"I refuse to believe that my people are a result of some dumb, wizards' magic!" Telon roared after he had returned to his original shape.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Ott yelled back at him in a rage.
"That's right, you old fraud. You can't do magic worth a eel's egg. How can we tell if your story tellin' is any better?" he glared at the old wizard, his chin stuck out at an angle that begged someone to swing a fist at it. Ott was willing, he took a swing. Telon stepped back and the old one spun around in a circle when he couldn't check his swing.
"I learned the legend word for word from my old teacher. The words haven't changed one bit over all these years. It is a matter of pride with wizards to pass on past history correctly." Ott drew himself up haughtily.
"It sounds like you wizards messed up an perfectly good planet to me." Telon shot back.
"Zap me to Dabi, you hairy fool!" Ott screamed. He disappeared in a puff of smoke then reappeared almost instantly with a new tan on his pale features and a cup of fresh squeezed cold berry juice in his hand. "I blew myself into last week and decided to stay until the right time to return." he said self-consciously. "You don't want to risk meeting yourself in time."
Nafon looked at the prince. He wondered how the tiny man felt about the legend. For his own part, he was less than proud of his wizard's blood. The tale of Khorra's bride haunted him, perhaps it was only because of his own mother's mysterious past. He couldn't stop thinking about her. Could it be that she had broken free from her ice prison eventually and found herself in a world thousands of years ahead of her own time? Could she have wondered why her wizard husband had deserted her? Could she have found herself with child and found her way into the small village of Zia on a cold, dark night, only to lose her life giving birth to a son?
"How we were made is unimportant, Telon." the price said softly. "Whether the legend is true or not, I, for one, am not unhappy with what I am. I would not trade my wings for your great size. I doubt that you would trade your strength in order to fly. The legend changes nothing. But true or not, we have to go forth prepared to do battle with this Mevix. Nafon did see these sliobs. If they are real, perhaps their master is, also."
"We need some kind of protection for our eyes and some way to get fresh air." Telon said seriously, his military mind automatically fastening on the problems of war.
"I could be of help there." Ott said sipping his drink. He was well rested and in a better mood after his week's vacation in Dabi. He pulled a fine veil out of his long sleeve.
"I've seen better magic at a local fair." Telon growled angrily. He squatted down and began to scratch a map into the soft earth with a stick. "We enter the foothills here.." he began.
"Here." Ott handed the veil to Quago. "Put it on, my dear."
"It's lovely." she sighed when she saw the fineness of the material. She draped it over her curls and let it fall over her face. A fresh breeze blew against her skin like a soft caress. She looked at Ott in surprise. He nodded his white head and smiled softly to himself. When the magic worked, it was a wonderful thing.
"It works!" Quago said excitedly. She had each of the men try on the veil. Even Telon was impressed. Ott came forward while they were testing the veil and drew a few corrections on the Teliat's map. Telon growled a warning at him but when he saw that the old man had merely filled in some blank spots, he grunted a grudging approval.
"Mount Oaik should lie here." Ott said, marking the spot with a star. "If anything about the legend is true, that is where we will find the Mevix."
They broke camp a little after midday and headed northwest toward Segat. There was a smooth road of sorts where the miners had flattened out the land over years of hauling their precious ores. The road took them to the only place in the Naus River where a man and runner beasts could ford. They camped that night on the east bank of the river.
Quago found that she couldn't sleep that night and she left her sleeping mat and walked out of camp to stroll along the river's edge. The moons overhead were bright and the night birds called eerily to one another from the branches over her head. The river rushed by, making a soothing gurgling sound as it crashed into great boulders that rested along the shore. The air was sweet here with blossoms from the trees. At the Naus River there was no sign that all as not well with the world. Quago sighed and looked up into the heavens. Was poor Khorra up there somewhere in the night?
Norfy fluttered up beside her and set down gently. Though he was smaller than the men of her people, he was powerfully built. He had broad shoulders and narrow hips. His face was handsome and strong. His hair was deep green and lay about his head in soft curls. His eyes were golden like honey in the sun. There was no meanness in his bearing only nobility and great gentleness.
"Weren't you able sleep, either?" he asked her quietly. Her large green eyes searched his for understanding.
"No. The legend haunts me. I can't believe what we might find in those mountains, even if only the slightest portion of it is true. How do we fight non-life? How can you kill something that never lived, Norfy?" she asked earnestly.
"Maybe with life?" he said gently and broke off a branch of blooms from a nearby bush and offered her the sweet flowers. She smiled and took the branch into her hand. The sweet fragrance filled the air.
"Thank you, kind warrior." she said with a deep curtsey. Norfy took her hand and gently pulled her to him.
"You are welcome, fair lady." he said then he kissed her tenderly. She looked at him in surprise. Then tentatively, Quago ran her long golden fingers through his dark, green curls. He smiled at her.
"Would you do me the great honor of letting me wear your banner into battle, kind beauty?" he asked of her gallantly. She considered for a moment and then unfastened the slender, golden chain around her neck and placed it about his.
"It is you that do me a great honor, noble sir." she said softly and kissed him back. They stood together for a space of time, face to face, her hands resting in his. He took the branch of flowers from her hand into his own. He twisted it into a circle then he placed it around her neck to replace the chain of gold that she had given him. Then without any more words between them, they returned to camp. Quago, to find sweet dreams to fill her night and Norfy, to watch away the long hours slowly crawl by.
In the morning they crossed the mighty Naus River. They decided to leave their runner beasts for fear of the snails that could come up from the very ground. Desiage carried Ott as well as his rider. While Meib carried Telon and Quago, much to Telon's very vocal distress. The two small Tekians flew on ahead to serve as scouts.
The road lead them on toward the foothills and soon they had to don their misty veils that Ott had conjured up for all of them, even the snakes. When they reached the outskirts of Segat, they detoured around the ghost town where the white flags still fluttered and moved on toward the waiting mountains. The dark peaks seemed to warn them away.
Prince Rejro and Norfy circled back with news of a large opening in an old volcano. Ott declared this to be Mount Oaik from the descriptions in the ancient records. The flying men led the great snakes to the forbidden place. Once inside of the opening, there were two separate caves running off of the same entrance. Nafon and Ott chose to follow the tunnel to the right. The others moved down toward the left. All of them carried a supply of thorns that Ott assured them would kill the sliobs on impact.
Several hundred yards on the left tunnel branched again. Telon and Quago went on down the larger opening while Norfy and the Prince flew down the smaller track. Meib was forced to crawl on her stomach like a snake in these tight holes. Everyone watched intently for an sign of the giant snails. They had seen no slime tracks so far in the dead volcano. Still, all of them kept their darts ready in case of attack.
It was exhausting business moving through the dark. Ott had given them globes to wear that cast some light but the very blackness of the mountain seemed to drain even that small source of light. Quago found to her delight, that her necklace of flowers seemed to glow with a light of their own. So she lead Telon and Meib along their dark road into the center of the black mountain.
They reached a large cavern. The floor here was solid rock. There were no breaks for the sliobs to gain entrance. Quago checked for another opening to the right while Telon moved to the left. About half way around the cavern, Quago spotted an opening overhead. Meib flew up to it and said that there was another tunnel but that it was too small for the winged snake. Quago climbed up the rough black stone until she reached a small ridge. She caught her breath for a moment there and then started upward again.
All of a sudden the cavern floor erupted and even the very walls shook with the force. Meib roared her defiance at the explosion of snails on the cavern floor. Quago lost her grip and fell fifteen feet to land with a sickening thud on the small ledge where she had rested just moments before. She knew a moment of fear, then pain and then she knew no more.
Telon used his mighty sword hand to pitch the darts with deadly precision at the attacking sliobs. As soon as the thorns hit, the creatures screamed and slowly dried up into a stinking mass of slime. There were so many though that Telon was kept exceedingly busy for some time. He had had no time to check on Quago although he could hear Meib's pitiful cries. The winged snake was safe enough in the air. He hoped that Quago was well above and save in the cave that she had thought that she had found.
Finally the snail attack seemed to slow slightly and Telon caught sight of Quago out of the corner of his eye. She was laying still upon a ledge with one long arm hanging down. One of the black monsters had crawled up a boulder and was within inches of reaching that innocent hand. Meib screamed helplessly from the air nearby. If she attacked, she would die and the snail would still kill Quago.
Telon turned to throw when a last snail burst up through the ground almost at his feet. He had one dart left and only an instant make his decision. He shot his dart into the snail as it stretched itself toward Quago.
The snail at his feet latched itself onto his leg. A great scream was torn from his mighty throat at the incredible agony. A black cloud cut off his breathing, lights exploded in his brain as the living tissue died. His life was sucked ruthlessly away.
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