BDS: Chapter Nineteen

The door to the Thesarei at Order headquarters slid shut behind Malik and Zareb as they entered the council room. Jabari, Shamira, Jalena, and Syam stood and everyone exchanged bows.

Jalena looked at her father. "What is it?"

"We want the three of you to capture Mordán," Syam said. "Under normal circumstances, the Order would not take aggressive action, but given the power Mordán has acquired and other recent events," he paused as he glanced at Malik, " we must do so before the energetic balance of Elsaria is compromised too severely."

"Marcile has reported that Mordán has returned to Kraundor, but routinely travels to his country home in Sulta with few guards," Malik stated. "We thought it would be best if you encounter him there. He is scheduled to return there within the next week. Our spies in Androsa will report when he has departed."

"Is there a risk for Akila to show?" asked Jalena.

"That is where I come in," Malik replied. "From the vision of Akila's past that Kesól shared with me, I have narrowed her hideout to several locations in Eltia, which is where I feel she still does most of her research and work—at least, until recently. Wherever the location is, I believe she has connected it to the Ice Mountain caves somehow."

"You mean from underground?"

"Yes."

"All the way from Eltia?" asked Shamira.

Malik nodded. "It would take her years to create the passageways."

"She has certainly had years," said Zareb, "but she still must have had help."

"But, how could she use that many people and keep it from our spies?" Shamira asked.

Malik went to the window and stared out at the Green Sea. "I don't think she used people."

"Magic then?" Jabari guessed.

"Yes, but I also think she used the Bardoc."

"The Bardoc!" Shamira and Jalena said at the same time.

Malik nodded. "They are masters at creating tunnels through the ability to break down the properties of stone. They keep to themselves generally and are slow but are deadly when provoked or surprised. Their energy is of an elemental vibration, so they would be difficult to sense. If Akila has enslaved some from her time in Tridaun, we will have to find them and return them home."

"Sir Malik and I will leave immediately for Dremma to begin our search there," Zareb said. "Be on alert to depart to Sulta upon a moment's notice once Mordán is spotted."

Those in the group bowed to each other once more and separated.

Malik and Zareb arrived near the outskirts of Dremma by the time the day's darkness set in.

"Akila's home will be hidden by enchantments. However, with wizards, there is always a trace, even though slight, that cannot be hidden by others of their kind," Malik said as the Xita-8 quietly landed at the southern edge of the Lovias Sea. "I will search the edges of the Elustrian River tonight as you rest."

"You're sure you don't need me to go with you?" Zareb said.

"No. I will report to you telepathically if so."

The moons of Elsaria provided a lit pathway as Malik scoured the southern edge of the seashore. Mumbling to himself, he wandered further south into a small forest. Eyes alight, he scanned the forest trees until his gaze came to rest on one tree in particular. Although the tree's scarlet leaf-covered branches stretched as high as its neighbors, the tree was void of energy at the trunk.

Malik smiled. He knelt at the root of the tree and placed his hand on the ground. A soft blue glow revealed a rectangular outline of a door at the base of the tree. "Found you," he whispered. He studied the entrance boundary for several minutes before standing and scratching his beard.

He placed one hand on the dead tree. "Nemerus, although I knew you had arrogance within you, I certainly never expected you to steal from the art of the Glisayas when you were responsible for the destruction of their race," he mumbled. "How did you attain such disrespect for others?"

"He was just a bad seed," said Zareb from a short distance away.

"Master Zareb, as suspected, I see you are uninterested in resting."

"How can I with you out roaming all alone and the possibility of Akila being near?"

Malik's eyes glinted teasingly. "Then I must take full responsibility for your fatigue. However, I am glad you are here. This area marks one of the entrances to Akila's hideout."

"Your tracking skills never fail to impress me, Sir Malik."

"I learned much from the Krystalians during my stay on Tridaun long ago." He looked down at the blue glow around the door. "Nemerus has placed a spell of illusion beneath the ground to trap intruders."

"And how is that disrespectful to the Glisayas?"

"This particular spell of illusion is one of the Glisayas." He looked up into the tree branches. "It certainly makes it difficult to detect by anyone unfamiliar with the magic of their race. Nemerus must have stolen secrets of enchantment before he destroyed the Glisaya Glens during the wars."

"Is it the same enchantment that lingers in the trees of the Realm of Illuse?"

Malik nodded. "The illusion changes for each intruder. The Glisayas felt that only those who were in alignment with their core were worthy of experiencing the magic and comforts of the forest. Aligning with that power is what it takes to break free of the spell."

"Is there some sort of pattern with the illusion?"

"No. It could be one designed to induce pain or fear, but also that of grandiosity or pleasure, which is generally more effective in keeping you trapped in a cycle. In order to break free, you must rely solely on your instincts despite what surrounding evidence reveals."

"Knowing that it is an illusion should help break the spell, correct?"

"Logic would lead you to believe that to be true, but part of the spell is that you forget that it is a spell. Normally, it is only by going within and analyzing contradicting information that you will begin to release the enchantment. However, receiving physical injury from one outside the illusion can also break its effect." Malik stood to the side of the flat door. "Let's see what lies beneath. Be wary of any unexpected symbols or movement. I am unsure of the form that the spell takes as it ignites."

Zareb gave Malik a short nod as he surveyed the surrounding forest trees cautiously.

Malik's eyes shone, matching the light from the stone in his staff. He pointed his staff at the ground. The ground shook beneath the two as the door loosened and slid to one side, revealing a descending stone staircase.

"It is clear at the moment," he told Zareb. "If you choose to follow, stay behind me, with your eyes to the rear until I have assessed any limitation before us."

Zareb nodded and unsheathed his green-gold glowing gladaé. He followed Malik down the stairs. The two continued down the unobstructed path until Malik suddenly halted. He muttered an inaudible spell and hit the bottom of his staff hard against the stone step below him. Jagged lines of silver light emerged from the bottom of the staff and traveled up the walls. Embedded electric wires meant to explode around an intruder lit and disintegrated before them as Malik's light overtook the wires.

As the two descended further, Zareb's gladaé flashed as he swung it to block the incoming shower of blades flying at the two from the ceiling shadows. Malik immediately spun his staff before him to block the blades from the front.

The two continued through the passage, their senses remaining heightened in the surrounding darkness.

Wait, said Malik suddenly. The light of his staff immediately faded.

It is the Bardoc, Zareb said as both turned their heads in the direction of low grunting noises coming from further up the path. You were right.

Up ahead around the curve is where the tunnels must branch.

They will sense us if we do not hurry, Malik, and we will be forced to fight them here.

Let's move forward on the same path then, Malik replied. If we meet any, try not to injure them or we will stir up the whole lot and they will stampede.

Zareb re-sheathed his gladaé and the two quickened their pace. They soon reached a fork in the passage. The tunnel to the west led into an area lit by soft amber light. Malik indicated that the two continue on the same path. He stopped abruptly when their passage crossed a wide rounded tunnel, large enough for a small ship to fly through. Carts used for carrying rock and other debris aligned the walls nearby. Malik pressed himself up against the wall into the shadows and dimmed his glowing skin as two Bardoc shuffled past the passage near where Malik and Zareb stood.

Zareb slowly reached for the hilt of his gladaé as a Bardoc paused and sniffed the air with his flat nose. He stepped in Malik's and Zareb's direction but stopped when a series of short roars sounded ahead in the tunnel.

They are being called, said Malik. Let's wait here.

A multitude of Bardocs trotted past the two.

How many do you think there are? asked Zareb.

By my estimates, not more than two or three hundred. They breed slowly, so it is likely that Akila began with half that. She must have brought them over from Tridaun in small groups.

The tunnel cleared and the two crossed to the other side into the continuing passageway, which descended even further underground. Malik's skin brightened once more as the light of his staff filled the space before them.

The ground beneath the two suddenly split open into a cavern.

Malik quickly turned his staff horizontally, so that the edges of it stuck on either side of the passage. His frame swung in the air as he hung from the staff.

Zareb's eyes lit up brightly as he dropped through the air. He disappeared and then reappeared with his legs stretched into horizontal splits, each foot pressed tight against the passage walls. That was close.

Malik disappeared and reappeared to a standing position on his staff. He studied the shadowed area beneath them with alight eyes. The drop is not far, but the terrain consists of boulders and sharp rocks.

The air is also damper here, so an underground river must be near, Zareb said. I sense no danger otherwise.

The stillness you feel may be something to be wary of, however. I still feel the Spell of Illuse lingering throughout the passage.

Zareb nodded and the two dropped together to the ground below. As soon as their feet made contact with the large boulders, gold light flooded the area, reflecting off the glassy surfaces of large quartz gems embedded in the surrounding walls.

Avert your eyes, Zareb! Malik warned. Silver and blue light from his staff intensified and fanned out in a shield before them. His eyes widened in surprise as a large gold dragon emerged from a cave among the rocks, the light from its scales diminishing Malik's staff light.

The dragon's golden eyes blinked slowly as it stared at the two. "It is too late, intruder," it said in a soft, silky voice. "For it takes only one glance at the light from my scales to pierce the mind's eye. Your eyes become mine and now I see into your heart."

Malik and Zareb stood frozen in place as private illusions formed inside their mind. A look of delight filled Zareb's gaze, but Malik's remained serious.

The dragon gently hummed in satisfaction and swung its tale out wide as it turned back to its cave. It lowered down to a comfortable position and closed its eyes.

Malik's eyes narrowed in concentration. He gripped his staff tighter. A spark of silver appeared in the middle of his eyes and the glow of his skin brightened.

The dragon opened one eye and then lifted its head in curiosity as the glow in the stone atop Malik's staff returned. Unalarmed, it looked around at its body as it began to disintegrate, then returned its gaze to Malik. "You are the quickest ever to escape my illusion. Tell me, how did you break through the vision?"

Malik gave the dragon an amused look. "Mysteis of my likeness never forget who they are."

"I see my kind lingering within your aura," the dragon stated. "Well done," she added just before disappearing completely.

Malik looked at Zareb, whose expression had not changed. Assessing no threat in Zareb's illusion, he extended a lighted hand to the elder master's shoulder. I feel you will be out of danger here, my friend. Know that you and I are both safe. He sent a vision of himself moving further south into Zareb's mind. This is where I am going should you break free before I return.

After one last glance behind him, Malik climbed higher onto the boulders before him and gazed down into a large open moss-covered cavern. Rapid-flowing, bright green water dropped across the jagged edges of the cavern walls.

He disappeared in a flash of starlight and reappeared on a narrow path that wound around steep spires and led northwest. The path stretched into the darkness for a short distance and merged with another passage leading north. Malik recognized the alternate passage as the one from Akila's memories. He murmured a spell that lit the surrounding stone so that Zareb could detect the path. He came upon the silver door Akila had found as a child. His breath now labored, Malik eagerly paused, taking his time to scrutinize the enormous door before him.

He muttered a short phrase as he moved forward. "Sun fae aim lun enye."

The light from his staff's stone reflected off the passage ceiling and walls. It traveled down his staff, stretching in jagged lines along the ground and across the walls. The surrounding walls and ground rumbled gently, and the light faded once more.

Malik extended a glowing hand to touch the center of the door. Immediately, solid silver chains with blades at their ends shot from the door's frame. He quickly withdrew his hand and dodged the chains, unalarmed.

"As I suspected…hmmm." He rubbed his chin and backed away to better observe the carvings that spread across the door before him.

***

Akila turned sharply from where she stood at the edge of the Elustrian River near a dense group of forest trees. She raced along the riverbank and quickly entered a hidden cave in the cliffs aligning with the bank, which masked the front entrance to her hideout. "It isn't possible," she muttered. "A senile Bardoc again, perhaps."

She spoke the spell to release the seal on the front door and rushed inside. Dodging stacks of books between scattered furniture, she scanned her surroundings as she made her way into a large bunker. A silver ship with the Kraundor Crest rested untouched in the bunker. She sighed in relief, exited the bunker, and entered a stone foyer. Green light reflected off the stones from the glow of a nearby underground stream.

Satisfied that nothing was out of place, she returned to the main area and stopped before a vaulted silver door at the end of a dark hallway. A light strip by the door scanned her left hand as she held it up and the door slid open.

Lights along the wall flickered, revealing rows of shelves stacked with containers of dark liquid. Tables with chemist instruments sat in between the shelves. Akila walked the length of the room into an adjacent room, where two long, risen marble slabs sat in the middle.

Returning to the first room, she checked a large holographic monitor that revealed all activity surrounding the outer perimeter. After several moments, she turned off the monitor with a wave of her hand.

"Nemerus has certainly outdone himself," Malik said softly from behind.

Akila whipped around, her eyes alight. The lights within the room darkened, and she grabbed her staff. Malik's and Akila's skin lit, relighting the room in a glow.

Akila jabbed her staff out before her and knocked him back with a sharp electrical flash. He gasped as his back hit a wall and he slid to the floor. "You've just made this easier for me, grandfather—" she hissed, "—coming here alone."

"I don't want to kill you, Akila, but if you do not cleanse your heart of darkness, I will have no choice. I have come to grant you one last opportunity to turn yourself over to the Order."

"Ironic that you make demands from your place beneath me on the floor."

Malik's eyes shone brightly as his form began to fade into the darkness. "Beneath you will never be my place," he said in a low voice as he appeared behind Akila. Before she could turn around, Malik's stone lit up the room as it flew to Akila like a magnet, wedging itself against her lower ribs.

She screamed in pain as the stone flattened into a flexible glass that burned through her cloak and into her skin. She grasped at the stone but yanked her hand away as blisters spread across her fingers. She stumbled back as Malik approached. The stone soared back to Malik's staff, but its burn continued to spread across Akila's abdomen.

"My stone was created from the light of the Estel. Although it will not kill you, it is sure to make things more difficult for you."

Akila cried out again as she bent over. "Malik, I swear you will pay—!"

"This is but a warning, Akila," he said softly. "You have abused your power, as did your father. It is dishonorable to use the gifted power of the stars to rule or control others. You learned this as a child. As a result of your behavior, you are to be stripped of your starlight. It is your only choice other than death."

Akila, her breath now ragged, stood as silver light flickered in her eyes and then turned to violet-red. "My father was trying to make the Mysteis more and you—you took that from him—from all of us!"

Malik moved his staff diagonally in front of him. "You are mistaken, Akila. He meant to make a hierarchy or rule with our clan at the top, so he could order the destruction of any race in Elsaria."

His eyes narrowed as he studied Akila's face, whose veins had turned black beneath her skin. "You are diving too far into the dark arts, Akila. You run the risk of not being able to return to the light at all after you pass from this realm."

Akila began to laugh as violet-black mist seeped from the stone in her staff and thickened around her in protection. "I have no intention of going anywhere, Malik…certainly, not before you're dead—" She disappeared in a flash of light.

Malik teleported to the bunkers, where Akila reappeared inside the ship. An electrical flash of light spread from the ship as she fired it up, the blast knocking Malik back several feet. He watched Akila guide the ship through an adjacent tunnel and out of sight.

"I see you found her hideout," Zareb suddenly spoke from behind Malik. "Even though, she has escaped us again," he added with a raised eyebrow.

Malik smiled. "And I see that you broke through the illusion." He turned to face Zareb. "How did you figure it out?"

"I was with my family and friends as a child. My mother and father were both alive and everyone was laughing. After a time, I realized I was in the wrong place and that everything seemed almost too perfect. That's the thought that triggered my memory as a warrior and that I was on a mission. Then, I heard your message that you and I were both safe. I said goodbye to everyone, and the illusion faded."

"I'm assuming you saw the gold dragon?"

"Yes."

"Well done."

"That's what the dragon said."

Malik chuckled. His smile quickly faded as his eyes widened. He grabbed Zareb's shoulder just as his eyes rolled back into his head.

Zareb's gladaé crashed to the ground as he caught Malik in one arm. "Malik!" He lowered the wizard down to the ground. "Malik," he called again as he gently shook him. When he received no response, Zareb retrieved his gladaé and sheathed it.

He hoisted Malik across his back and exited the bunker. As he reached the edge of the cavern where the two experienced the Spell of Illuse, he paused to study the area.

Malik stirred and opened one eye.

"Enjoying your nap, wizard?" Zareb said.

"My apologies, Master Zareb. Please, help me stand."

Zareb bent so that Malik's feet reached the ground. He used one hand to wipe the sweat dripping down his face as he helped Malik steady himself.

Malik took a deep breath and stood up straight, keeping his grasp on Zareb's forearm. "Another illusion won't form for us," he reassured Zareb. "If you break through the Illuse, it will not occur for you again in the same location. It is one of the reasons I did not shock you with my staff earlier to break the spell."

"Are you alright?" asked Zareb as he observed Malik closely.

"Just a little weak is all. If you don't mind, I would like to journey to the Three Songs before we return to headquarters."

"Of course."

Malik moved slowly to the edge of the cavern. "We cannot allow Akila to return here. I have already set up the spell for the collapse of her hideout and nearby tunnels."

"What of the Bardoc?"

"I have sent them a message through the tunnels that they are to travel underground to the Lundar Mountains to await my arrival and that their work is over. I have already scanned for wandering Eltia citizens. The area is clear of any animals or people."

"You're sure you want to destroy all the knowledge that Nemerus has gathered?"

"Yes. I have what I need to pass to Marcile. Kesól now has almost all Mysteis knowledge in his possession, also. Anything else should be destroyed, especially that of the dark arts that Nemerus passed to Akila."

"Will your spell be enough? The hideout must have some kind of counter-defense."

Malik nodded. "I neutralized any that may interfere before I solved the code to enter the home. The light of the stars will burn through the rest." His eyes lit up as the stone in his staff dislodged and floated before him. It twisted slowly in the air, its glow reflecting off the cavern walls around them.

"Sun fae lum," Malik muttered.

A gold rune lit on the surface of Malik's stone.