IV

Miah ran.

The wyvern followed, scratching up clods of dirt with its claws and using its wings to pull itself forward.

She felt the fear surging up within her.  The beast’s hissing got closer and closer with her every step.  She let out an uncontrollable whimper as she thought about its teeth clamping down on her head or its stinger piercing her heart or its claws ripping her open and spilling her entrails across the bright green grass.  There was so much more she wanted to do in life and it was all about to end here and now.

The entrance to the tower was a large square cut from the stone and half covered with ivy.  Miah ran straight for it.  She could hear the wyvern snarling behind her.  With a frantic leap she dove blindly into the opening.

The wyvern’s jaws snapped down on empty air behind her.

She flew into the darkness and rolled, slamming her shoulder down on hard rock.   She ended up flat on her back looking up at the vine covered sky above her.  She had just started to breathe again when she saw the wyvern’s tail suddenly appear and shoot through the opening at her.  She rolled out of the way and scrambled to sit up.  

Miah couldn’t tell how big the area was around her but it felt sizeable, like the entire inside of the tower was empty.  The wyvern’s tail pulled back out of the opening to be replaced with its long jaws and vicious teeth.  It blared a bellowing roar.

It was when she noticed that it still had Caelian’s blood on its teeth that Miah got angry.  She reached for the Astral Aura, the source of her magic, and summoned up the power for one last major spell.  She held out her hand and pointed straight down the wyvern’s mouth.  A dart shaped sigil on her quarterstaff glowed.  Four bolts of magical force shot up and blasted the wyvern in the back of the throat, the last one blowing a hole out the back of its head.

Miah stood and watched the blood drip out of the wyvern’s mouth as it died, head still stuck in the opening.  She took a deep breath to calm herself.

She cast a Light cantrip and the top of her quarterstaff glowed bright white.  Now she could see that the tower was hexagonal in shape and she stood on one of the flat sides.  The wyvern head obscured the entrance about twenty feet above and in front of her which meant that half of the tower was underground.  Sticking out of the walls at regular intervals were rotting pieces of wood as if there had been a staircase winding around the inside of the tower many ages ago.  To her right were scattered rocks and dirt which sloped up until they filled the whole space.  To her left was a stone wall that had once been a ceiling, withered vines and roots from the ivy crawling along the outside, and Jozinferal standing with his arms crossed.  “Impressive show of raw power, I applaud you.”

Miah reached out with a pointed finger.

Jozinferal was faster.  With a whirl of his fingers closing into a clenched fist he said, “You don’t want to attack me.  You’d much rather be my friend.”  The Beheriim smiled a very pleasant smile.

Miah felt his charms reach into her mind and dull her senses.  She stopped and slowly lowered her hand.

“Now this is much better.  It would be a shame to try to kill each other when I have so much to show you.”

“I don’t think there’s anything you could show me that I need to see,” said Miah.  “Friend or no.”

Jozinferal shrugged and leaned forward a bit.  “I think you’re wrong.”  He stepped to the side to reveal an opening behind him that must have been for the old staircase.  “Right through here.  You’ll be dazzled.”

Miah started walking towards the opening with slightly halting steps.  She looked back at the hanging wyvern head.  Jozinferal stopped just before stepping into the next room.  “I’m sure your friends will be fine.  In fact, I plan on them joining us shortly.”

He finished moving into the next room and raised a hand.  A ray of flame shot from his finger and lit up three torches affixed to tall, metal stands.  Miah came in behind him and saw that the room was about fifty feet long with the same rotting pieces of wood sticking out of the walls.  The floor had been cleared and laid down with several rugs.  A few ornate tables and comfortable chairs sat in the middle, some with books and scrolls stacked neatly on them.  Miah followed the Beheriim to a set of chairs.  She ran her hand along the lush fabric and noticed it had a grime of soot infused in it.  “You’ve got a scuffed hideaway on an insignificant little island.  I’m not dazzled.”

“This isn’t the dazzling part.”  He moved around the last chair and started walking down into a hole cut into the floor.  “Found something here when I was excavating for another purpose.  A wizard of your particular interests will appreciate this.”

Miah followed down the stairs.  They came out into a large room and Jozinferal lit up torches again.  The walls and domed ceiling were mostly clay and six timber posts near the middle rose up as support columns.  In the center of the room a large canvas tarpaulin lay over something long and rounded.  Past that, on the far side of the room, was an open doorway and a tunnel heading north.  To her right were more chairs and tables and bookshelves.  Against the wall was a sideboard with several decanters of alcohol.  To her left were several chains and shackles fixed into the wall with dried blood stains beneath them.  She also noticed a second smaller room where she could see a bed in the shadows.

Jozinferal reached down for a corner of the tarpaulin and looked back to see where Miah was looking.  “That comes later, my dear.”  He pulled the tarpaulin to the side.  “This is what I want to show you now.”

Miah stepped forward to see a buried stone object curving up out of the floor.  The craftsmanship was precise and the stone was an obsidian black with veins of coppery metal running through it.  Every few inches along the side of it were runic symbols carved and inlaid with gold.  She instantly knew what it was.  “This is an Eldar’ai runic portal.”

“Yes it is.”

“But they’ve never been discovered buried before.  Or toppled over on their sides.”  She stepped up right next to it.  Right next to him.

“No, they haven’t.”  He saw her begin to reach a hand out and pause.  “Go ahead.  It’s safe.”

Miah knelt and ran her hand along the cool stone.  “It’s smaller than all the others.  And the runes are slightly different.  You haven’t excavated the whole thing?  Why?”

“I have other plans for this island.”  Jozinferal knelt next to her and wrapped one of his wings around her shoulders like a comforting blanket.  A comforting blanket with talons, spikes, and a slight Infernal warmth.  “I’m so glad it was you who accepted the mission to track down my pirates.”

Miah looked over at him, now inches away from his golden face and pleasant smile.  “You wanted us to be here?  Wanted me?”

He nodded slowly.  “I know what you’ve been studying in your dusty old library.  I know what you’re really after with all this adventuring.  And I think I can finally give it to you.”