VI. Storm Continued
Plevinon scrambled out of the open
grave, getting his fine clothes muddy and dirtying his hands and face. But
when he got back on the road, drenched and cold, he laughed. There was no
way the fiendish thief would be able to escape the warp unscathed.
Although, maybe there had been some truth to Arisen's words as the man
hadn't been carrying the sacred amulet with him. Of course he could have
already sold or pawned it. If he had, Plevinon would find it. But he could
do so from the relative luxury of the monastery. He didn't dare leave the
place for too long.
The journey back was uneventful and took only a couple of days. Arisen had
taken up quite the crooked path, no doubt looking for ingredients for his
potion. Plevinon took the orange potion out of his pocket and tried to
identify how it had been made.
The base had to be purified water to be so clear. Orange usually meant
some metal components and the smell had betrayed the use of sulphur. Using
another's magic was dangerous though, so Plevinon tucked the potion away
again.
It was close to evening when Plevinon returned to the monastery and was
greeted with silence. But below the serene state of the outside walls
there was destruction. The large double doors leading to the inside stood
open. One monk lay dead just outside and the smells of death and smoke
hung in the air.
"What has happened?" Plevinon boomed.
Somewhere close by, the sound of falling pottery could be heard and not
much later one of the monks rushed into the hallway. Plevinon recognised
Aridwen's attendant and waited since the young man looked unusually
spooked.
"We don't really know. The first week everything was fine. But then
strange things started happening. Lights flickering. Disembodied voices in
the hallways. Whispers and disease. Master Sermillion and Tressen went out
to get help but they have not returned and things only got worse. I don't
think there are many healthy monks left."
"You think?" Plevinon asked incredulously.
"Everybody's scared and they don't seem to trust each other."
"But you seem fine." Plevinon accused.
"Master Aridwen gave me one of his charmed rings so I could take care
of him. He told me he'd been visited by the previous masters, both Serxes
and Rialon and they told him all was lost and the order would perish. They
took the amulet with them and Master Aridwen told me that we are sitting
ducks."
"With the door open of course we are. There's a dead body just
outside. See that he gets his last rights."
Plevinon stared down the young attendant until he complied. It didn't take
a genius to figure out Sermillion and Tressen had doublecrossed him.
Serxes was Sermillion's father and it had been Rialon's grandson who'd
fathered Tressen. The family resemblance was there.
Plevinon started down the hallways leading to master Aridwen's chambers.
But before he could get close he was confronted with an eerie feeling.
People were watching him. Voices whispered just around the corner. Some of
it was an enchantment surely, but among the wisps of hallucination,
Plevinon caught very real people. Monks he'd once trusted who now looked
at him with preying eyes.
Before long, Plevinon found himself trapped in front of a makeshift
barricade. Going back was no longer an option as half a dozen monks seemed
intent on capturing the intruder they had forgotten. Plevinon hadn't known
Sermillion to be so powerful. But maybe it was the amulet that had
enhanced his magic. Whatever it was, he needed to get out or his life was
forfeit.
There were too many adversaries and he was still recovering the energy
he'd spent chasing and battling Arisen. The cold reality was that he was
out of options. The potion he'd swiped from Arisen was burning a hole in
his pocket. It was madness. But apparently there was little else left in
the order of Luxior.
Throwing the potion, Plevinon held on to the hope that just maybe his
assailants would be sucked into the vortex but he was not that lucky and
was sucked into the portal which closed right behind him. Space rushed by
and there was no way of knowing where he'd end up. He hadn't used the
potion at the appointed time nor place.
After a while the rushing slowed and Plevinon could see images through the
walls of the vortex. Dark space, then flashes of light, even smells
sometimes wafted through the little wormhole. When Plevinon heard the
splashing of water he decided it was time to break through. If there was
water, chances were good he'd land safely.
The mage of Luxior tore a gash into the vortex wall with his wand,
breaking the tool in the process. But if it saved his life he'd be able to
find a new one. Without a second thought, Plevinon dove through the tear
and fell.... and fell... and wondered what was wrong with the world as the
water streamed up in stead of down and land floated above him in the
air.
Something caught hold of his robe and pulled him out of the water.
Plevinon crashed unceremoniously onto the ground, feeling pain in several
bodyparts.
"Where am I?" he wheezed.
"Welcome to the Empyrean Stair." someone told him, "It's
best not to linger too long in the Kaidan Akala. It warps things. Come
along and I'll show you around."
Continue to the Empyrean Stair Hatching