The King's Ring (The Netherworld Gate Book 2) by Sam Ferguson Page A

of who he once was.
    “It was Icadion who cursed him, for his meddling in the creation process. After that, there was a great war between Icadion and Khullan.”
    Phinean held up a hand. “We are aware of that part. That is one of the few portions we have in almost complete detail, except that it makes no mention of Gorensikdar or the other Ancients.”
    Jaleal pointed down the tunnel. “So, if the assassin doesn’t have the sword, then it should be in here, yes?”
    Phinean nodded.
    “The drow, you suspect it was King Lemork?” Jaleal pressed.
    Phinean shook his head. “King Lemork was slain by the human king, a man named Dailex. There were many witnesses to that fact. The dragon was alive when it came here, but the Sierri’Tai king was dead.”
    “So what are we hoping to find here?” Jaleal asked.
    Phinean sighed. “I am not sure that I know what I want to find,” he said. “I want confirmation that the beast is dead. I want to know if the drow came from this cave, and if so, whether there are more.”
    “Shouldn’t we get assistance then, from the elves I mean?”
    Phinean shook his head. “There is a special order that deals with the secrets left over after the Elf Wars,” Phinean replied. “They are a highly trained, secretive group called the Svetli’Tai Kruks. In order to learn about their secrets, and the things they guard, one must be sworn to their service. If they discovered how much I knew, I would be given the choice of servitude, or death.”
    Jaleal frowned. “How do you know about them then?”
    Phinean smiled. “Jahre was there during the Elf Wars. He told me a lot of the history. He didn’t wholly trust the Kruks, and wanted to bring in someone who was not an elf. He said he wanted to ensure that balance was restored to the realm, and that is why he chose me.”
    “Did he tell other gnomes?”
    Phinean shook his head. “No, and I have been asked not to disclose it to them either.” Phinean stopped and looked deep into Jaleal’s eyes. “I am not sure if every gnome is like you where you come from, but the gnomes of my home village are a scared, tepid race of folk. They prefer to mix potions and dabble in magics than concern only themselves rather than become involved with the dealings of humans and elves. With magic being nearly wholly forbidden, you aren’t likely to see any other gnomes here.”
    “Come on then, let’s go see what is inside this tunnel,” Jaleal said.
    Phinean nodded and the two redoubled their pace, delving deeper into the bowels of the island. Ten minutes later they stopped as they came to a large chamber. The ceiling was well over thirty feet above them, the width of the chamber was about thirty yards, and it continued straight forward for another fifty yards from where the gnomes stood. Jaleal stepped into the chamber and his eyes grew wide as he saw a plethora of symbols painted into the walls, and even a few on the ceiling. He could not make out the runes. He knew that they were written in Taish, the language of the elves, but he couldn’t decipher their meaning.
    “There,” Phinean said as he pointed to a large mural painted across the wall. It was a depiction of a black dragon flying with a short rider on his back, holding a long spear. “This is a drawing of King Lemork,” Phinean said. “Lemork had been the great Sierri’Tai leader who had set the dark elf clans against all who would oppose them, especially the other elf races.” Phinean paused and took in a deep breath. “From what Jahre told me afterward, King Lemork ultimately intended to slay Basei, the God of Battle.”
    “Demigod,” Jaleal corrected.
    Phinean arched a brow.
    “A demigod is not the same as a god,” Jaleal pointed out. “They are far above our powers for sure, but they are still inferior to the Old Gods.”
    Phinean offered a slight grin. “I think Jahre would have liked you very much,” he said.
    “Was the Elf War really so bad that a whole race had to be