The Hammer - Cor Series Book I

Corvan took a step closer to the edge of the pit and Jorad’s hand came down over his eyes, blocking the sight of the smoldering orbs.

“Do not look into its eyes,” the priest commanded. “It will draw you closer and kill you.”

Corvan pressed his hands over his eyes, trying to force away the memory of the monster’s fie eyes. Blinking, he backed away from the edge, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “What is that thing?” he asked, looking away from the pit towards the cliff dwellings.

“We don’t know,” Jorad said. “It was here long before the Watcher came into power.” Jorad tapped his shoulder. “Lights are coming this way. We need to find the healer’s dwelling. I’ll take the lead, but don’t look down.”

Jorad stepped to the front of the litter and waited for Corvan to step in behind and lift Kate. As they skirted the edge of the karst, Corvan was certain his every movement was being followed. He wanted desperately to look back and the only thing that stopped him was the sight of Kate’s face. She appeared more at peace now, but her hands still tightly clasped the medallion, hiding its light. He watched her for any sign of movement. She was lying far too still for him to believe she was just resting. Was this the deep sleep Tsarek warned would come before she died?

Jorad turned to the left and Corvan looked up as the priest guided them through an area where a section of the ceiling had collapsed into the half-buried entrances of the cliff dwellings below. High overhead, where the rock had fallen away, Corvan could see patches of the amber glow of the Cor shield.

They walked through a forest of larger boulders and into the farthest corner of the cavern. Jorad stopped. He appeared uncertain of where to go next and quietly whistled a stanza from the song Corvan’s father used to sing.

A lump rose in Corvan’s throat as his thoughts turned to home. With the Cor shield so close, surely there must be another portal nearby. Madam Toreg said that the healer’s husband knew about the outer passages. He must know of some way to get back to the Castle Rock.

A voice whispered from a shadowed doorway and Jorad quickly pulled the litter and Corvan up a short stair and into an entry room. He bent to whisper urgently to a hunched form, who beckoned for them to follow, then pushed past a thick curtain. As Corvan entered the next room, a light flared and a small, twisted fire stick was inserted into a holder on the wall.

The feeble light revealed a woman so bent with age she had to twist her head sideways and peer up at him through a swatch of thin white hair. Her skin hung on her face and neck in wrinkled folds. She looked like she was on the edge of dying, but her eyes shone with vitality.

“I apologize for the lack of light. The palace has forbidden the use of fire sticks unless they are only twigs smaller than a person’s thumb.” She held up her right hand where only the four fingers remained. “They make sure you do not forget.”

She nodded through an opening into another larger room. “Put her down and let me have a look at her.”

Jorad and Corvan lowered Kate onto a low stone table that had been carved into an alcove set into the wall. The old woman knelt by Kate, then ran her gnarled fingers over the girl’s body, clucking and muttering. When she came to Kate’s wrist, she gently caressed the ugly red welts from the black band. “Ah, the young. So easily tempted by empty promises.”

She put her other hand over Kate’s cupped hands, paused a long moment, then pried Kate’s hands apart and pulled out the medallion. She held it up, the green glow lighting her wrinkled face. “So, you have finally been found, have you?”

Kate moved restlessly, her hands grasping at the air.

The old woman twisted around and looked up at Corvan. “I think I could help her better if I had the counterpart to this.”

Corvan glanced at Jorad for his approval but found the man staring intently at the medallion as it spun on its chain. Slipping the hammer free of the holster, he held it out to the woman.

The old woman took it from him as if it were made of glass, then hugged it to her chest. Blue light flowed over her face, swirling together with the green from the spinning medallion. She inhaled deeply, as if breathing in the light, then stood to her feet and straightened until her eyes almost came level with Corvan’s. A huge smile spread across her face. “Only our Cor-Van could have these in his possession. With your return, I have hope for our people once more.”

Before Corvan could respond, she bent down to Kate and held the hammer and medallion on either side of the girl’s head. The lights grew stronger. Kate’s arms and legs stiffened, and her body convulsed.

Kate’s eyes flew open, her hands flailing as if she were trying to push the light away. The old woman moved in closer and allowed Kate’s hands to wrap around her own hands. The intense light from hammer and the medallion eased. The woman released the medallion into Kate’s hand, and they watched as the girl once again cradled the medallion on her chest and wrapped both hands tightly around it.

Kate looked up, focused on Corvan’s face and smiled thinly. “I’m sorry I took your shoes,” she said. “It was cold in that cave.”

Corvan dropped to his knees on the side of the table. “It’s okay, Kate. I found another pair. I’m glad you took mine.”

“I want to go home, Corvan.” Kate whispered.

“I’ll take you home, Kate. I promise,” Corvan’s said and put his hand over hers. Kate

Kate nodded. Her eyes closed and her face relaxed.

Hammer in hand, the old woman stood to face him. “So, it is true. The Cor-Van has finally come to help us.”

He shook his head. “I’m not your leader. Corvan is the name my grandfather gave me. I can’t stay here to help you; I need to take Kate home.”

The old woman looked at him long and hard before she released the hammer into his hand. The blue glow faded as she let out a deep sigh and sank back to her stooped over form. Pulling a coarse blanket from a basket at the foot of the table, she covered Kate.

“You are correct that you must take this girl back. Although her mind is now purged of the darkness, she will not survive if she does not return to her own light. She does not belong here.” She twisted about and look up at Corvan. “But that does not mean you are not our Cor-Van. You, my boy, are a part of us. You and I must talk.”

“Is the girl able to travel?” Jorad asked.

“No. She is very weak. I need to get some nourishment in her. Perhaps Jokten can find something for her to eat without getting caught.”

Jorad turned to Corvan. “There is very little food here in the settlements. You and I should go back to the city. There is plenty of food in the storage rooms of the priest’s compound. While we are there getting food for Kate, we can find out when the next water ceremony is to take place and plan a way to rescue Tyreth.”

Corvan looked down. There was no doubt Kate needed to eat. Her cheeks were sunken, and her hands gaunt and dry. Going with Jorad to get food sounded dangerous.

Pebbles clattered outside the door. The old woman put a crooked finger to her lips, took the sputtering fire stick from its niche, and slipped into the entry room. The tattered dark curtain fell behind her, casting shimmers of light through its threadbare folds.

A man’s tense voice penetrated the cloth. “I was right; they are trying to break through the Cor shield. This clearing of new tunnels to grow food is just a ruse. They have been seeking a weak spot in the shield, and today they found it.”

“Are you certain?” the old woman asked.

“The soldiers brought the entire tunneling crew back early, all in chains. I crept close and listened. They have found a crack in the Cor shield wide enough for a person to crawl through. A report is being sent to the palace at first light to bring the Rakash. This can only bode ill for both spheres. All our work will be for naught.”

“There is always hope, my dear,” the old woman said softly. “Come and see.”

Her damaged hand pushed aside the tapestry and an old man stepped into the room. His keen eyes fell on Corvan’s face, and he drew a sharp breath. The man raised a calloused hand as if to touch him, then pulled it back. “What is your name, son?”

Corvan stared at him. Other than the white ring of thick hair around his balding head, this man could have easily passed for his father. “Kalian, sir,” he stammered.

The old man frowned. “What settlement are you from?”

The old woman pushed around the man. “He came to us from the world above. He carries the hammer.” She poked at the man’s ribs. “And the girl called him Cor-Van.”

A huge smile spread across the man’s wrinkled face, and his blue eyes sparkled. “We have been waiting a long time for you. With your help, we will bring healing back to the Cor and stop the evil from breaking out into your world.” He placed his hands on Corvan’s shoulders, his eyes brimming with tears. “I always believed you would make it back. You have arrived just in time.”

Corvan opened his mouth to protest, but a shout from outside the dwelling broke the silence. “Jokten,” an angry voice called out, “you are under arrest for treason against the palace. Come out and face your judgment.”

Jorad pulled the black knife from under his cloak, but the old man motioned for him to stand down. “Stay here,” he whispered. “Do not interfere, no matter what happens.” He smiled at Corvan. “Now that the Cor-Van has returned, my purpose is fulfilled. It does not matter what they do to me!”

He turned back to the entry with the old woman close behind. As the curtain fell, a bright light entered the porch and the old cloth blazed with dusty color. It was another piece of old tapestry flowing with angular symbols around a green tree.

“Jokten,” a gruff voice rumbled, “you have been found guilty of unlawfully consuming the food set aside for all the people.”

Jokten’s voice was firm. “I have done nothing of the sort.”

“Your fellow conspirators have testified against you. You and the entire tunneling crew are guilty. You will all be tested in the karst.”

Jokten snorted. “Tested? Don’t you mean executed?”

“You will be given a weapon to defend yourself. If you win against the beast, you shall be proclaimed innocent.”

A shadow fell across the curtain, and another man spoke in a shrill voice. “Look here, Sergeant, another proof of his treason. This tapestry must have been stolen from the priests.”

“It’s irrelevant now,” the gruff voice responded. “Old scrolls and the priest’s legends are meaningless. The High Priest is dying, and the Chief Watcher has announced that his daughter will face the Wasting at first light tomorrow. The priesthood is over.”

A dirty hand slipped through the curtain. “But who knows what else Jokten might have in here? Perhaps he has been storing his stolen food. I have not eaten for three segments.”

“I understand your need, soldier. It is mine as well. But I have been told that what we found today will bring us more food than we could ever imagine. The Watcher has promised that finding a way through the wall will fulfill all our desires.”

“But I’m hungry now.” A booted foot appeared at the bottom of the curtain.

A high shriek filled the air. “Do not take my husband from me. How will I survive? Please spare us. We are old; we will not cause you any trouble.”

At the sound of a loud slap, the hand and foot pulled back.

“Never lay your grubby hands on a palace sargeant, old woman,” the gruff voice said. “Soldier, bring Jokten along. We have a trial to conduct.”

As the sounds of the soldiers faded away, Corvan heard soft sobs from the entry room.

Jorad brushed the curtain aside and bent over the old woman, dabbing blood away from her mouth. She pushed Jorad’s hand firmly aside and leveled an unwavering stare at Corvan. “You must rescue him.”

Corvan lifted his hands helplessly. How could he possibly save Jokten from the soldiers?

“Not for my sake,” the healer said, “but for hers.” She pointed through the curtain to where Kate lay in the other room. “My husband is the only one who can guide you through the hidden passages back to the surface.” Her voice shook. “He would not tell me where the door is... for my own safety.”

Clutching Jorad’s shoulder, she pulled herself toward Corvan.

“If Jokten dies in the pit, you will be sealed in the Cor. The girl will die.”