Belvedor and the Four Corners (Belvedor Saga Book 1) (43 page)

“There are more bones over there too,” she said, pointing to her left. Lessa’s eyes followed along with Demetrius’ as they tore their gaze away from the lake of lava.

“Prepare yourselves…” said Jeom. “I think we have a problem.” His voice cracked as he still gazed upwards. Arianna ducked as he suddenly lifted his axe in a threatening motion towards the ceiling. “Run!” he said in a heart-wrenching scream, sprinting forward as the words spilled from his mouth.

When the others looked up, they didn’t hesitate to follow Jeom’s lead, each one brandishing their own weapons as they raced after their long-legged friend.

Scaly paws emerged from the fiery pit above, followed by large bodies dripping with magma. The animals looked like wild dogs who had stolen the skins of lizards. Their coats glistened black under the crimson of the lake they had just crawled out of, their teeth looking just as lethal. One by one, they let out long, vociferous howls that reverberated off the sun-kissed walls.

“What do we do?” shouted Lessa over the loud growls as the lavahounds slunk to the floor.

They bared their teeth, blocking the way to the exit. Lessa strung an arrow as the creatures began to surround them, and their large, silvery eyes narrowed as they recognized the threat.

“I don’t know!” said Jeom. “It’s ten to four, and I’m not sure if my axe will be enough to tame a dog from Hell.” He skidded to a halt, swinging his weapon from side to side as the hounds inched closer.

Their black coats dripped with searing lava that singed the floor beneath their paws, and their curved nails scraped at the rock beneath their feet as they analyzed their prey. As the hounds surveyed the four, the black scales of their skin began to perk up and glow a bright red.

Without warning, Lessa let the arrow loose and it whizzed forward, landing straight in the head of one of the dogs before her. The monster teetered and swayed from the sudden assault, but it did not drop. Seething as acidic slaver fizzed around its fangs, the dog took the attack as an invitation to war. It charged forward, followed by the snarling pack as it went.

Jeom lunged forward at the nearest animal. With a howl that challenged even the lavahounds’ voices, Jeom leapt into the air and slammed his axe down hard at the neck of the armored creature. It screeched in pain as a silvery liquid spilled out of the gash, but it persevered in its fight.

The hound clamped its teeth down hard around the staff of the axe, and Jeom saw the wood sizzle and crack as the saliva worked its way around the wood. “I don’t know if these things can be killed!” he said, yanking his axe back to safety before it split in half. He swung the blade down again, in the same spot on the animal’s neck. Its thick legs buckled under the pressure, and it whimpered as it backed away from the battle.

Arianna unsheathed her swords and battled three on one. The blades remained resilient against the armored coats, and they pierced their skin with ease as she sliced away at the snapping dogs. With each collision of her swords, they snarled and growled as their blood spilled all around her. Still, they never died.

As she moved in circles around the never-ending onslaughts, she began to tire out. “I’m not having any luck over here either,” she said. “What can we do?” She struggled to keep her momentum as she continued to swing her swords around. A pair of fangs came much too close to her neck as she threw her head back, side-stepping the assault of one who leapt at her front.

Lessa concentrated shooting arrow after arrow at anything that moved close to her or her friends, each one giving her momentary success as she aimed for weak spots such as the eyes and belly. Demetrius had the blade of his scythe hooked into one of the hound’s mouth. Grasping tightly to the staff, he flung the animal towards the wall, once again surprising Lessa with his sudden strength. When he brought his weapon back to examine it, he saw the blade melted a bit and deformed. He found it still proved quite effective as he slammed it into the side of the same hound that made a quick recovery from the earlier attack.

Soon, the four found themselves back-to-back, cornered and exhausted from the endless attacks. The lavahounds surrounded them as they closed in for the kill.

“No!” shouted Arianna as the four upheld their defensive position. She crossed her swords in a shield in front of her chest and felt a large tug on her energy as the lavahounds blew off their feet, slamming into the far walls. She wanted to drop to her knees, but she placed the tip of her sword on the ground, using it for balance.

“What was that?” said Lessa.

Arianna just shook her head, trying to catch her breath as Jeom hooked his arm through hers for extra support.

“We need to make a run for it, now,” said Demetrius. “We must make it to that door.” His voice never wavered, and his eyes stayed fastened to the enemies as they got back to their feet, shaking off whatever magic Arianna just produced.

“If we all attack at the same time, we can scatter them for just a moment,” said Arianna, regaining most of her strength. “Maybe make a run for it straight down the middle?” No one offered any better ideas, so she took that as a consensus.

“On three,” said Lessa as she tightened her pull on the string of her bow.

Arianna could feel her friends tense as they readied themselves for the final battle. The dogs moved in quick, so they couldn’t waste a second. “Three!” she said, pushing off of her heel with all her force.

The four let out their own variations of warrior cries as they lunged forward, releasing the full force of their weapons. The creatures flinched at the sudden assault, and Arianna led the pack as she knocked the first hound to the side with her swords. Blood spilled all around them, but the dogs always recovered, so she never stopped running.

Jeom and Demetrius followed close behind, keeping the monsters at bay as the force of their blades threw the hounds off balance. Lessa brought up the rear, aiming her arrows towards those which closed in on them from behind.

Arianna saw the exit so close, but, just when she regained a little hope, something even stranger occurred. The dogs stopped attacking, formed a circle, and began to howl at the top of their lungs. The sound was eerily beautiful, bouncing all around the walls, and Arianna couldn’t help but satiate her curiosity as she turned to assess the new turn of events. Demetrius, Jeom, and Lessa also skidded to a halt as the sound echoed in their ears.

“Oh no,” said Lessa. “Go… Run faster!” Lessa looked up to see their worst nightmare play out as the ceiling of magma began to rain down.

She shoved Demetrius forward as the river of fire began to cascade down into the cavern. It came in a waterfall that thundered behind them, racing them to the frosty door which lay ahead. The heat overwhelmed as the river met the ground, and their lungs choked in the airless room.

They reached the door and pushed, recoiling from the shock as a cool blast of air hit them full force. Tumbling through the oval door, Arianna slammed to the floor first, followed by the Kane brothers and Lessa lagging behind.

Demetrius grabbed at the soft fabric of Lessa’s cloak, yanking her with powerful force through the open door. She landed on top of the pile, and they all stared up, wide-eyed, from the floor of the next room as the river of lava flooded the sunstone cavern.

The last thing they saw of the fiery caverns was the icy gray eyes of the lavahounds melting back into the Hell they emerged from. Just as the river seemed likely to pour over the threshold, Lessa slammed the foot of her boot on the door, and it swung shut with a bang and the click of the lock. They sat and listened quietly as the mighty force of the magma crashed into the fourth door.

“You saved my life,” said Lessa, throwing her arms around Demtrius.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I owed you,” he said.

“That was far too close,” said Jeom, brushing off his robes. He stood to his feet and scanned the new room, his fingers tightening around the staff of his axe as the aftershock of the battle settled in.

Arianna shivered as she stood from the ground, pulling her cloak snug around her body and lifting her hood over her head. She let her long curls cascade down her back to warm her ears and neck as she took in her surroundings. It was ice cold.

Sliding on her leather gloves, she let her fingers graze the walls of what looked like a gigantic oval pearl hollowed out on the inside. Every surface was covered in an opaque, white frost. For the most part, it seemed smooth and peaceful aside from the biting cold. Lessa bundled Sano close to her chest as they all ambled forward.

Arianna let her eyes soak in as much as they could, impressed by the beauty of a place so frigid. The sealed cove was fashioned of pure ice all around, and the light of the lantern, which Jeom held at his waist, bounded off the frozen walls and floor. A high, rounded ceiling cluttered with giant icicles that looked like a million mountain peaks glittering up top, but Arianna almost didn’t notice them due to their transparency.

“This is extraordinary,” she said as she slid around on the frozen floor, relishing in the cold air after such a heated battle. Her heartbeat slowed to a normal pace as she began to relax. “I never thought I’d miss the cold.” She spread her arms out wide as if to welcome it.

Lessa tried to smile, but she couldn’t shake her frown. “What do you think that was all about?” she said as she smoothed out Sano’s fur. “I thought we were
welcomed
guests.”

“I have a feeling that no one has been welcomed inside these walls for a long time,” said Demetrius. “Things have obviously changed in the
great
City of Undor.” He ran his fingers along the frosted wall of the chamber as the old documents from the wooden room came to settle in his mind.

“I wonder what could’ve happened here,” said Arianna, stretching her sore muscles. “It could have something to do with the King’s cleansing of the magical world. I suppose the scroll did mention dwarves in his long list of purges.” She mused through her thoughts, recalling her interpretation of
Olleb-Yelfra the Fallen
.

“I would guess it had everything to do with it,” said Lessa.

“How so?” said Jeom. “What scroll?” He stared at the girls, waiting with his hands on his hips. He didn’t disbelieve their claims. He knew them to be true, but, unlike the others, he trusted this new world very little.

“Remember?” said Lessa. “I told you my master gave us many scrolls that discuss magic in the Golden Age, and one told of a pretty horrific history that led us here.” She leaned up against the icy door, the exhaustion starting to catch up with her.

Arianna came to rest beside her, and Sano climbed onto her shoulder, tangling a strand of hair in his paw. “To put it simply, King Devlindor wiped out everything that had to do with magic,” she said, “including entire races. It was almost three centuries ago, so it’d explain the lack of life down here. You two should have a look at it.” She started playing with Sano who now lay in her arms.

Demetrius, who also rested his back against the cold wall near the girls, slid to his bottom on the ground. Lessa and Arianna followed his example, happy to take a rest. “This place really is baffling,” he said to the girls. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Dwarves must’ve been excellent crafters to create such a fortress as this. I wouldn’t mind reading that sometime, Ara.” He gazed around the room, admiring all of the handy work it must’ve taken to shape the icy chamber as Lessa rummaged in her bag for the parchment.

“Stop!” said Jeom, clenching his fists. “There’s no time for this. Yes, it’s all wonderful and magical, but we need to get out of this maze of doors before we rot in here. Now let’s go!”

He strutted towards the next door across the sea of ice, his steps pounding with every foot forward. Out of nowhere, the room filled with a deafening crack, and Arianna’s hands flew to cover her ears. It sounded like the shatter of a giant glass window, and the floor vibrated beneath them. She heard Jeom scream as the ground collapsed at his feet, and then he was gone.

“No!” Demetrius jumped up from the floor with every intention of running to his brother, but Lessa caught his elbow. “Let me go!” he said as he tugged at her pull.

“Please wait,” she said as tears streaked her face. “You could be lost as well!”

It all happened so fast, and no one had time to think. Lessa and Arianna found it impossible to detain Demetrius in his desperation, and soon he wrenched free of their grasp, sprinting forward at full speed.

“We have to do something,” said Lessa.

“I know,” she said, “but the floor… it might not hold our weight.” Arianna racked her brain for ideas. Her heart had tumbled into her stomach the moment Jeom fell through the earth, and she couldn’t bear to watch Demetrius meet the same fate.

“Jeom!” Arianna heard Demetrius’ frantic calls as he came upon the abyss where his brother had fallen through.

A wide gash appeared in the thick ice, and Demetrius could see nothing but the firebug-filled lantern, their only light source, tumbling through the earth in a magnificent light show. The blackness swallowed it whole as he hovered over the large opening. His expression fell into shock at the sight as he dropped to his knees on the edge.