Fulcrum of Light (Catalyst Book 2) C.J. Aaron (unputdownable books .TXT) 📖

Nielix had left imbedded in the ground out with one hand, offering the other to the soldier who remained prostrate on the ground.

“You are superbly talented, but equally foolish,” Andr admitted. “You’ve misplaced your anger. Some day you may need to use those skills against an adversary whose sole intent is teaching you one lesson, and that lesson is death.”

Andr glanced at Ryl, giving him a subtle smirk and wink, before assisting Nielix back to his feet. The soldier accepted his training sword from Andr before slinking back to the group. His face was a wash of anger and embarrassment.

Ryl glanced over at Kaep, suppressing the urge to laugh as he saw the look on her face. Her attempt at hiding her amusement had failed miserably!

Chapter 33

Ryl and Kaep waited patiently as the Vigil completed their early morning practice. Andr casually approached from inside the training ground, stopping as he leaned against its walled perimeter.

“Did you children enjoy yourselves?” the mercenary asked with a smile.

“Immensely. Thank you,” Kaep admonished.

“The patrol’s assembling at the gate,” Andr replied. “It’s time to go.”

Andr vaulted over the top of the stone wall, joining the pair outside the training grounds. They walked together along the outer alley toward the entrance tunnel to the city. Vim was coming to life as the morning sun crested over the jagged peaks of the Haven Mountains to the east. The streets were filling with citizens moving about in all manner of tasks as they began their days. Children chased each other in hurried games as they rushed toward the schoolhouse. The air was filled with the savory scents of freshly baked bread, carried on the wind from the large bakery on the side of the central square.

Ryl looked up in awe as they ascended the stone stairs to the tunnel. This marked his first time heading in this direction. The yawning mouth of the entrance was carved to look like a great forest, no doubt symbolic of the forest that defended the wall of their home.

He had no recollection of his first journey through the entrance tunnel. His body was far too fevered at that point to have recalled many lucid thoughts. Ryl shuddered at the stream of disjointed images that flashed through his head. His mind was still laboring to sort the truth from the fiction. The pain, however, required no deliberation.

That agony was all too real.

Paasek greeted them at the peak of the stairs. The councilor wore a massive greatsword strapped to his back. Unlike their first meeting and their conversation from earlier in the morning, he wore the telltale cloak of the phrenics, though his hood was lowered, still resting on the back of his neck. He smiled as he noted their approach.

Behind him was the squad of Vigil assigned to escort their party to the prophet. Ryl was surprised to see that Nielix was among those assembled for the trek. His burning glare met Ryl's for an instant before he averted his eyes, avoiding looking at the phrenics as though they were invisible.

With the arrival of Ryl, Andr and Kaep, the procession moved out. Ahead, Ryl could see the massive gate blocking their path through the tunnel. The gate’s similarities to the Pining Gate, the only means of egress from The Stocks, were chilling.

Instead of continuing forward to the gate, the group turned right from the main tunnel, exiting through a large doorway carved into the wall. The door opened with a loud metallic pop of the hinges, followed by a groan as the door swung inward. Half of the Vigil’s twenty soldier squad continued forward, while the second half paused, following behind the phrenics and Andr. Nielix was in the rear group; Ryl could feel the daggers of his pointed stare boring into his back.

The narrow corridor in which they travelled was flanked on either side by several sets of closed doors. The dim light from a few small lanterns illuminated the infrequently used hall. The air inside was heavy, carrying the musty hint of mildew. After a distance of a few hundred meters the hallway ended abruptly in a solid metal door. Ryl heard the clatter of keys and the groan of the hinges as it too protested its opening. Beyond the door he could see nothing but darkness.

Paasek leaned in close speaking in low tones.

“There's more than one entrance to Vim,” he explained. “This leads to the forest several miles from our main entrance. I have to warn you, the next mile or so under the mountain will be narrow. The cramped confines are disconcerting to most and in the absence of light it can be treacherous. After the stairs, the path is flat, so footing won't be an issue for long.”

The Vigil in the lead quickly lit and distributed several torches throughout the group before the party began their slow descent into the blackness of the tunnel. Ryl lost track of the number of stairs they'd descended. Their pace was sluggish. The only sounds of the group's passage were the shuffle of feet along the stone floor. The air in the tunnel grew heavier the further down they ventured, thick with moisture. The walls of stone glistened in the flickering light from the torches.

Their speed increased as they reached the end of the staircase. The path they now followed continued on straight, following a natural seam in the stone. The walls had been smoothed over the ages, maintaining a moderately uniform width though the ceiling was undisturbed, left to its natural rocky appearance.

Onward they traveled through the belly of the mountain. The journey into the darkness no doubt lasted far shorter than it had felt, and ended as abruptly as it had started. The Vigil in the lead of the patrol called a halt to the procession, and the jingle of keys signaled the unlocking and opening of a second heavy door.

The light that spilled into the tunnel was blinding. It took a matter of moments for