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I was no longer mad at him nor blamedhimfor our predicament the previous night, but I was upset that he’d allowed so much to happen before telling me about the celibacy addition to the contract. I’m sure he didn’t realize that’s where our night would end up, but I was still upset.
My gaze swung to Argen, who tipped his head to me in encouragement. With one shuddering breath, I stepped up to the threshold. Another breath, and I was over it. Something shivered against my bones; it heated my blood as if testing, tasting as the Whispering Wood had done. I moved another step. The sunlight from outside slanted in, sending dust particles dancing. It didn’t smell of stone rot or decay. Instead, it smelled like ancient parchment, steel, and weapon polish. I sucked in a deep breath and investigated the dark, arched chamber. Argen stepped up beside me and whistled between his teeth. I glanced back at Sahlyn, who stood at the threshold, physically unable to move another step.
I had never thought I would make the rest of this journey without him, and a flutter of panic swept through me.
Without thought, I strode to him, twined my hand with his, and yanked. I didn't want to hurt him, but I needed him with me. His body involuntary shivered as I tugged him through the open doorway and into me. Both hands came up to steady the other, and I dropped mine from his muscled arms as if they were fire. At least he was in the chamber. No matter that he kept things from me, he was my lifeline, and I was unsure whether I could complete this quest without him. Itrusted him explicitly, despite anything else.
I didn’t allow my emotions to pull at me as I released a relieved breath and looked around earnestly. This room was just an antechamber or entryway. Onyx pillars sparkled with the sunlight that settled into the room, and massive dwarven statues lined one wall. Sarcophagus,’ possibly. I didn’t want to know.
There were ancient runes long forgotten on slats of polished obsidian. Yet, we could still feel their power, despite their age. Such a power to stand the test of time… It was impressive, and I found myself gravitating toward them. I wanted to know what the runes meant.
“Do you understand any of these, Argen?”
He came up beside me and squinted. “Seems to be a pledge or vow.Ina Die Managomeans die again tomorrow.Uiranmeans iron. The rest is a mystery.”
“Hm.”
I reached out and touched the engraved runes. They seemed to shiver against my fingertips and glow with a strange silver light.
“Do we have any thoughts on where this sword is?” Sahlyn asked inquisitively, bringing my attention back to our task.
“From the ancient maps, I’d wager it to be this way,” he said, pointing a finger to our left.
“Let’s get on with it, then.”
The tunnels were rough cut, chiseled with pickaxes, the strike marks blatant instead of smoothed. There were arching columns of onyx with veins of gold that crisscrossed the ceiling. I noted braziers on the columns held flame.
How was that possible down here where no one had been in a century?
Argen saw my skepticism and grinned. “The eternal flame of Dunvar.”
We came to an opening that lent a strange heat as we stepped inside. Then, we abruptly came to a stop. Below was a narrow canyon with a river of flame rampaging below.
I gasped in awe and heard Sahlyn’s intake of breath.
It was terrifyingly epic.
“The Flame of Dunvar runs deep and true.”
“Why isn’t it flowing in the forges of Drommgar anymore?”
“We aren’t sure, but rumor is the flames stopped a few seasons into Creedell Fang’s reign as king. Records state the flame flickered and just went out.”
“That seems unusual.”
“Aye. Creedell was unusual and sadistic. He angered the old gods, and they struck.”
My brow furrowed. “But why continue to stop the flame centuries after Creedell’s death?”
Argen lifted a shoulder. “That’s always been a question. We don’t know what caused it nor how to fix it. So many ‘ave tried and failed. It’s believed to be a curse from the gods.”
Not that I didn’t believe in the old gods, because I did, but I just didn’t believe that’s what was going on here, but it wasn’t part of our mission to reinstate the flame to the forges, so we moved away from the furious blaze below.
We continued to check tunnels for what felt like forever. Most had crumbled, and we could not safely pass through the boulders to continue. A whisper of something shivered against me as we stepped into a branch of several tunnels. A whisper of air fluttered my hair, and a shiver on my skin told me which way to go, like an archaic murmur pulling me deeper.
The others followed me without question. There was a silent, easy trust between us. Argen had never been in Mondu, so it wasn’t like he knew where we were supposed to go aside from a map he had seen a few times in his father’s rooms. Argen stated there was no blueprint of Mondu as the catacombs were a revered secret, and having blueprints around would lose the air of legendary mystery to it. He’d repeatedly stated that the dwarves just sucked at keeping records.
I took another tunnel to the right, then heard something at an entrance. A chuffing sound, and without a thought, I stepped into a massive chamber.
