The Wicked House of Caroline

“This isn’t just a hole that opens into a cavern, it’s a legitimate entrance,” Beks said as the last of the light pearls across from her illuminated. She counted forty-eight narrow columns around a massive oval shaped room. Each column appeared to be the same distance apart as the ones on either side of the entrance.

Just like she’d seen in Gurani and Aceria, the columns had metal sconces protruding about a quarter of the way down from the top containing a light pearl. That was only the level which they were on. More light pearls glowed below, from thicker columns supporting the upper level.

The rushing water they heard was from a river coursing through the cavern via a stone aqueduct. From their height, Beks wasn’t sure how wide or deep it was, but she recognized the flat area on the other side of the river.

With various round pools with spouts, slanted stone with ridges, and stone benches not far away, it was reminiscent of the communal laundry pools on Gurani. Beks’ jaw was dropped just a bit as she stared below in awe. Of all the places they’d stumbled into, she never thought that such an impressive room was a glorified laundry pool.

“Are those what I think they are?” Laz asked as he squinted.

Gerard nodded. “We’re at least three stories up. Why would three stories be necessary for laundry facilities?”

“It’s communal. There is more than one washing station,” Lucian said. He scratched his head a bit. “But I’ve never seen a laundry pool this big...if we’d dare call such a building that.”

“My lady, give us a few more minutes,” Rid Callan told her from down the steps he had created on her right. “It shouldn’t take me too long to finish some rough stairs.”

“Rid Callan, my lady, Your Highnesses,” Efran said in a sheepish voice. He lifted the lantern Beks had given him over the left side of the entrance. “There is a ramp here.”

The cavern went quiet save the rushing of the water below. Rid Haal winced. “Well...that’s embarrassing.”

“But how do we get to it?” Rid Norddottir said with furrowed brows. She knelt down beside the left most edge and held out her arm. The ramp Efran pointed out appeared to have been carved out of the stone in a gentle slope that coiled around half of the cavern to connect to the laundry pools across from them.

While there was no railing, the ramp appeared wide enough for a few people to walk shoulder to shoulder and a groove had been carved along the interior wall precisely at waist height, likely to be used as a support.

Beks looked down from the edge of the entrance. There was no extra protruding space that extended past the columns; it was a sheer drop. To get to the ramp, they’d have to take a careful step to the side to reach it from the mouth of the entrance.

“It’s possible that at one point, there was more space here,” Lucian said. “However, I don’t know what happened. There doesn’t seem to be any significant debris below that could’ve resulted in part of the ramp collapsing.”

“The rest of the ramp is carved out of the stone walls. Unless that entire portion of the stone wall falls, the ramp will be fine,” Laz replied. He pointed towards one end of the cavern and then at the other. “Only the side with the ramp goes over the water source. The rest seems to drop down into a drainage area.”

“Rid Callan, can you bridge the gap? Beks asked the eldest of the group. The man nodded and climbed up the few steps he’d made to get back to them. Beks put her hand on his shoulder to refill his well. She tilted her head to the side.

The contact was brief, as that was all she needed to do, but this was the first time she’d felt how empty another person’s biha well was. She didn’t feel that not long ago, when she refilled his well to make sure he had enough in case of any emergencies in the tunnel. She snatched her hand back and looked at it.

When she pushed biha through her hand, the connected party’s body seemed to automatically absorb it with little downtime. It was more like a constant stream could be transferred until her biha simply could no longer be absorbed, meaning the user’s well was full. However, in that fleeting moment, she could almost see a hollow space that had two-thirds of energy left. It was full at once.

As Rid Callan studied the earth to make sure he wouldn’t move anything that could affect the integrity of the earth they were standing on, Beks put her hand on Lucian’s shoulder and released biha.

Her brows shot up. “You used a lot of energy.”

He gave her a curious look. “To light the room?” He flushed, a bit embarrassed. “I didn’t know what I was sending my light biha too until the light pearls came on, so I just released biha into the air at random.”

That was what she told him to do in hopes of his light biha affecting something in that room. Still, he only had about a third of his well remaining. Beks felt a little excited. This was the first time she’d been able to somehow sense someone’s biha well, albeit she had to have physical contact with them for a moment.

Having an idea of a person’s biha well would make it easier for her to know how much they could expend at a time.

The ground trembled a little as Rid Callan moved some stone to provide a place to step in order to reach the ramp. He stood up and clapped his hands together. “It’s ready, my lady.”

Beks gave him a nod and Gerard took the lead to go down the ramp. The surface itself was rough with some fine ridges, likely to prevent slipping. Considering that the area appeared to be a laundry facility, clothes were bound to be transported occasionally somewhat damp, and water could drip and make the floor slippery.

There was also some light dirt and dust that had accumulated, but similar to the amount in the tunnel.

“Do you think this was part of Ancient Gurani, my lady?” Efran asked. Rid Haal had muffed the flame in the lantern to conserve it for when it was needed, but Efran still held it at his side.

Beks took a deep breath. She found herself looking up and around the spacious cavern and had reached out to grab hold of the groove along the wall to guide her down. Gerard had to occasionally pull Efran further in to prevent him from wandering off the edge of the ramp while the young man was absorbed in awe.

He wasn’t the only one. Even the three Thirnir were impressed. Beks wasn’t sure if it was because of the structure itself, how well preserved it was, or because it was a place to do the mundane task of laundry.

“The architecture style is familiar. A lot of stonework, sconces, and light pearls. There are a lot of columns, as well,” she replied.

“And those are definitely areas to do laundry,” Lucian said as they crossed over the arched ramp over the source of the river. “It’s almost certain that this place has something to do with Gurani, but....” His eyes crinkled up and he appeared at a loss. “We’re not anywhere near the coast by my approximation. Right, Laz?”

“We headed in the opposite direction that we went previously to get to the mountain, so we should be even further away than when we entered,” Laz replied.

“Did you see anything like this before?” Beks asked. Gerard, Lucian, and Laz all shook their heads.

“Nothing like this, my lady. Every cave we were in was just a regular cave or crevice,” Gerard replied. “Some days, it wasn’t a cave, but just an awkward formation of rocks we could hide around.”

“But for there to be such a location as a laundry pool,” Rid Norddottir said. “It had to be used by someone.”

“And those someone had to live close by,” Lucian added. “But we’re inside a cave.”

Beks pursed her lips as they reached the other side. She stood by the foot of the ramp and looked around. The river wasn’t rushing as fast as she thought, but it was still wide enough that swimming across would take a few strokes.

“The water isn’t very deep my lady. I’d say waist height in the deepest area in the center, but the areas at the outer edges are quite shallow. Suitable for wading into and rinsing clothes,” the other woman told her, once again confirming the area’s use for laundry.

Across from them, there were more laundry facilities that were difficult to see from their angle above, but there was no ramp or bridge that led to the other side. At least, not anymore.

“My lady.” Rid Callan called out to her and she turned around. He was standing at the far end of the stone shoreline, appearing to be standing by the edge. The water from the river was diverted along a narrow, manmade stream into a reservoir. Beks and Rid Norddottir walked over and Rid Norddottir used her water biha to check out the reservoir.

The top was about as wide as half her body was tall. “It’s deep.” Rid Norddottir recalled her biha. “I think it’s a well.”

“Yes, that explains the pipes,” Rid Haal stood on Rid Callan’s other side, closer to the wall. There was a stone archway over the well and against the wall were long, protruding pieces of stone that were about the size of her forearm. Through the crystal-clear water and with the aid of a light pearl hanging directly above, she could see where they rested on top of a stone ledge, just a hand beneath the surface of the pool.

The stone structures were hollow tubes open to the water in the pool.

Beks looked at Rid Haal with some curiosity. “How did you know these stone structures are pipes?”

Rid Hall drew his head back and his eyes widened a bit. “Similar pipes are laid out all over the Sacred Valley, my lady. They bring in water from the river to feed into the city’s various wells.”

“In Kadmus we use metal pipes,” Lucian said. “At least on the royal grounds.”

“But to think they’re made of stone....” Efran whispered. He stiffened. “During some excavations, we found many lines like this, but they were broken. Perhaps they were pipes to bring water into the buildings?” He looked over at Beks to see if she could validate his suspicion.

Beks nodded slowly. “That may be so. I’m afraid I didn’t pay attention to such mundane things like plumbing. In Aceria, we had to pump water from the well in the shared courtyard.”

“It may be that these pipes only bring water to communal wells in the surface,” Lucian said, following the stone pipes that seemed to disappear into the wall above them.

“There are stairs here, behind this wall.” The handful of people by the reservoir pool turned around and saw Laz standing to one side and looking up a dark hall. Beks could make out two or three steps before the corridor was shrouded in darkness.

She hadn’t noticed as it blended so easily in with the wall and a column. Lucian walked towards his brother and extended his hand. Nothing happened and he frowned.

“There aren’t any light crystals there.”

“Any more or ever?” Laz asked.

Lucian gave him a helpless shrug. “I can’t tell. Rid Haal?” Their fire biha user lit the lantern once more and then walked into the corridor. As expected, it seemed to lead up a set of stairs. He kept going up, the lantern becoming smaller and smaller before it stopped.

“Dead end!” He shouted. They watched the lantern move. “Wait, no. The corridor turns. Shall I continue?”

“No,” Beks said at once. “We don’t know where that leads to and it may be as dangerous as the tunnel. We should rest before we proceed.”

“By my approximation, we’ve been walking for some time. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were close to sunset,” Sir Callan replied.

“Then, let’s camp here. Just make sure to avoid the laundry pools so you don’t get wet,” Laz said.

Beks was about to walk towards him when she heard Rid Norddottir shout. “It moved!”

“What?” Beks turned around and Sir Callan rushed over to the reservoir. “What moved?”

Rid Norddottir had a stream of water from her hand into the reservoir and narrowed her eyes. “The water is being pumped up.” She turned and looked at Beks with some excitement in her eyes. “My lady, these pipes are in use. Someone above us is using them.”

Beks took a sharp breath and turned around to look at Laz and Lucian. “Do you think it’s possible?”

“At this point, anything is possible,” Laz replied with a bit of breathlessness in his voice.

Beks nodded. “If someone is using it, there may be a chance they know about this laundry area....” She looked back towards the pipes and narrowed her eyes. “Sir Callan, use earth biha to cover the mouths of the pipes. It doesn’t need to seal it perfectly. Just enough to make getting water difficult.”

Sir Calland didn’t ask questions and stepped forward.

“Why are you sealing the pipes, my lady?” Efran asked. Gerard and the twins also looked at her with confusion.

“If we seal them off, whoever is using it will know that it’s been blocked. There may be a chance that they know about this room and will come down to check on the pipes. If someone does, they will likely be small in number and less likely to be a threat to us.”

The twins looked at each other and nodded. “It’s worth a try. We’re going to rest now, so we’re not in a rush at the moment,” Laz replied. “We can wait and ambush them.”

“You’re going to ambush plumbers?” Rid Haal asked as he crinkled his eyes.

“Your Highnesses, they are just doing their jobs....” Gerard said with a voice laced with pity.

“We’re not going to harm them.” Laz sighed with a roll of his eyes. “But if they are part of the Red Iron Cavalry, we could easily be mistaken as an enemy and be attacked before we have a chance to prove who we are.”

Lucian tried to explain. “There are only seven of us and Beks cannot properly use biha.”

“We don’t need the reminder....” Beks muttered under her breath.

Lucian stood behind her and rubbed her arms up and down to try to placate her. “Seven against an unknown number of warriors isn’t a favorable, or safe, situation. We should mitigate our risks.”

Laz nodded. “Isolating a few plumbers and asking them questions will help us gather information and prepare us for what awaits above.”

That was a fair plan and everyone nodded. Sir Callan did as he was ordered and sealed the mouths of the pipes, leaving just small enough gaps for water to trickle through, but ensuring that there would be gaps of air.

They set up their little camp closer to the wall. Lucian stood in front of the wall and leaned forward. He touched the wall and began to brush aside some of the dust on it. His brows shot up.

“Beks, look at this,” he said, calling her over. She turned her head towards him and handed her water jug to Efran to fill. “There is writing on the wall.”

Beks stepped closer, also running her hand against what she thought to be a flat, but worn surface. Sure enough, there were grooves along the wall in set patterns and after clearing off some accumulated dust, she was able to read the characters. “This is High Berup, the written language of ancient Gurani.”

“What does it say?” Gerard asked with some awe.

Beks drew her lips inward as Lucian snickered.

“Laundry facilities are open at all hours, but must be shared. No more than three persons per washing pool at a time. Children must be watched for their safety. Take all belongings with you when you leave. Items left behind will be discarded,” Beks said, holding back some laughter.

“You mean all of this....” Laz said, waving his good hand in front of the wall. “Is a code of conduct for using the laundry pools?”

Beks nodded. “What did you expect?”

“It’s so...boring,” Rid Haal said, earning nods from the others. Beks laughed.

“Not everything ancient is sacred, and shrouded in mystery and ceremony,” she replied. “Most things are just everyday places and objects used by the common people.”

“But, the island is off the coast and it took us a day and a half just to get to the entrance of the canyon, by donkey cart,” Gerard said as he seemed to count off his fingers. “And days to get this far weaving through the canyon. How can ancient Gurani structures be this far inland? We didn’t reach the tunnel that took us to the island for weeks.”

“To be fair, you were traveling slowly with an injured person and we had to be very careful to avoid predators,” Lucian reminded him. “And there were some days we didn’t move at all.”

“Gah-ruhn, that is ancient Gurani, wasn’t an island,” Beks told them. “It was a peninsula. All we know is that part of it sank into the ocean, which probably left the island as we know it now. We don’t know how far inland it actually went. We entered through a roundabout way, but it’s very possible that at one point, part of the Forbidden Valley was part of Gah-ruhn.”

“Or all of the Forbidden Valley was part of it,” Laz replied, catching her eyes. “At the time, there weren’t many settlements in the region, let alone kingdoms or principalities that cut up the territory. If I remember my history, there wasn’t a peninsula this far west even during the tribal days.”

“At that point, the land that connected the island to the mainland sunk into a sea,” Lucian said.

Laz let out a low breath. “But aside from the Red Iron Cavalry, we don’t know of any other group that lived, or has lived here.”

“There must’ve been a reason...we just don’t know what,” Beks said. “Although now, I can see that Aceria tried its best to replicate what they could of their ancestral homeland.”

“Yes, Aceria’s coastal fortifications were quite impressive,” Rid Callan said. Beks looked over at them. “Sometimes, we explored the city, my lady. Aceria is not very large, but it must’ve been well defended to have survived against such coastal empires, like Paraxes.”

She nodded. “Gah-ruhn was such an advanced civilization; I should’ve known it couldn’t have been confined to a single island.”

“This also explains the large and strange flora and fauna here,” Laz said.

“Are they similar to the ones on the island, Your Highness?” Efran asked.

“A bit, mainly in size. The toxicity; however....” He narrowed his eyes.

“The upside is that if there are remnants of a civilization here, then it would’ve given the Red Iron Cavalry some resources to survive,” Beks said. “Let’s give our bait a few hours and see if anyone comes down. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to prepare well. If not, at the very least, we can rest and refresh ourselves.”

“I’ll prepare what we have to eat,” Laz said. “Rid Haal, some fire.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Efran, come here,” Rid Callan said as he waved over the young man. “You have excellent precision, so I believe you will be able to use earth sensitivity.”

It seemed that Rid Callan believed that Efran had promise. It wasn’t that the old Thirnir didn’t want to train others, but he didn’t want to waste his time. He was a busy man. During their time, though Efran didn’t use earth biha often and mainly focused on smaller tasks, he always practiced when he could.

He’d figured out how to manipulate stone in the canyon to create shelter, though it was a biha consuming process and he had to do it little by little. Laz would finish preparing their meal by the time a shallow cave made from three pieces of stone was ready.

Still, Beks was relieved that Rid Callan thought Efran’s precision could be put to good use. Earth sensitivity was one a biha-intense variant that didn’t require moving earth. Instead, one’s biha was carefully woven through tiny orifices within the earth, like water seeping through porous stone. The user’s biha would then emerge at one end and wrap around a small area like a small, unseen carpet.

Visibility of the location was not needed, as the biha moving could paint a picture in the user’s mind. At least, that’s what Beks had read. When that layer of biha was disturbed with enough pressure, usually a sizable living creature steps on it, then the biha shift will alert the user that someone had passed.

It was a warning system.

The two spent the rest of their time setting up earth sensitivity layers along the stairs. It was mostly Rid Callan; Efran was just learning how to use his biha to penetrate, but not damage, earth.

When Beks fell asleep in a spot behind one of the stone benches, they were still going through the fundamentals of earth sensitivity.

She felt as if she’d just closed her eyes when she was suddenly jostled awake. Her eyes opened, but she immediately frowned. She was sure she opened her eyes, but everything was dark and she couldn’t see anything from where she lay.

“Shh...” Lucian’s hand rose and covered her mouth as he held her against him. He was pushed up against the wall with Beks wedged between him and another familiar warm body.

Laz was no longer lying beside her, but as she reached out, she felt him beside her, kneeling.

“Stay down,” Laz whispered. Beks couldn’t tell where he was looking, but it seemed to be towards the stairs.

“One of Rid Callan’s sensors was triggered far above us. We don’t know how far it is, but I turned off the remaining lights,” Lucian whispered. “Don’t panic.”

She heard someone whisper three and assumed three people were coming down. Beks craned her neck to try to listen in the dark. All the light pearls were turned off and all she could hear was the rushing water that was so close to them. It drowned out her unsteady breathing or any subtle rustling.

Because of the river noise, she saw proof of visitors before she heard them. A faint orange glow appeared against the stone floor at the base of the stairs, just around the corner of the wall. As the light grew brighter, she heard voices and strained to hear them.

At first, it sounded like gibberish and melted with the running water from afar, but as they got closer, some words became more pronounced.

Around her, Lucian’s grip became tighter and she felt him take in a deep breath before tensing. On a few words alone, she could identify spoken Langsher.

A lantern appeared and created a shadow around three slender figures. One was holding the lantern while another was holding a bag, which could possibly have been tools or something to use on the pipes.

As expected, they walked directly to the reservoir and the one in the middle knelt down.

“Move the lantern over the water.”

“Just take it.”

“What is that? Are those rocks?”

“Did they get stuck?” Several voices of confusion rang out and all three young men crouched as close as they could get to the base of the pipes.

Beks tried to lift her head so she could watch them.

Before she could see what they were doing, the lantern went dark.

“Did you blow it out-”

“Ah!”

“Something has me!”

“What’s going on?”

Their screaming voices filled the cavern and Lucian released Beks at once. He raised his arms and she felt biha released, though this time directed towards where the nearest light pearls were.

The space around them illuminated and three confused young men were half kneeling or hunched over the water, their legs frozen in place. They seemed to pale as they were surrounded.

One of them shrank back. “Who are you?”

“Never mind who they are! Blow the horn!”

Laz jumped from his crouched position beside Beks. “Stop!” He yelled in Langsher, but the panicked young man had already lifted an animal horn to his lips. “Gerard!”

The large man who’d been pasted against the wall jumped out. The low, booming sound of a horn filled the cavern, echoing off the walls. Gerard moved his arms and seemed to grab at something. The horn suddenly weakened and trailed off before being silenced. Confused, the young man holding the horn removed it from his mouth to look at it, only to have Rid Haal snatch it and toss it to the side.

Rid Callan let out a sharp breath and whipped his head towards the stairs. “More are coming!”

“How many more?” Rid Norddottir asked.

“It doesn’t matter!” Beks said as she stood up. “Grab our things! Get back to the entrance!”

“What about these kids?” Rid Callan asked.

Laz grabbed one of them over his shoulder. “Take them with us!”

Beks grabbed what she could and ran up the ramp, yelling for the others to follow her to higher ground in order to put distance between them and the reinforcements.

“Hurry!” Efran skidded to a stop just past the arched bridge over the source of the river. As soon as Gerard, who held one of the other young men over his shoulder passed, Efran stepped back and used earth biha to split the stone bridge and move the individual stone blocks in a pile on their side, creating a wide gap difficult to cross.

“Efran, come quickly!” Beks shouted.

“Yes, my lady!” Flushed and out of breath, Efran ran up the rest of the way. Rid Norddottir grabbed his arm and pulled him up before covering the ramp with a sheet of ice.

“Who are you?” one of the young men asked in a panic.

“First, who are you?” Laz asked in sharp Langsher.

“Let us go!” Instead of being answered, the young men demanded to be released. They were piled to one corner and Rid Haal had tied their wrists together with the straps of a bag.

“They’re coming!” Rid Callan stood to the side, eyes narrowed and preparing to move. Beks rushed to refill everyone’s biha wells before being forced further back in the tunnel.

Yelling was heard below and Beks managed to get close enough to see six people pour of the stairs. She could hear the shock and confusion in their voices as they realized the cavern was brightly lit; however, it was short lived. A moment later, the accidental hostages began screaming for someone to save them and the attention of the six men below turned towards the entrance.

“Will you shut up?” Gerard yelled. “How can we communicate if you’re screaming?”

Beks heard the sound of something cutting through the air and before she could identify it, Gerard had his arm up and had snatched an arrow that would’ve reached inside and hit Efran. Efran choked back a gasp as Gerard turned back, snapping the arrow in his hand and yelling.

“Gerard, hold!” Laz ordered. “Fall back!” She hadn’t noticed the arrow in his good hand until he tossed it to the ground. Lucian had grabbed one of the hostages and pulled him to his feet. He dragged him forward, close to the edge with a dark look on his face.

“Stop or they will pay the price for your ignorance!”

Beks stood behind them, pursing her lips in a line as she found herself in a situation she didn’t think she’d be in, as a hostage taker.

“Wait! Wait, don’t shoot!” the young man paled, terrified as Lucian seemed to prepare to dangle him over the edge.

Once more, Beks found the situation surreal. Lucian, her sweet fiancé who had studied to be a priest, was holding a hostage who looked as if he were about to cry at any moment.

“Put your weapons down!” Laz shouted to the archers below. He narrowed his eyes and the cavern seemed to grow darker. “You don’t have a choice.”

The archers didn’t lower their bows and Beks frowned. “This isn’t working. Rid Callen, get a good look at the placement of their feet. As soon as Lucian darkens the light pearls, encase their legs with stone. Rid Nordottir, encase their upper bodies with ice. Rid Haal distract them with fire.”

“Yes, my lady!”

Without taking her eyes off the six archers with their bows still aimed, Beks gave the order. “Now!”

He lifted up his good arm and Laz narrowed her eyes. She felt slight being coming from both men and found that the cavern grew dark almost as if the light pearls covered with thick black cloth to prevent them from shining. Typically, light pearls faded in brightness. The duration of the fade varied, but it was still gradual and noticeable, not instantaneous.

Her surprise was drowned out by the yelling of the archers below. Without light, they couldn’t see, but it made the unseen biha used against them even more terrifying. Just as they were begging them to stop, Beks ordered the light pearls activated once more.

Though some had moved back from where she remembered seeing them before the lights went off, the Thirnir had managed to incapacitate all six archers. Stone anchored them to the ground and ice had wrapped around their bodies. Their weapons were frozen against them, at their sides.

“Now what?” Gerard asked.

“Now, I get my questions answered.” Beks stepped forward and let out a small cough to clear her throat. “Who are you people?”

“Let us go!”

“We’re not letting anyone go until you tell us who you are. You are speaking Langshe, are you from there?” Beks asked with narrowed eyes. They moved down towards the weapons still gripped in their ice-incased hands. “Composite bows are the weapon of choice for the mounted cavalries of the empire.” She lowered her voice so only those with her could hear them.

“Shall I bring one to you, my lady?” Rid Norddottir asked. Beks gave her a nod and the older woman stepped forward. She raised her hands and with precision, she created a water spear.

As she grasped it in her arm and began to lean her shoulder back, Beks’ eyes widened. “Um...Rid-” The spear was throne and Beks grimaced, unsure what to expected, but preparing for the worst.

The ice spear slammed into the ice surrounding one of the archer’s arms and turned into water on impact. It broke off the chunk of ice around the archer’s hand before circling around their clenched first. The archer let out a cry and dropped their bow. As soon as they did, the water snaked down, wrapped around the bow, and froze.

A tendril of water rose from the river, grabbed the bow’s frozen portion, and lifted it up to the entrance where they stood.

The process had been so smooth and efficient, even the hostages looked stunned.

“I can see why Daddy made me take you,” Beks said in a dumbfounded voice as Rid Norddottir took the bow in her hands and presented it to her. “Thank you.”

She took the bow and examined it a bit before showing it to the twins. Their appraisal was immediate. “It’s a composite bow made in the traditional style,” Laz told her, before handing the bow to his brother.

“Young archers learn to make their own bows. It helps them learn to maintain and repair them, as well,” Lucian said. The twins met her eyes. “They are from Langshe.”

Beks took a deep breath and nodded. The hostage was returned to the other two and guarded by Rid Haal and Efran. Lucian took the bow and weighed it in his hands. He looked down and picked up the arrow his brother had discarded.

Without a word, he notched the narrow and aimed below.

Beks didn’t stop him. She couldn’t. His movement was so fluid, as if he’d done it a million times over. Before she could open her mouth, his fingers released the arrow. She didn’t see it fly across the cavern, but she did find it sticking up at an angle, with part of the tip embedded in the ground between the feet of the most center archer.

She swallowed hard and looked back at the man who shot the arrow. Her face heated up a bit as her heart rate spiked.

“We won’t ask you again,” Lucian replied. “Who are you and why are you here?”

The center archer appeared to be the oldest in terms of height. He had a slight beard and appeared the least shaken of the group.

“We are from Langshe,” the man replied. “Are you not? Why harming your countrymen?”

“We were lost in the canyons and chased by dogs,” Laz told them. “We ran into a tunnel and found ourselves here. We were resting when these young men arrived. We didn’t know who they were and how they got here; you can’t blame us after being lost and on alert for ensuring our safety first.”

His explanation was very plausible. If they lived here, they would know how easy it was to get lost as well as the formidable animals of the valley. Laz’s reasoning for being defensive also made sense. They were all tense and on guard, afraid that something else would happen. And something did.

It was best that for the time being, Laz didn’t tell them about their real reason for them being there. Even if those people were from the Red Iron Cavalry, after so many years, Beks didn’t know how they felt towards Uncle Timur for leaving them there, let alone his sons who inherited the entire military force. If they were bitter and resentful, it posed an even larger problem than if they were no longer in good condition.

Beks stepped back, telling Efran in a quiet voice not to reveal who they were and also repeating the same to the Thirnir in Sagittate.

“You will forgive us for being so wary, but after we’ve fled from wild dogs, nearly losing our wife, we have reason to be,” Lucian said. Beks resisted the urge to look over at him and ignored the blood and heat rushing up. Thankfully, the Thirnir didn’t know Langshe, else she didn’t know how her father would take it when she was suddenly called someone’s wife.

“We don’t want to hurt anyone. We just want to leave this place,” Beks said.

The head archer was quiet for a moment, as if considering their options. He narrowed his eyes. “Can you assure their safety?” He seemed to be talking about the hostages.

“We will release everyone. As a show of good faith, we will release you six first. If you show any aggressive behavior, you will be worse than you are now.” She narrowed her eyes. “Our guards are all biha users..”

They currently had the advantage and the lead archer conceded. Beks gave her the two Thirnir to the side a small nod and the word ‘release’ in Sagittate. They didn’t hesitate or ask questions, but withdrew their attack. The ice melted at once, then seemed to plop to the ground like a slushy puddle before sliding into the river.

The stone around their feet retracted back into the ground. Almost as soon as they were free, the archers struggled to shake off the numbness from their arms and pointed their bows again, except for the one missing his and the lead archer. The leader of the group held out his arms and ordered them to put their weapons down. He then looked back at them, as if asking if they saw his sincerity.

“Do we have an accord?”

Beks nodded her head once. “We have an accord.”

Though they didn’t untie their hostages, and Laz, Rid Calland, and Gerard carried them back to the laundry area like sacks of wheat after removing the ice sheet and rebuilding the bridge, the three young men were unharmed.

The lead archer told them to check on the pipes once they were free, and assured them that they would make sure they are safe. He and Laz stood across from each other and began to exchange information. Beks paid attention in silence, but became surer than ever that these individuals had to do with the Red Iron Cavalry. The more the two men talked, the more at ease the atmosphere became.

Laz even went out of his way to explain why foreigners were with him and his brother; they were sent to guard by their father-in-law for their wife. Beks stared at the back of his head, wondering when they had gotten married. When everyone seemed much more relaxed, and Beks had Rid Callan ‘fix’ the pipes to allow for water to be drawn up, Laz explained what help he needed.

“We only want to leave this place. Can you take us out? We will not stay long; we have homes to go back to,” Laz said. “My twin and I just married our wife and were taking her to the coast when we were attacked. This is all that remains of our guard.” He made a vague hand motion to the biha-users.

The lead archer took a deep breath. “We can take you to the surface, but you will have a difficult time returning to the valley floor.”

Laz didn’t ask why. “We will find our way. If you have somewhere safe to stay for the night, please let us know.”

“There are not many dangerous animals this high up,” the man replied. “However, as countrymen, you can stay at our eastern camp. There, we have a village elder.”

Beks glanced at Laz and gave him a small nod of her head. If they were elders, they may have known Uncle Timur.

“Then I will thank you in advance,” Laz replied. “What is the fastest way to get through the mountain? Can we go around it? Do we need to go over it?”

The man let out a heavy breath. “There is only one route down to the valley, but in order to reach that path, you must first go up.”

“Up? But we want to go down.” Beks frowned.

“If you want to leave that is your only true choice. However, once you reach the main camp on the plateau, they will be able to assist you safely to the valley floor.”

“Main camp? Is that a village?” Laz asked.

The archer shook his head once. “That is where the cavalry trains.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

She scooped up some mutton stew with stale, but still edible bread. Where the mutton even came from, she didn’t know as they’d not passed any sort of animal pen, or livestock aside from some horses, since they came out of the tunnel.

The eastern camp where they were led took some time and a decent hike to reach. Once they climbed up what seemed like an endless set of stairs in near darkness, they finally reached a hall. The stairwell was large and Gerard assured her that there were air vents around the stairs when she asked what the chances of her suffocating while struggling to climb the last few steps would be.

Everyone with her, including Efran, seemed to have endless stamina while her legs began to burn and she began to get out of breath, but was too embarrassed to have the entire party stop so she could rest.

In the end, Laz carried her on his back and she buried her face in his shoulder in shame. He didn’t put her down until after they exited the room-sized tunnel that opened to the surface. The hall looked just like any other cave, except for the weather worn columns and the broken and missing sconces.

The light pearls were missing as well and from the charred walls, it appeared that the light pearls were replaced by torches.

When they emerged from the cave, the sun was up, but the air was cool. Beks had assumed it had to do with the elevation, though she didn’t know how far they’d gone up. They spent another half day hiking along paths with questionable safety to get to a small village of yurts and wooden structures against a mountain side.

There, the lead archer took them to the home of their elder. His face lit up as soon as he saw the twins and Beks wasn’t sure if it was because he perhaps expected something from them or if it was because they looked like they were from Langshe.

Where Laz and Lucian had the time to collaborate a backstory to explain their arrival, Beks wasn’t sure, but it was seamless, and didn’t reveal any hint that they were there to find the Red Iron Cavalry. Laz and Lucian, who resembled Uncle Timur and their Langshe background more than did their Kadmus one, especially with their eyes disguised as brown, had fabricated the tale that they were the sons of merchants.

This explained their somewhat accented Langsher. In the early years of their merchant family’s struggle, their late father arranged for them to marry the daughter of an acquaintance, but couldn’t decide which son, so he engaged both to her. They’d recently gotten married and were bringing Beks, their new wife, to their merchant base in Aceria.

Their small caravan was attacked and they fled, bringing with them only the guards sent by their father-in-law, and Efran, their wife’s pupil. The entire time the twins relayed their tale, Beks kept her gaze diverted and thanked the gods that the Thirnir, Gerard, and Efran didn’t know what the twins were saying.

The elder with a short white beard in neat, but aged clothes, had listened intently and showed sympathy that they’d been lost and on edge the last few days. He assured them that they could rest easy there; on the mountain, there were only their people and no one would harm them.

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Lucian replied with gratitude on his face as he and Laz began to bend down to bow. Beks quickly put her food down to follow them as their ‘wife’, but the old man quickly stopped them and had his children who were in the hut with them stop the twins before both their knees hit the ground.

“It isn’t necessary! Not at all!” the old man told them with a flushed, embarrassed face. “You have not had an easy journey.”

“Grandpa, is there any way for us to leave?” Laz asked with some pleading in his eyes. “We have responsibilities outside. People are waiting for us. My wife’s family....” He looked back at Beks and grasped her hand.

The old man nodded, understanding. “There is only one way to safely go down the mountain. Even then, you will be led directly into the heart of the Forbidden Valley, so you must be prepared.”

The twins nodded. “As long as we are able to return home, we are willing to take the risk,” Laz replied.

The old man took a deep breath and nodded. “Then first, you must go to the plateau, which is further from here. Satellite villages like ours only provide support for the main camp.”

“The main camp is where a cavalry is,” Laz said. “That is what Hesup had told us. Why is there a cavalry here? Are you not from Langhe?” He pretended to be confused, but the old man waved his hand to dismiss his concern.

“We are indeed from Langshe, but many years ago, our Great General placed us here to avoid being drawn into a power struggle in Langshe. When the time is right, we will return, but for now, we have settled here.” The old man had some nostalgia in his eyes. “It is peaceful on the plateau and for those of us who had spent a lifetime in the midst of a struggle amongst giants, it is a good rest.”

“Do you still plan to return?” Lucian asked.

The old man smiled knowingly. “When the time comes.”

Wisely, the twins didn’t pry further. He thanked the old man and asked how soon they could go to the plateau. They were arranged to leave the next day. It was a two-and-a-half-day hike, so they’d need to spend the night part way, at another camp along the route.

Beks gritted her teeth and spent the night trying to use biha to rub out the soreness of her legs. It was somewhat effective, but in the end, Lucian took over. If the underground river with the laundry pools wasn’t so far away, she’d return just to soak her aches away. The water that had been pumped up to the camp’s communal well was still bihar-rich, but there was no tub to soak in.

No matter how tired she was, she didn’t let anyone carry her for the next hike-filled day.

When they reached the camp where they’d spend the night, their guides arranged for them to sleep in a yurt that had been donated by one of the families. At first, Beks and the others refused to take it. The structures were limited at both camps and they didn’t want to displace a family, but the elder of that village insisted.

“You must,” he told them in a stern voice. “Because fog will come down at night and the temperatures drop.”

It was already somewhat chilly at that altitude and knowing that it would only grow colder, and that they lacked preparations to deal with the cold, they accepted the loaned yurt. Beks wrapped herself in a thick blanket and sat outside, wanting to see the fog come in.

The clouds that seemed to block the peak of the mountain were already so low that she felt that she’d touch it at any moment. When they departed the next morning, she was sure they’d have to climb through it. She assumed that the fog might’ve been an extension of the cloud.

She didn’t expect to tense in place and almost trembled as the thick fog rolled in.

“It’s the same, isn’t it?” Lucian asked as he sat behind her. He’d also stiffened in place and his arm surrounding her tightened. Beks nodded.

“It’s the same feeling as the fog that surrounds the island.” There was a certain tingle she felt against her skin.

“Do you think it’s created by stele?” Lucian asked as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “If this was once part of ancient Gurani, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’m more impressed that Uncle Timur somehow managed to not only find this place, but put an entire cavalry here,” Beks replied.

“Sometimes, I suspect that Adah was more powerful than he let on,” Lucian said as he buried his face in her shoulder. “Beks...what if they don’t accept us?”

“They will,” she told him as she rubbed his hands. “They have been waiting for you two. Don’t worry.”

They sat outside for a while longer until Laz called them inside to eat. Beks ate more than normal before curling up in a ball to go to sleep. The next morning, her body pain continued and Efran asked her if it was possible for her to use the bihar-rich fog to recuperate.

“That is an experiment we’ll have to try at another time,” Beks said as she used a hiking stick Gerard had made her to help her climb. She was told that the second day’s hike was only half a day, but it still felt like some time before they even reached the cloud layer.

Once within it, the temperature dropped once more.

However, once they climbed out of it, it felt as if the sun were so close that every piece of exposed skin could feel the heat in an instant. Beks squinted and looked up, not seeing a single cloud in the sky. She came to one conclusion: this place is madness.

If it truly was part of Gah-ruhn, had it always been like this or was all of this, from the poisonous animals, plants, and water to the rapidly changing climates, barriers of defense like the fog layer and current around Gurani Island?

And if so, where had all its people gone?

“I didn’t expect this.” She snapped out of her thoughts as they rounded a corner of the cliffside path they were walking through. The path itself was rather wide and there was even a low stone wall to one side to prevent falling off. Except for the guide, the rest of them had stopped, including the twins and a stunned Gerard who’d spoken.

Ahead of them, the road led between two boulders with a wooden gate built across them. On top of the boulders were small wooden structures appearing to function as sentry towers. The people on the tower had spears at their side and bows visible. They were wearing the thick leather padded armor of Langshe she’d seen in drawings.

Their guide didn’t hesitate to bring them directly to the gate, and the four guards on the ground greeted them. Beks kept her ears open as they chatted and, surprisingly, they didn’t seem too strict with security despite the closed gate and the towers. She suspected they’d never had visitors before, which wouldn’t be unexpected considering how secluded they were.

Their guide, the elder of the eastern camp’s eldest grandson, who’d been born in the Forbidden Valley, turned around with a look of apology. He bowed his head.

“They will need to confiscate any weapons you have, but don’t worry, when you leave the plateau to go down to the valley, they will be returned to you,” the young man told them.

“That’s fair,” Laz said with a nod. He gave Gerard a nod and Gerard untied his sheath. Beks looked towards the Thirnir, giving them a nod of approval before they also began to remove the weapons they had on their body.

A smaller door built into the gates opened, and a man walked out pulling a wheeled, wooden cart. They were to put their weapons in the cart and along with them, some of their travel supplies. They were required to show that they had nothing hidden by patting down their clothes and revealing their bare arms before their guide was given the approval to lead them in.

Beks found herself and Efran first surrounded by Thirnir and Gerard, then escorted by four soldiers in uniform. The soldier pulling the wooden cart followed behind them. In front of her, Laz and Lucian chatted with their guide and another soldier in Langshe, this time mentioning that the late Empress had passed recently.

The gates led through a tunnel under part of the mountain, but it was only twenty steps deep. The light at the end of the tunnel was bright and Beks raised her arm to shield her eyes as they stepped through.

“This is the plateau?” Laz’s voice filled her ears and she squinted.

They stopped just outside the tunnel and Beks took in a sharp breath.

She could see clear across a long, wide valley that was lush with greenery and lined with worn paths to neatly organized sections. All around them were mountain walls, but the valley sat peacefully between them with rows of what were likely barracks and stables. Wide, fenced sections had small figures running back and forth, carrying slightly smaller riders.

“This isn’t a village, this is a city,” Efran said with awe.

“Those buildings over there...I’d say those are craftsmen work areas,” Rid Callan said, looking towards the distance.

“I’m more impressed with the tiered mountains on all sides,” Rid Haal replied. Beks dragged her eyes from the grid-like city in front of her to the sides of the mountains. At first glance, they were green slopes, but she began to notice the carefully carved tiers. Crops were being grown on the mountain side.

“My lady.” Efran gave her a wide-eyed look. “There are tiers on the island, too. We are in the process of reclaiming them for farming!” His voice rose as his excitement seemed to peak. “I believe the Forbidden Valley really was part of Ancient Gurani!”

“I’m quite certain, as well,” Beks replied, more measured. She patted his shoulder. “Get a good glimpse, Efran. One day, our island will be just as bustling and lively.”

Efran beamed and smiled.

“Let’s keep going,” Laz said over his shoulder. “They want to take us to see the Commander.”

Beks wasn’t sure if the twins had chatted their way to seeing the Commander, or if their guide and the soldier arranged it without prompt, but Beks didn’t hesitate. She followed them down a path to the plateau floor. From there, an ox cart took them across the plateau, past simple, but sturdy wooden buildings.

As the soldier seated beside the driver spoke to them, Beks translated for the others. “He says that we need permission to leave once we have crossed paths. If we agree to what their Commander says, then they will escort us down to the valley, but that is as far as they will go. From there, we’re on our own.... He also said that we are the first who have made it this far into the valley since they came here.”

“When did they come here?” Rid Norddottir asked.

Beks paused for a moment, as Lucian asked the same question in Langsher. The driver replied and Beks pursed her lips. “Almost thirty years ago.” The timing was right.

The cart began to go up a small incline, towards a large wooden building. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was within a walled courtyard and there were many soldiers.

Their guide had to remain outside, but he said he would wait with their things.

The soldiers escorted the small group into a room.

“It’s certainly built like a Langshe structure,” Rid Callan said as he looked around.

“Wait here. The Commander will come soon.” The soldiers gave them an order and marched out, closing two wooden doors behind them. Gerard carefully gave one of the doors a light push and glanced back.

“Locked.”

“Don’t be too nervous,” Laz said as he led Beks to a wooden bench to sit. “We’ve come this far.”

“It’s been a bit too easy, hasn’t it?” Rid Haal asked, concerned.

“Only after we made peace with those archers,” Laz replied. “And there is a practical reason they may be so open.”

“They’re waiting for the heir of the Great Commander to return,” Lucian said. “Laz and I look more like our father than our mother. There is a chance someone might already suspect something.”

Gerard looked at them with hesitation. “How confident are you that you will be recognized, Your Highness?”

Before Lucian could answer, the doors were thrown open. All eyes turned towards the door as two soldiers flanked the door before a towering old man with gray-white hair walked in. Behind him were two other men seemingly of similar age and all dressed in more elaborate soldier’s uniforms.

All three men were frowning, appearing displeased as they stepped over the threshold. Laz and Lucian moved to the front of the group, with Lucian motioning for the Thirnir to guard Beks as he stood beside his brother.

As soon as they slipped from between the Thirnir, the old man at the head of the group stopped in his tracks. His brows shot up as his dark eyes widened. Beks heard him take in a sharp breath as he stood in place, his eyes fixed on the two identical men in front of him.

His shoulder began to shake and his knees began to give way. The soldiers guarding him seemed to notice this at once and rushed in, yelling. They surrounded the old man while two stood defiantly between the old man and the twins, spears pointed at them as they barked for them to move back.

Laz and Lucian held their ground, even frowning at the order.

The old man pulled his arms away from the guards before falling to his knees and bowing his head. His hoarse cry filled the room.

“Your Highness! You have returned!”