Chapter 17

Having a stranger declare they’d been waiting for her shook Avera to the core and led to her focusing on the cloaked figure. “Who are you?”

“A guardian,” replied the feminine, if mature, sounding voice.

“Guardian of what?”

“Come with me to find out.” The woman released Avera’s arm and began walking away.

“I can’t leave my friends.”

“They will be fine for the moment.” The woman kept moving.

“Hardly fine,” countered Avera taking a step to follow. “The mist is controlling them.”

“Controlling, yes, but not harming. They will simply join the others in their task.”

“What task? What are those people doing?”

“They’re trying to melt Damnation Lake.” A statement thrown over the woman’s shoulder.

“Why? What is this place?” Avera cried out as the distance between them grew. A part of her hesitated to follow the stranger. But how else would she get answers?

“The city you saw below used to be called Ultilina.”

“Never heard of it,” Avera stated.

“Because those who knew of it have long since turned to dust. I’m the only guardian left and once I’m gone, there will be no one to give warning.”

“Warning of what?”

The woman didn’t answer, simply melted into the mist and Avera chewed her lips as she tried to decide. Follow her friends or the stranger?

Since she’d come for answers, she chose the latter. After all, the city in the hollowed pit didn’t appear to be harming anyone, just putting them to work. She grabbed her bag and that of her friends before heading after the woman.

It didn’t prove easy to locate the direction the mysterious stranger had gone as the mist swirled thickly around the ledge, making Avera watch her feet lest she wander wrong and end up plummeting over the ledge. The amulet glowed once more, clearing a bit of the area around her, but she only caught by chance the swirl of a cloak. She hastened to catch up only to pause as the woman seemingly disappeared.

“Hello?” she called out.

“In here.” The voice sounded close.

Avera reached out and her fingertips scraped against a wall. She trailed her hand over it, inching alongside until she found an opening. Avera dumped the bags she carried and clutched her dagger before entering.

The mist abruptly ceased as if it didn’t dare enter the cave.

A cave set up as a home.

Avera glanced around at the space, a fairly spacious single room. It contained a bed, a table, and a pair of chairs. Shelves were carved into the walls and held jugs. Herbs hung from the ceiling. A fire crackled in a hearth but somehow burned with no wood. Avera noticed the flames rested atop a black puddle. A strange fuel source.

The woman removed her cloak, revealing herself to be old, her face wrinkled with age, her figure slight, her white hair bound in a single long braid.

“Tea?” the stranger asked, placing a kettle on a hook over the odd burning fire.

Self-preservation kicked in to remind her that trusting the woman might be hazardous to her health. “No, thank you.”

“I promise, it’s not poisoned.”

Avera’s eyes widened. Had the woman read her mind? “So you claim,” Avera replied.

The stranger chuckled. “While there are many who would like to see you dead, I am not one of them. On the contrary, you need to be alive, for you have a great role to play.”

The claim led to Avera bubbling with even more questions. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That you have an important destiny, Avera Voxspira.” The woman pulled out a pair of cups despite Avera declining the tea.

“You know who I am, but who are you?”

“You may call me Opal.”

No title or surname. Avera pursed her lips. “If we’ve never met, how did you recognize me?”

“As I said earlier, I’ve been expecting you.”

“How can you expect me when I didn’t even know I was coming until a short time ago?”

The woman turned from the hearth. “Because I see the future.”

Unexpected answer, and not one given as a joke. Opal appeared quite serious.

“That’s not possible.”

“Why?”

“Because no one can see what hasn’t happened yet,” Avera huffed.

“Are you sure about that?” Opal asked with amusement. “Surely, by now, you’ve encountered enough on your journey to the Spire to realize there is more to this world than you ever imagined.”

“What would you know of my journey?”

“That it happened abruptly because of betrayal, and that your version of reality has been tested. Or are you going to tell me you’ve encountered something like the mist before?”

“It is strange.”

Opal snorted. “That is downplaying its nature.”

“Is the mist magic?”

“Yes and no. It is not a spell, not the usual kind, but magic did create it as a vessel to send out a message, one that clings to those who hear it and forces those caught by it to obey its command.”

“A command that brings them here.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“We’ll get to that in a moment.”

Opal’s refusal to reply brought a tautness to Avera’s lips. “When you claim you see the future, I assume it’s also some sort of magic.” Stated more than asked.

“While I do know magic, foresight isn’t considered such as there is no spell needed. It is more like an innate ability. I close my eyes and I see glimpses of what is to come.”

“You’ll have to excuse my skepticism, but how can you see something that hasn’t yet happened?”

“Because people are predictable to a certain extent and when it comes to the future, there are parts that are set and unchanging.”

“And what of the parts that aren’t?” Avera countered.

“Those would be the forks where a person of pivotal importance chooses a path.”

While it sounded pompous to ask, Avera still blurted, “Am I a person of pivotal importance?”

“Oh, yes. It is you who will decide the fate of the world.”

An ominous thing to claim. Avera blinked. “I’m afraid the world is in trouble then, since I currently have no power. My throne was stolen from me by the man who murdered my mother and siblings.”

“Which I predicted.” Opal came to the table bearing a pot and she set it down beside the two cups.

“You knew someone would kill my family?” Avera exclaimed.

“Yes. So did your mother, although she did her best to avert it.”

The news rocked Avera. “She was aware it would happen?”

“I told her the last time she visited that the choices she had made, despite my warning, set her on a road that inevitably led to her violent death.”

“If you knew Benoit would kill her, then why not warn her so she’d know not to marry him?” It emerged as an accusation.

“Because that’s not how seeing the future works. I don’t see individual events, more like impactful results. At our last visit, I told her she’d bear a girl child who would be very important. One that would need to be protected.”

“Me.” Suddenly weak knees had Avera plopping into a chair.

“Yes, you.” Opal poured the tea and held out the cup to Avera who took it with trembling fingers. She set it down rather than drink.

“Were you the reason my mother all but ignored me?” The queen had said she’d distanced herself to ensure no one knew she favored Avera. Could Opal’s vision be why?

“In a sense. My visions showed that if she chose to lavish you with love, you would die before your tenth summer.”

“Because of my brother.”

“I couldn’t see who ended your life, only that jealousy would bring about your death.”

“You’re the reason why I’ve spent my life more or less alone,” Avera whispered.

“To keep you alive and prepare you for what’s to come you needed to be strong. Independent.”

“What about loved?” Avera countered harshly.

“Your mother loved you.”

“She never told me, not until she lay dying.” Avera couldn’t help the bitter twist to her words.

“Should you succeed in the quest you’re upon, you will find happiness.”

“And if I don’t?”

“You’ll be dead, so it won’t matter.” A blunt reply.

“What quest? I never agreed to any task.”

“Are you not the queen of Daerva?”

“Not according to Benoit,” Avera muttered. “I was never crowned.”

“That’s just a ceremony. Meaningless words, and a spectacle for the masses. You are Daerva’s queen.”

“A queen without a throne. Benoit has painted me as a traitor.”

“His lies won’t stand scrutiny. And he’s not your most pressing problem.”

“What is?”

“The evil trapped within the frozen lake.”

“Are you going to give me a proper explanation or keep giving me tidbits?” Avera complained.

“How to explain...” Opal leaned back in her seat and her expression turned dreamy. “A long time ago, a great foul being came to our world and laid waste to it. Burning. Murdering. Destroying. Through great courage and sacrifice, that evil entity was vanquished, buried under this mountain, frozen in time. Forgotten until a curious Verlorian came along and broke the seals that kept the foul one trapped.”

It might just be coincidence and yet Avera murmured, “My father.”

“Yes, your father, Basil Currosa of Verlora. Despite my warning your mother to never return after she was crowned and did her pilgrimage to the Spire, Basil convinced her to bring him here. Claimed scientific curiosity. Which wasn’t exactly a lie. What he failed to tell Calixte was his intention to steal what he sought, thus starting a chain of events that included your mother’s death.”

“What did he take?”

“Five very unique rocks.”

The reply had Avera frowning. “That doesn’t seem to be a great crime.”

“It is when those stones acted as locks. You see, the prison created for this evil thing wasn’t enough to stem its influence. Even frozen, it tried to exert its will.”

Avera held up a hand. “Why jail it if it was so dangerous? Why not kill it instead?”

“Because it is essentially immortal. Our weapons are not sharp enough to cut through its hide. Our magic is too weak to cause damage.”

“I’m surprised it could be imprisoned.”

“It took great sacrifice to do so,” was Opal’s somber reply. “Many died to stop its reign of terror. Many more dedicated their lives over the centuries to ensure it could never escape. These guardians lived in Ultilina, tasked with ensuring no one ever helped it escape.”

“You called yourself guardian and yet you don’t live in the city,” Avera pointed out.

“I don’t anymore, but my predecessors did. As time passed and the evil remained contained, the threat became less urgent in people’s minds. The number of guardians dwindled. Some died while others chose not to pass on their duty to their heirs and sent them away to have a life outside the Spire.”

“You stayed.”

“Someone had to.” Opal’s lips turned down. “It wasn’t so bad when I had my husband. But he and our only child died while out hunting fresh meat. That was when I relocated to this cave. I couldn’t stand the echoes of the past in the empty city.”

“I’m sorry.”

Opal shrugged. “It happened a long time ago.”

“If you’re alone, how are you supposed to guard?”

“I didn’t. I failed. My warning to your mother went unheeded. Basil stole the five seals. With them gone, it took all my strength to stem the mist that kept trying to rise. However, the death of your mother changed something. Suddenly, I lacked the strength to counter the magical fog, and it spilled down the Spire, bringing people to Ultilina, starting the thing we feared most. The release of Zhos.”

“That’s its name?”

Opal nodded.

“How have I never heard of it?”

“Its existence was wiped from every annal, every memory. And before you ask why, there was fear that one day someone foolish might try to release it.”

“Why would anyone do that?”

“Greed. Zhos is known to whisper false promises as a way to sway people to do its bidding.”

“Is that why the villagers are here? They heard it whispering?”

“Of sorts. The mist is an exhalation of Zhos’ will. Those beguiled by the mist’s song have no choice but to make their way to Ultilina where they are trapped by Zhos’ presence, forced to obey its command.”

“This Zhos is making them work to set it free,” Avera surmised.

“Yes, which would mean the end of life as we know it, but there is still time to stop it from happening.”

“Can’t you tell the people to cease melting the lake?”

“Those people aren’t in control of their actions. They do Zhos’ bidding.”

“Break the spell, then.”

“It isn’t that simple.” At Avera’s pursed lips Opal sighed. “The compulsion binding them can be broken but it requires much effort on my part. I did it at first when only a few wandered into the pit, but as soon as I freed them, they returned, caught anew when the mist went seeking.”

“Meaning we need to stop the mist before the people can be released by this Zhos.”

“The only way to quash Zhos would be to replace the stolen rocks.”

“I take it we can’t just use any stones?” Avera asked hopefully.

“Correct. While I’m not sure why, I do know those rocks were special. Only they have the power needed.”

“And where are those rocks now?” Avera asked even as she feared she knew the answer. If Basil took them then…

“They’re in Verlora.”

“They might as well be at the bottom of the ocean then, since Verlora is impassable.”

“I’m aware.” Opal’s expression darkened. “In taking the seals, Basil tampered with things he shouldn’t have.”

“If you knew what would happen then you should have prevented it.” It seemed a simple solution. Stop a man determined to do wrong. Was the man her mother fondly remembered a villain?

“I would have, but your mother distracted me while he stole the stones. By the time I realized what had been done, he’d already fled and that was when my vision hit. The one that told me of your birth, but that also foretold that your mother’s choice, picking her lover over Daerva, would result in her death.”

“Couldn’t she have returned the rocks to avert that future?”

“Calixte mostly would have tried, only he abandoned her.”

“That can’t be right,” Avera said with a shake of her head. “My mother didn’t speak badly of Basil like a woman scorned would usually do.” The late queen had mentioned Basil’s strength and even kept the locket with their pictures in it. Didn’t that indicate a lingering affection?

“Because despite what he did, she loved him. Not to mention, no woman likes to think she’s been fooled. Needless to say, Basil Currosa of Verlora stole the very special stones keeping an ancient evil inert, and since their removal, its influence has been spreading.”

The mention of influence had her asking, “I don’t suppose this Zhos used to be called ‘master’ by those serving it.”

“Yes. How did you know?” Opal’s brow pinched.

“Benoit. He and those he conspired with mentioned releasing their master. At the time, I assumed they spoke of a person.”

“I didn’t realize its whispers and ability to enter dreams had grown so strong,” Opal murmured.

Avera rose and paced, wringing her hands. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to waste finding those rocks. Benoit must be stopped.”

“That pretender is the least of your worries. If what lies beneath this mountain is freed, then there will be no royalty, no kingdom, no Daerva.”

“Then why does Benoit think its release will benefit him?”

“I already told you Zhos lies. It lies and makes false promises,” Opal hissed. “And men are dumb enough to believe. If you want your throne back, then you must return the seals.”

“You’ve given me an impossible task. Assuming the stones even made the voyage intact, Verlora is inaccessible.”

“It is dangerous, yes. It is even possible you will perish, especially if you don’t ally yourself with the Griffon.”

“Isn’t that a fairytale creature?” Avera scoffed.

“Fairytales often have roots in the truth.”

“Are you saying griffons are real? I guess that’s not any stranger than totems that spew magical creatures, an evil being under ice, and a mist that sings to kidnap,” Avera grumbled.

“You will encounter much on your quest that stretches the bounds of what you thought real.”

“Even if I could make it to Verlora, it’s as big as Daerva. I wouldn’t even know where to look.”

“Your blood will know how to find them.”

Not the strangest thing she’d heard that day. “And if I refuse?”

“Then you might as well join your companions in Ultilina and toil away the time we have left. There are only two choices for you, Avera Voxspira. Find the stones and return them to the Spire, or watch as everyone, including you, perishes.”

“That’s not a choice,” she grumbled. “I never asked for any of this. I was quite content being a nobody.”

“You weren’t happy.” A flat statement. “Now you can either whine or act.”

“Act?” Avera exclaimed. “My choice is to die here, or in a foreign land.”

“Only if you fail. Find the Griffon.”

Avera huffed. “And where am I supposed to find this legend?”

“You must set sail. Cross the ocean and you will find what you seek.”

“How am I supposed to board a ship when I will most likely be arrested on sight if I show up at the docks at Horizon’s End?”

“There is another port.”

“Seaserpent Bay?” Avera snorted. “You do realize from this mountain it is a multi-week journey. I must circle back around the island, travel past the capital while evading any patrols seeking me.”

“It’s only a few days if you use the passage through the mountain.”

Avera stopped her agitated pacing to glance at Opal. “There’s a shortcut from here?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll show it to me?”

“I can set you on its path, yes.”

“With my companions?”

“I’m afraid they are bound by the spell in the mist.”

“I’m not going without them. I can break the trance they’re under.”

“How?” Opal asked, then frowned “You speak as if you know this for sure.”

“Because I’ve done it before with the amulet.”

“What amulet?” was the sharp retort.

Avera held the medallion away from her chest, the dull surface making it look innocuous. “This one. When the mist comes it glows and keeps me from being caught. When I touch my companions, it frees them too.”

“Where did you get that?” Opal stood abruptly, rattling the tea set on the table.

“It was with my mother’s things.”

“And who gave it to her?”

Avera frowned. “I assumed she inherited it. Why?”

“How did I not see this?” Opal murmured.

“You said it yourself, you don’t see everything.” Never mind the oddity of speaking of Opal’s supposed ability to see the future.

“It must be one of the lost talismans of power, but where did it come from?” muttered the old lady. “It had to have been Basil. That tricky man. It explains how he managed to climb the Spire and evade the hexes that turn all but the heirs and guardians away.”

“Will it work to free my companions?”

“Perhaps. I don’t know.” A reply that knitted Opal’s brow. “The objects of power are few and their purpose is forgotten.”

“It seemed to snap them out of the mist’s spell before.”

“Perhaps it will once more,” Opal mused aloud. “I guess we will soon find out since you insist on being stubborn.”

“Will I be attacked if I descend into the city?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Are there any guards?”

Opal shook her head. “No. The compulsion is what keeps them working.”

“When you say working, you mean melting the ice.”

“Yes. They are in charge of keeping the fires lit. Hence why some are in the tunnels, mining coal for burning. Some are siphoning oil, the dark kind that comes from the Earth.” She waved to her hearth. “Any scrap they have goes onto the pyres. The only good news is that it will take some time before they make it down far enough for Zhos to escape, but that doesn’t mean you can dally.”

“I’ll leave once I’ve freed my friends. This passage through the mountain, where can I find it?”

“Traverse the ledge to the other side and find a tall boulder. Shove it aside to find the tunnel. Follow it, always choosing the left fork, and it will lead you to the foothills on the other side of the Spire. From there, it will be a short journey to reach the bay.”

“Can my horse fit in this passageway?”

Opal stared at her. “You’re going free your horse, too?”

“I’m not leaving Luna behind to be barbecued.”

Her vehement statement had Opal sighing. “Yes, the tunnels are large enough for horses, so long as you travel single file, but be warned, dangers are lurking.”

“Of course there are,” Avera muttered.

“Spiders are the most dangerous, but you’ll want to watch for the rats as well.”

Spiders and rats didn’t sound too bad.

“One last thing, how am I supposed to pay for my sea voyage? I hardly think a ship’s captain will allow me to travel for free, not to mention my destination will cause issue.”

“I have no coin. No need for it here. Surely you can—” Opal paused and cocked her head. Her eyes went unfocussed, and she murmured, “Zhos knows you’re here.”

A chilling thing to hear. “It’s not like it can do anything about it. It’s still frozen in that block of ice and the mist doesn’t affect me so long as I have my amulet.”

“It can’t act directly, no, but its servants can.”

“Are you saying the folk toiling away will try and hurt me?”

“More than hurt, young queen. With you dead, there will be no one standing in Zhos’ path.” Opal rose and fluttered her hands. “Quickly. You must go.”

“Right after I free my friends and horse.”

“There is no time.” Opal began pushing her in the direction of the cave entrance. “Zhos’ servants are coming.”

Avera let herself be shoved rather than dig in her heels, but she did ask, “How is it they haven’t attacked you?”

“Because they can’t see me. However, I’d wager the Voxspira blood in your veins is why Zhos can sense you. Go!” Opal shoved her out onto the ledge and Avera grunted, “Careful. That’s a steep drop.”

The least of her problems because, in that moment, she perceived a bigger dilemma. The mist had dissipated once more so she could clearly spot the townsfolk mounting the ramp, carrying picks and an assortment of knives.

But most concerning of all? A sword-wielding Gustav led the glazed-eyed mob.