gone out.”
“Which means our army is stuck in Reikonos, yes?” Nyad was the first to answer him.
“Yes,” said Vara succinctly.
“That leaves just the five of us,” Curatio said, just down the line. “Two healers, a wizard, a paladin and a warrior.” His head tilted toward the shadowed hedge in the distance. “And no exit close at hand.”
There was a silence broken only by the sound of something like an owl hooting in the distance, until Vaste spoke, sounding much more jolly than Cyrus imagined he would have. “Well, gosh. No one said anything about an unruly portal.”
Chapter 13
“You truly are a special sort of lackwit,” Vara said. The atmosphere of the realm was bleak. Cyrus exhaled to see his breath mist in front of him from the cold.
“I do not lack for wit,” Vaste said and thumped his staff against the ground. The crystal lit and began to shed light, confirming for Cyrus that it was indeed a hedge ahead. “Good taste from time to time, but who among us can’t be accused of that?” He spoke even as Vara started to answer and cut her off. “Keeping in mind that not so long ago, your taste in men ran toward the affable and ignorant General who just led us into this mess.”
Cyrus blinked. “Wha … why did you just insult me ? As though I could have predicted that somehow a portal would shut off and trap just the five of us in a hostile realm?” He glanced down the line at Curatio. “Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?”
“A woman going for a man with an overabundance of confidence and a sword? It’s a tale as old as time,” Curatio said, not taking his eyes off the hedgerow in front of them. Cyrus saw a ghost of a smile on the healer’s lips as he surveyed the scene. “Oh, that’s not what you were talking about?” He glanced back. “The portal has become corrupted with the loss of the Mistress of the Realm.”
“Is that …” Nyad looked especially pale next to Cyrus. “Does that happen often?”
“No,” Curatio said. “It happened often enough during the War of the Gods, of course. What seems to have happened here is that someone effected a spell upon it after we passed through, something similar to our own spell that can seal a portal shut for teleportation.” Curatio took a step back and placed his hand on the stone edge of the portal, tracing the line of one of the runes. “Perhaps we should simply teleport out.” He looked over at Nyad and smiled once more, faintly. “If we are able.”
Nyad perked up and began to cast a spell. Her hand glowed green, sparked with intensity, and then the light vanished, leaving only the spots in Cyrus’s eyes, as though a fire had died in front of him. “It’s not working,” she said, shaking her head with emphasis. “I can’t … can’t teleport us out.” The barest edge of panic filled the elven woman’s words.
“As I suspected,” Curatio said with a nod. “Very well, in we go.”
“Wait, what?” Cyrus asked.
“I see we’ve decided to abandon all sanity and hope of rescue and move straight to the part where we run willy-nilly through a dark and scary hedge, where I’m certain sunlight and warm days are waiting on the other side,” Vaste deadpanned.
“Curatio, why would we—” Nyad began.
“There is another portal on the other side of the Realm,” Curatio said calmly, certainly much calmer than Cyrus felt. “It is in Vidara’s personal quarters, much like the one in Mortus’s chambers.”
“And does it lead to Luukessia?” Vaste asked. “Because if so, I think I’ll just wait here for death to come and get me.”
“It leads back to the portal in the Reikonos catacombs,” Curatio said with a shake of the head. “Or a few other places, if you know how to use it. For our purposes, the Reikonos catacombs will do, I think.”
“Ominous,” Vara pronounced as Cyrus exchanged a look with her. I’d have to agree , he thought.
“Since you mentioned it,” Cyrus said,
“Which means our army is stuck in Reikonos, yes?” Nyad was the first to answer him.
“Yes,” said Vara succinctly.
“That leaves just the five of us,” Curatio said, just down the line. “Two healers, a wizard, a paladin and a warrior.” His head tilted toward the shadowed hedge in the distance. “And no exit close at hand.”
There was a silence broken only by the sound of something like an owl hooting in the distance, until Vaste spoke, sounding much more jolly than Cyrus imagined he would have. “Well, gosh. No one said anything about an unruly portal.”
Chapter 13
“You truly are a special sort of lackwit,” Vara said. The atmosphere of the realm was bleak. Cyrus exhaled to see his breath mist in front of him from the cold.
“I do not lack for wit,” Vaste said and thumped his staff against the ground. The crystal lit and began to shed light, confirming for Cyrus that it was indeed a hedge ahead. “Good taste from time to time, but who among us can’t be accused of that?” He spoke even as Vara started to answer and cut her off. “Keeping in mind that not so long ago, your taste in men ran toward the affable and ignorant General who just led us into this mess.”
Cyrus blinked. “Wha … why did you just insult me ? As though I could have predicted that somehow a portal would shut off and trap just the five of us in a hostile realm?” He glanced down the line at Curatio. “Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?”
“A woman going for a man with an overabundance of confidence and a sword? It’s a tale as old as time,” Curatio said, not taking his eyes off the hedgerow in front of them. Cyrus saw a ghost of a smile on the healer’s lips as he surveyed the scene. “Oh, that’s not what you were talking about?” He glanced back. “The portal has become corrupted with the loss of the Mistress of the Realm.”
“Is that …” Nyad looked especially pale next to Cyrus. “Does that happen often?”
“No,” Curatio said. “It happened often enough during the War of the Gods, of course. What seems to have happened here is that someone effected a spell upon it after we passed through, something similar to our own spell that can seal a portal shut for teleportation.” Curatio took a step back and placed his hand on the stone edge of the portal, tracing the line of one of the runes. “Perhaps we should simply teleport out.” He looked over at Nyad and smiled once more, faintly. “If we are able.”
Nyad perked up and began to cast a spell. Her hand glowed green, sparked with intensity, and then the light vanished, leaving only the spots in Cyrus’s eyes, as though a fire had died in front of him. “It’s not working,” she said, shaking her head with emphasis. “I can’t … can’t teleport us out.” The barest edge of panic filled the elven woman’s words.
“As I suspected,” Curatio said with a nod. “Very well, in we go.”
“Wait, what?” Cyrus asked.
“I see we’ve decided to abandon all sanity and hope of rescue and move straight to the part where we run willy-nilly through a dark and scary hedge, where I’m certain sunlight and warm days are waiting on the other side,” Vaste deadpanned.
“Curatio, why would we—” Nyad began.
“There is another portal on the other side of the Realm,” Curatio said calmly, certainly much calmer than Cyrus felt. “It is in Vidara’s personal quarters, much like the one in Mortus’s chambers.”
“And does it lead to Luukessia?” Vaste asked. “Because if so, I think I’ll just wait here for death to come and get me.”
“It leads back to the portal in the Reikonos catacombs,” Curatio said with a shake of the head. “Or a few other places, if you know how to use it. For our purposes, the Reikonos catacombs will do, I think.”
“Ominous,” Vara pronounced as Cyrus exchanged a look with her. I’d have to agree , he thought.
“Since you mentioned it,” Cyrus said,
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