"It is merely the image of the Elf Queen before you." The wizard explained, "What lurks inside the crystal is a creature more powerful than the greatest of our wizards. Filled with such evil that it will render everything in this land void of life." The wizard moved toward Sarah, who ignored him. "Surely as a student of magic you realize that a beast of such power, once released, would seek the darkest of revenge on those who imprisoned it?"
"Your fears or lies, whatever they may be are useless. I am here to complete our quest and save the 1ife of someone dear to me. The repercussions are not my concern. If you fear the Queen"s vengeance, then I suggest you flee while you still can." Sarah glanced at him and raised the talisman over her head. She began the deliverance chant feeling the magic rise within her then die quickly, without warning. "lt"s not working!"
"It is not meant to be, child. Puissant has sent you here to free the beast and begin the cycle of his return. He holds only hatred for the Queen." The wizard said.
"Who the h.e.l.l is Puissant?" Jack asked.
"Save your whimpering, old man." Sarah snapped as she turned to Nicole. "I was supposed to do this as a fairy. Dr. Strong said that ancient magic was needed. You"re a special kind of elf . . ."
"Tell me what to say." Nicole took the stone from Sarah.
"No!" The wizard gasped moving forward to have Jack quickly s.n.a.t.c.h him back from Nicole and shove him toward the tunnel. "It will destroy our world and return Puissant from yours to rule over the few creatures who survive its wrath."
"Do it!" Jack ordered, pushing the wizard closer to the exit.
Suddenly a dark blur knocked Jack from his feet as the dark warrior rushed to stop Nicole. A shout from Sarah gave her the split second she needed to avoid his deadly blow. Diving to the side, she tucked her head and rolled free of the charging warrior Stopping instantly as Sarah placed herself between them the dark warrior stood before her, his chest heaving.
As their eyes met the warrior hesitated and said, "I will not allow the beast to be freed." His voice though calm and even was deep and deadly. "I wish you no harm, but she will die if another attempt is made."
Jack rose slowly, gauging the large warrior"s skill. He remembered the force of the blow the dark elf had made in the hollow before Sarah"s beast appeared. He was skilled, fearless and incredibly strong. Jack wasn"t sure he could defeat him. But then maybe he didn"t have to. He glanced to where the old man had stood just in time to watch his image fade into nothingness.
Turning toward his foe, Jack stepped forward and offered a challenge. "That"s where you are dead wrong." He growled, moving closer. "I"m here to see that nothing stands in her way."
Tearing his eyes from the beautiful sorceress the dark knight turned to face Jack he said, "You should have listened to the wizard, it would have saved your life."
The sounds of battle reached Hopper"s troll ears in the small cave. The seriousness of his injuries seemed to have activated his troll senses. His sense of hearing and sense of smell were suddenly very acute. Feeling a portion of his strength returning, he pulled himself up and waded through the water, toward the sounds of striking metal. His long legs carried him quickly through the maze of tunnels and caverns the others had searched so diligently. He could smell the scent of Sarah that was what he followed. The sounds of combat grew as he neared. His head began to pound in his ears as he fought to ignore his failing vision. He pressed on. Sarah was in danger.
Climbing over the remains of the narrow tunnel, Hopper fell to his knees as his strength left him. Helpless, he watched as Jack fought to keep the dark elf away from Nicole and Sarah as they worked to free the Queen. Sarah whispered the spell of emanc.i.p.ation to Nicole a few words at a time. It was difficult for Nicole to concentrate as her heart went into battle with Jack.
Jack had met his equal. The dark knight antic.i.p.ated his every move. His agility and power was overwhelming. Already exhausted from his experience in the glen and with the serpent, Jack felt the battle turn against him.
Forming the strange words, Nicole felt the magic flow through her into the jewel. The light in the cave started to dim, the pink crystalline enclosure began to hum. It seemed as if the gem was absorbing the magic from the crystal itself. Suddenly, the jewel began to glow. It rose from Nicole"s hands and floated in the air above her as she repeated the words Sarah spoke. The jewel"s aura grew, encompa.s.sing the small chamber in its dark purple light.
Something inside Nicole screamed for her to stop. The urgency of it terrified her, but she could no longer control the words that flowed from her. In an explosion of darkness, the gem shattered the pale crystal and released what was imprisoned inside.
Thrown across the floor by the explosion, Nicole and Sarah untangled themselves and rose in the darkness. The frantic feeling within Nicole still screamed of danger. Sarah called upon the incantation of light and the chamber filled with an eerie soft green glow. The dark warrior, his battle forgotten, turned to face his new foe, one he knew he could not defeat.
The golden-haired Queen floated into the center of the chamber. Her long curling locks flowed to the floor as she landed gracefully on the stone. Her blue eyes sparkled, coldly at the dark warrior. Sarah fought off the shiver that ran down her spine as the lifeless eyes turned to her. Frowning, Nicole moved forward. Jack stepped into her path, unsettled by the icy gaze of the Queen before them.
The dark knight turned to Sarah with death in his eyes. "You"ve killed us all." . He whispered then turned and attacked.
As the warrior"s sword rose the Queen"s image turned into a deep nearly black shade of purple and melted away to reveal a faceless black tar-like creature that rose in stature high above them. Without hesitation Jack joined in the a.s.sault, fighting beside with the warrior he would have killed only seconds before. With one blow the creature sent both of them reeling across the chamber, over Hopper"s head and into the darkness beyond.
It turned its faceless head to stare at Nicole and Sarah, each frozen by the discovery that the wizard had spoken the truth. Everything had gone horribly wrong. Somehow this world had become very real. Without a sound the beast headed across the chamber toward Sarah. Things became suddenly very clear to Sarah. She recalled Dr. Strong"s words that the sorceress magic would strengthen it, Sarah knew it must take her magic in order to survive. Backing away from the beast, Sarah whispered to Nicole. "It wants me, save you! Get Todd to safety. "
Sarah tried to call upon her magic, Dr. Strong"s hadn"t meant a spell he meant for it to absorb her magic. She doubted she would survive such an occurrence. She had to think of a spell that would stop the creature, quickly! But none came. Nicole drew her short sword and stepped in front of Sarah. Hopper sprung from the shadows onto the beast tearing viciously at it with of his one good hand.
"Get Sarah out!" He screamed as the beast"s dark form changed and became fluid. It swallowed up Hopper as it transformed. Sarah lunged forward as Hopper disappeared inside the tar-like beast. Flames flew from her hands, into the monster, bouncing off its smooth surface. It turned to face her, the Queen"s icy blue eyes appeared within its faceless features. Jack and the dark warrior reappeared, charging over the rocks. The beast spat Hopper out, slamming the troll into the barbarian. A shout from beyond and the elfin warriors charge over the rocks to attack. Nicole and Sarah rushed to where Jack held Hopper"s limp, b.l.o.o.d.y form.
Hopper"s face was ghostly pale. He gazed into Sarah"s eyes and shook his head weakly. "The fantasy is over . . . You have to finish this."" He whispered. "We are the bad guys here."
"Hopper, you"re got to rest." Sarah stammered as she watched the life slip from him.
"At least . . . I was able to show you . . ." Hopper"s words were weak and forced.
"I know, my love . . . you would give your life for me." Sarah sobbed, pulling him to her as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"He"s not going to die." Nicole whispered, denying all that had occurred.
Jack took Nicole firmly by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "This is not a game Nicole. There"s no more pretending! We"re in deep s.h.i.t here. That wizard was trying to tell us. Strong lied to us. He"s sent us to some alternate universe, some dimension, whatever you want to call it, to free that beast. We"re his revenge! We are not going home. This is real."
"No, it"s not true! I"m not a warrior! I"m not capable I could never,. . . kill anyone. Hopper is not going to die! You"ll see we"ll be brought back any minute!" Nicole pushed him away.
"Face it, Nicole." Jack growled. "We killed innocent, elves who were just trying to stop us from destroying their world and we find we enjoyed it! Denial won"t change that and it won"t save Todd." He pulled her to him and held her as she sobbed.
Sarah held Todd sobbing quietly. Then, suddenly Sarah 1aid Hopper down gently and rose to her feet. Wiping the tears from her eyes she announced, "We"ve got to find the book."
"The wizard said the beast was more powerful than any sorcerer in existence." Jack cautioned.
"Well I"m no sorcerer, am I." She stared back into the chamber, watching as the elves fought desperately to kill the beast. "Todd"s right, we have to fix this. And maybe, just maybe there"s a healing spell I overlooked."
"Sarah," Hopper called and she rushed to his side.
"Todd, I"m going for the book, I"ll find a spell to heal you." Sarah whispered to him pulling him closer.
He managed a weak smile and allowed Jack and Nicole to carry him toward the hollow here they entered. As they reached the tunnels a familiar stench appeared and steadily grew stronger as they moved deeper into the tunnels. When it became overwhelming, Jack lay Hopper down on the tunnel floor and waited as Nicole moved to his side. The trolls appeared at the edge of the dim light that Sarah had following them. This time they were quiet and unthreatening as they approached. They moved slowly forward sniffing and grunting as they came.
"Don"t hurt them." Hopper gasped through the pain, "They are here for me."
"Well, they aren"t going to get to you, Hopper." Jack sneered and moved forward.
"No, Jack." Hopper managed weakly. "They want to help."
"No, Todd!" Sarah said, "They tried to kill you!"
"They were protecting their home." Hopper could no longer feel his legs. "I"m dying. I"ll be dead before dawn, unless you let them take me. "
Sarah was in a near panic at his suggestion. "No, Todd. They"re animals, you said so yourself and they"re unclean."
"They"re sick, not unclean and they"re smarter than you think. Otherwise, I would be an animal too. There"s more to them than what you see here." Hopper reached up and caressed Sarah cheek. "Sarah, it"s my only chance. Let them take me. Your book has no healing spells, no spells of strength or vitality. They were all spells of destruction and pain. There"s no help for me there and I"m only holding you back from making this right."
Jack placed his hand on Sarah"s shoulder and gently moved her aside. "Sarah, this place is based on instincts. We have to go with them. If Todd says he needs the trolls, then we have let them take him."
Jack pulled Sarah back away from Hopper slowly. Jack kept one hand on the hilt of his sword, wanting to make certain the trolls would not harm him. Sarah broke away from him and threw herself into Hopper"s arms.
"I"m going with you!" She cried.
"You wouldn"t survive in the darkness and cold?" Todd managed. "Don"t worry, as soon as I"m better, you know I"ll find you."
Jack pried Sarah from Hoppers arms as the trolls moved forward. Ever so gently two of the creatures picked Hopper up and carried him into the darkness. Sarah"s sobs filled the tunnel. One troll remained behind staring at Sarah. It moved slowly forward as she collapsed into Jack"s arms then turned back and disappeared into the darkness.
Jack"s eyes filled with tears as he held Sarah. He stared at Nicole as he tried to find words of comfort. "He"ll make through this, Sarah. I know it." She hugged him fiercely then allowed them to steer her toward the hollow.
"I don"t know how he did this but we are going to find a way to kill that thing and stop Strong from returning." Jack whispered.
"This is all my fault." Nicole spoke for the first time since they left the cavern of sorrows.
"We all wanted to come, Nicole. You couldn"t have known." Sarah composed herself and called upon her magic to send boulders flying into the thicket outside, clearing a path for them. Once outside they searched the darkness for the Book of Conjuration. The fire had died to a soft glow, giving no aid to their quest. The body of the serpent nearly completely decayed by Sarah"s spell lay across the center of the clearing. Jack searched the tall gra.s.s beyond the light of the fire as. Nicole crawled into the small bushes that encircled the entrance to the cave.
Sarah went to the tree she and Hopper had leaned against while waiting for Jack and Nicole to return. Tears welled as her thoughts turned to Hopper"s insecurities about proposing. Pushing the pain deep inside, she vowed to find him as soon as the monster was destroyed. She brushed away the tears as a sob jolted her back to the task at hand. Crawling on her hands and knees, she searched the area surrounding the tree to no avail. The book was nowhere to be found. A movement came from the brush and Nicole appeared at a run.
"Someone"s coming!" She grabbed Sarah and pulled her back into the darkness.
Jack appeared at their side as the dark warrior and a handful of elf warriors emerged from the bushes. His elfin vision had no trouble detecting them in the darkness. The large elf motioned for his men to remain behind as he headed across the small hollow. His short cropped blonde hair was speckled with blood, his black chain mai1 was shredded, revealing 1arge muscles torn and b.l.o.o.d.y from combat. He tore what remained of his helmet from his head and tossed it aside, not taking his eye off of the sorceress before him.
"The beast has retreated deeper into the caverns. It seeks shelter to gain strength. Apparently, our direct attack so soon after its return has left it weak." His eyes narrowed as Jack placed himself between him and Sarah. Ignoring the barbarian, the elf continued to address Sarah. "We do not possess the power to destroy it. It took 12 of our most powerful wizards to imprison it many years ago. Many of whom have died mysterious deaths since then. Now merely a handful remain. That"s not nearly enough to defeat the beast." His eyes took in Sarah"s her pale, drawn features. Could she actually be mourning the loss of that giant troll?
""We were deceived . . . " Sarah tried to explain.
"Regardless of your reasons, you have sentenced us all to death. My warriors have asked for the privilege of killing our a.s.sa.s.sins." He tore his eyes from hers, ignoring the depth he found there. "Being a man of honor, I wil1 give you a moment to prepare yourselves."
"I want to kill the creature." Sarah declared, heedless of their death sentence.
"As do I." He answered, surprised. He had expected a plea for mercy or a threat of vengeance. "But that is beyond us now. When you have been dispatched we will return to the caverns and search for the beast. Perhaps we can wound it, delay its strike against our land."
"I can kill it." Sarah replied, confidently. "I hold the magic of Puissant."
"He was a powerful wizard." His blue eyes searched hers calmly, gauging what lay behind her innocent face. "If you hold his power then you are truly evil, for his magic came from the darkness that can only be gained in the death of another wizard."
"I know nothing of how he came into his power. He intended to give it to Nicole and sacrifice her to the beast but it came to me instead. He told us the Elf Queen was imprisoned in the Cave of Sorrows. It was our intention to rescue her. We are victims, the same as yourselves. Except we have to live with the guilt from the loss of life and the sorrow caused by Puissant"s treachery."
A snap of the elf"s fingers brought one of his warriors forward. The young elf faced her, hatred filled his eyes. The elf commander held out his hand and the warrior placed Sarah"s Book of Conjuration in it.
"Is this the weapon you intend to use against the beast?" He asked, calmly holding it out to her."Yes." She answered confidently, her eyes locking on to the book.
Tossing it into the embers of the fire, he sneered. "It is nothing more than a wizard"s book of instruction. An apprentice could wield more powerful spells than these!"
"I don"t care!" Sarah screamed, banging her fists against his armored chest. "I can kill it! That"s why we"re here! It"s not to free the beast. We"re here to destroy it!"
Taking hold of her wrists, he held her back from him and stared at her in silence. Her words gave purpose to the cautions that had been plaguing him since the moment he first saw her wield her magic. Perhaps she was right, perhaps Puissant had unknowingly given birth to his final aggression. As long as the beast had remained imprisoned, there was always a chance that it would be freed.
Could Puissant "s quest for revenge and dominance end with this innocent sorceress: Was she powerful enough to finally rid them of the creature? Could Puissant have become desperate enough to hand over his powers to an inexperienced young woman? Was the realm the wizards had sent him into so savage that he would risk all to return? Or was his quest for revenge overshadowing his most inner thoughts. Yes, Puissant would risk everything to wreak havoc on the elfin people. Without doubt, the elf commander was certain of this. If the same power that created the beast had been instilled in this girl, perhaps it was possible for her to destroy it and in the process seal Puissant"s fate forever. He would pay greatly to see the ancient b.a.s.t.a.r.d stranded in a foreign land without so much as a card trick to protect himself.
Jack moved forward to take a hold of Sarah "s shoulders and pull her gently back from the elf. ""We won"t stand idly by and allow you to murder us." Jack cautioned, "We set the beast free, that"s true, but if the creature fled as you say, perhaps it"s not as invincible as you believe. It wasn"t able to strengthen itself as planned by absorbing Sarah"s magic. Perhaps now is the time to strike before it has time to find another victim and gain strength."
Pulling his eyes away from Sarah the dark warrior faced Jack. "I was surprised at the weakened condition of the creature." He admitted.
Jumping at the chance, Jack glanced back at Nicole. "p.u.s.s.iant said we needed the ancient magic of the fairies to escape. It"s possible that woodland magic is not as pure or strong and has failed it in some way?"
The dark knight frowned at Nicole. "Not much is known of Woodlands. Your people are a mixed breed. Your heritage is a union of elf and wood nymph, sister to the fairies." Moving to Nicole, he returned his sword to his belt. "Tell me of your talents. He demanded, stopping before her.
Her eyes narrowed. She was not frightened of this warrior. Although his skills were great, but she was not afraid to die. Her thoughts went to Hopper"s cold dark tomb. He had told them to continue. He wanted them to end it. Her eyes went to Jack and softened, his worried smile of encouragement sent ripples through her. When this was over, she would tell him that she loved him.
Turning back to the warrior, she said, "I can speak with the animals. I have night vision. I can hear the river that"s more than a mile to the south as it splashes against the small rocks in its path. I know much of the earth"s magic of counter spells, I can feel the magic in others, gauge their strength in it and the type of power they wield."
"Can you cast enchantments:" He asked.
"Only over those who are in love with her." Jack offered with a smile.
"I have knowledge of enchantments." Nicole admitted, ignoring Jack"s remark. "I have never felt the urge to attempt wizardry."
Moving to the fire, the dark warrior kicked the smoldering book from the embers and gingerly picked it up. Bringing it to Nicole, he opened it, tore out a page and tossed the book into the gra.s.s.
"Read this aloud." He ordered, handing Nicole the page.
"I can"t read the words." Nicole said flatly, handing it back to him.
He turned to Sarah and asked, "Is this true?"
"Yes, I am the only one who can read them." Sarah answered, then moved retrieve what was left of her book, Wanting desperately to search it for a spell to help Hopper..
The elf turned back to Nicole, grabbed her arm and pulled her to the fire. "Will it to burn higher! With all of your strength!"
Eager to test the strength of her magic Nicole did as he said. Nothing happened. Releasing her, he moved toward his men, shouting orders.
"You must have been right. " Nicole whispered to Jack. "They"re heading back in. "
"We"re going with you." Jack declared, following them into the brush.
The elf commander turned back to him, his eyes dark. "I am Cabal, Prince of the Highland Elves, heir to the throne of Fortress City. I will not sacrifice any of my warriors for your protection. "
Jack nodded and motioned for Sarah and Nicole to follow.
Chapter Ten.
The darkness of the cave consumed Jack and Sarah. The elves insisted they carry no torch light or use spells to warn the beast of their approach. Nicole walked at the head of the party, reaching out with her woodland senses for the beast"s magic. Deeper and deeper into the cool dampness they searched, hours pa.s.sed with no sign of the beast.
Sarah"s thought screamed out to find Hopper. She forced herself to search her mind for a spell that might aid them and found none. It was just as Prince Cabal had said the book was simply a learning device for the unskilled. There must be a way to kill the creature.
When it injured Hopper, she"d thrown fire at the beast. Where had it come from? How had she conjured it? She hadn"t felt the magic flow through her as before. It had been a rush of power brought on by her anger. But it didn"t hurt the beast it didn"t even the surface of its skin. Nicole motioned for them to stop Jack squinted in the darkness and b.u.mped into the irritated warrior in front of him. Shrugging Jack apologized silently.
No reaction came from the warrior as he stood frozen before Jack. The beast lay in a large cavern a few meters ahead. Prince Cabal pushed through the group to where Sarah stood. Sensing his presence, every muscle in her body tensed.