"

Ah yes, the amulet. He nodded and took it out, holding it up like a torch. It sprang to life as if listening to his command. The light drove away the darkness, revealing two sets of stairs, one that went up and one that went down.

Which way indeed? He looked up briefly, the moonlight flowing from the hole along the side of the tower. He didn't trust the integrity of the tower, but he couldn't deny the allure of the upper route over the relative unknown of the stairway down.