The Legend of Karzatin Ch 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Palin questions Zackara's magical nature further, lunchtime.

   The company walked down a narrow tunnel. The floor of it was similar to that of the cave above; it was tan-colored and sandy. After walking for some time, they came to a fork.
   "Tas, come with me. We'll take the path on the right. You three take the left. We'll meet back up with you if we don't find anything. Try not to venture too far if you see the slightest change in the cave. Wait for me." Zackara took Kreya's lantern and they headed off.
   Palin took the lead with Madfrent in the middle and Kreya behind him. He regretted Zackara's decision to go with Tas; he was almost getting used to her at his side and he felt that he got to know her a little better each day. Yet he didn't mind Kreya as company. She was laid back and friendly. Madfrent wasn't much of a talker, but he also didn't pose much trouble. Zackara would certainly keep Tas out of trouble as long as it was possible.
   The tunnel angled to the right and then swayed back to the left. Kreya patted down the walls quickly; she obviously wasn't expecting to find anything behind the stone. The tunnel lie straight for some time. Moments later, the three travelers made a sharp turn to the right.
   They walked into what was an open area. There were no stray rocks on the ground, although the floor remained sandy. The walls were stony and a huge round object lie on the left side of the room. Kreya moved over to get a look at it, keeping her left hand on her sword hilt. Her stance reminded Palin vaguely of his brothers. He went over to shine the light on it.
   "It's a well." Kreya stated plainly. It was gray and black, smoothly carved out of stone. Madfrent moved to stand next to Palin. He took his double-looking glass out.
   "Ew, dirty water." The gnome remarked.
   Palin and Kreya looked closer, but they didn't need the gnomish invention to realize the water was dirty. The water began two feet from the top of the structure and was so opaque that they couldn't see through it.
   Madfrent started mumbling and put a finger to his chin. "HmmI
wonderifIhavesomethingherethatwecouldusetogodownthewell...Letme
seenow."
   Palin turned to look at him. He didn't understand ninety-five percent of the gnome's statement, but he heard the word "down" and saw Madfrent go through his sack.
   "No, wait!" He said abruptly. "We should wait until Tas and Zackara get back. At least wait until then."
   The gnome grumbled but nodded and sat down on the sand to continue inspecting his things. Kreya went over to check the walls for any secret caves or passages.
   Palin decided to go over and make conversation with the elf for the time while they waited. "So, have you and Zackara been on many adventures?"
   Kreya smiled as she put her fingers through the holes in the rock. "We've had our share. Zack did some adventuring with our sister, Elissas, as well. They were always close, probably because Elissas is closest to her age. Zack is the baby in the family." The elf responded, affectionately. "Then, for a time Zackara traveled with her companion, Oryn..." Kreya abruptly stopped.
   Palin didn't like the sound of this. "Companion?" He asked.
   "They were friends for a long time. It's hard to tell if they were anything more. They traveled together for quite a while. Then, they parted ways. Oryn fell for a human girl. Interesting, isn't it?" Kreya said. "Oh sorry, I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you or anything...I..." The elf moved her gaze to the wall and continued her work.
   "Oh, don't worry about it." Palin responded softly. "We're just trying to pass some time before..." His words drifted off and suddenly he wondered about this Oryn character.
   A moment later, Zackara and Tas came into the hallway. "We didn't find anything." Zackara leaned her free arm against the stone. She sounded out of breath, probably from running. "Any luck here?"
   No one responded. Kreya continued searching the walls and Palin was looking at the ground. Madfrent was more than looking at the floor; he was actually so restless that he started examining the floor with his double looking glass.
   "Boring, boring, boring!" Tas murmured and shook his topknot. "Hey, what's that?" The kender then noticed the well and walked over. Zackara, brushing her dark bangs out of her eyes, followed him.
   Tas had a hold of the lantern now and shined it down. "Wow, I wonder how deep it is."
   "That's what I intend to find out. Keep the light shining down on the water."
   Tas nodded and by that time, Kreya, Madfrent, and Palin moved back over to the well. After having overheard the psionic's declaration, they wanted to see what she was going to do.
   Zackara gripped her staff and crawled over the stone to sit at the edge. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She started mouthing some words, but the companions failed at attempting to read her lips. Palin moved to stand near her to get a closer look. Quentos started to come alive with a blue glow. He also noticed Zackara's hands turning to meet that glow.
   All of a sudden, Zackara came to life and started floating up towards the ceiling. She opened her eyes, glanced back down at the well, and laughed. "Come on, Quentos!" The elf maiden floated down as smoothly as she had floated up. They watched her start to sink lower and lower, and then finally through the water until she disappeared.
   "Wow!" Tas blurted out. "I hope she comes back."
   Palin noticed that he didn't hear any kind of contact with water that a person usually would have made. No splashes or bubbles. 'Strange,' he thought.
   Moments later, Zackara floated back up. Her hand attached to Quentos was still glowing and she didn't look the least bit wet.
   "That water was an illusion." Zackara smiled. "Someone didn't
want us to take that route down." She stood on top of the well and took one of her gloves off. She slid one of her rings off and placed her glove back on.
   "Here, catch!" She threw the ring to Palin, who surprisingly had enough of a reflex to catch it. It was the amethyst ring. He gazed at it for a second and looked back at the elf.
   "You can use my ring to fly down. It has power enough for two acts of flight. When you're down, I'll come back up and give it to Kreya. I can carry Tas and Madfrent down one at a time, but I would have trouble carrying you or Kreya down."
   Zackara gestured for Tas to come over. "Here, take Quentos so I can grab you." Tas did so and Zackara lifted him up in her arms. Quentos was still glowing and so was her right hand. Kreya took the lantern from Tas' grasp.
   Palin stared at her in amazement. He then realized he had a task to do so he slipped the ring on a finger that fit. "Um... how do I use it?" He questioned her.
   "Just think of flying. Close your eyes and take in the concept of lightness."
   Palin blinked in recognition. That ring had the same power that Raistlin's blue potion had. As a result, Palin's focus on flying would be a lot easier. He closed his eyes and held his staff close. Taking in the concept of lightness, he felt the magic sizzle from his finger to the rest of his body. He opened his eyes and floated over the well and down. At the bottom, he caught up with Zackara, who was placing Tas gently on the ground. Tas handed her Quentos and Palin gave her the ring when she was ready to float back up.     
   Zackara floated up and landed on the top of the well once more to throw the ring to Kreya and help Madfrent down. Kreya knew how to use to the ring already. She had to use it once before. Within moments, everyone was down the well. Zackara gripped Quentos after putting her ring back on. She looked at everyone to make sure they were settled and they started walking again.
   Palin wondered for a few minutes about the ring now that he had a chance. Wouldn't wearing the magic ring make her a mage? Then he thought, 'No, it's not definite although it's probable.' People could buy or find magic rings and use them even if they didn't have a magical bone in their body. Tas had used magical items before according to his stories, but that didn't mean a thing. If you knew how to use the item or stumbled upon how to use it, then you could simply just use it.
   The area where they landed was not as neatly structured as the tunnel had been. Stray rocks, some small and some large, were strewn everywhere. Yet the company easily found a path between the rocks. They walked for a few minutes and found a huge open area with a high ceiling. It also didn't take them long to realize that there was an unbelievable source of light available to them.
   Palin looked to his right and noted vast amounts of prisms against the cave wall. He saw stalagmites and stalactites, whose water dripped a bit off the edges. He looked closer and saw green molds that were as dark as seaweed and wrapped themselves around the frozen icicles. He shivered, unused to the distinct coolness of the cave.
   Zackara in turn looked to her right. She stopped for a moment, looking like she was considering something. Palin caught up to her. "I might not be correct, but my guess is that the green molds are Rhasbodryl plants. They're made up of radioactive elements and cause light to exist in the room. Very strange plants, they are." She murmured and moved on.
   Tas, who was behind Palin, looked around in wonder. "Wow, this room is so pretty. Wait until everyone back home hears about this!"
   Kreya, who was behind Madfrent, let out a soft laugh.
   The company continued walking and the path twisted here and there. Despite that, the path didn't change much and there weren't too many protruding rocks barring the way. Some time later, they came to a river. There was a pretty strong current but the water was crystal clear. Zackara estimated it to be about two-and-a-half feet deep.
   Tas wasn't all that happy about going into water that would cover him up to the top of his legs. If anything, he was concerned about his items getting wet. But then he told himself if he and Palin were able to go through a storm such as they had without getting their items damaged, he would be able to get through this. He adjusted his straps to make sure everything was tightly closed.
   Zackara took the first step in and moved along the water with no trouble. Palin and Kreya stepped in next. The water didn't appear to bother the elves, probably due to their armor and clothes underneath. However, Palin could feel the water encounter him beneath his robes. It was freezing!
   Tas and Madfrent seemed to echo his thoughts. "Brrr!" Tas retorted, feeling the icy touch even through his leggings. Meanwhile, Madfrent's teeth were chattering.
   "The quicker you walk, the quicker you will get away from the cold water." Zackara declared, turning to look back at them. "We have some towels you can dry yourselves off with."
   This then gave the three companions an incentive to move faster. The river itself was about fifteen feet wide. They were thankful to be on land again. The path twisted again but it was still wide enough for them to walk along with no problem. After a few minutes, Zackara looked for a rock to sit down on. The rest of the company sat down as well.
   Palin shivered as he wrung the edges of his robes out, which were dripping wet. Tas shook out his topknot, which had gotten wet at the ends. Madfrent started tooling with his fire device and when it was set up, he laid the device over the rock and put his hands over it.
   Zackara took out some towels and handed them over. She took her boots off and wiped her feet with one of the small ones. Kreya did the same. The psionic then laid Quentos at her feet. "I guess it's time for lunch." She remarked softly. "It will give us some time to dry off."
   Palin looked at her while drying his legs off. She took out some cheese and bread and munched on it. She then got up and took out a waterskin from her sack. Everyone was in the process of starting on lunch when she got back from filling it up with the water from the river.
   Zackara sat back down and took her gloves off. After doing so, she reached into her sack and took out a black pouch. A second later, she had a vial in her hands which contained a clear liquid. She opened the cap and tried to smell it. Shrugging, she put the cap back on.
   Tas was also watching Zackara as she closed her eyes. She started speaking softly. "What are you doing?" The kender asked, but the elf maiden didn't hear him. Palin tried as hard as he could to figure out what she was saying. He could only make out a few words, but he was for certain that she was speaking in Elven. The vial started to glow but Zackara opened her eyes and frowned.
   "Does the liquid have any special magical properties?" Tas then questioned her.
   "That's what I'm trying to figure out." She replied.
   "How would a psionic be able to figure that out?" Palin then asked, mystified.
   Zackara glared at him for a moment. Suddenly, the mage felt self-conscious again. Did he say something wrong? He hadn't intended for it to be an arrogant question. She'd probably hate him now. At the thought of that, his fingers started to shake and he merely dropped a piece of bread from his hands.
   Zackara then looked at her sister. She started talking in Elven again, but in a louder tone for Kreya to hear. Palin looked at his piece of bread and listened attentively.
   He was able to make out the sentence, 'He just doesn't understand.' After hearing that assessment, he was determined to try and understand her. Palin told himself that if he got to know her well enough, then maybe he'd figure out why she was so distant towards him. And maybe he'd get to see what she was truly like inside. He really hoped that he could spend a lot more time with her and prove to her that he could understand her.
   He then decided to ask her what she meant and surprised himself in doing so. "What don't I understand?"
   "You don't understand how a psionic can figure out if a liquid has magical properties." Zackara repeated after a look of surprise on her own face. "You'll see." The elf grinned. She then looked at Kreya and the sisters exchanged smiles.
   Palin didn't know why but her statement excited him. It seemed she was slowly warming up to him from that cold wall of seriousness. He felt his heart racing again as well as a sense of eagerness to find out what she meant by her declamation.
   The travelers continued eating... until Madfrent let out a sharp cry. "Oww! Somethingbitme!"
   "Something what?" Tas demanded.
   "Something bit me." The gnome repeated and looked down at the floor. There was a small rip in his pants where his right ankle was. He took out his double looking glass and examined the floor. He was able to see clearly with the light of Palin's staff, but there was nothing to be found.
   Everyone else looked at the floor as well. But they didn't see anything. Zackara kept her gaze glued to the ground while everyone continued eating, however. Madfrent put his device away and continued eating as well.
   Moments later, Madfrent cried out again. This time, he collapsed flat on the rock. Zackara, who had her gaze concentrated on Madfrent's right finally saw the source of his dilemma. Kreya and Tas ran over to check Madfrent. Meanwhile, Palin looked to Zackara. The elf rose and walked over to the pile of rocks on Madfrent's right. She stared at a rock which was about three feet in diameter and twisted her left arm to get a hold on her yellow-red staff, which was still strapped to her back.
   The maiden waited patiently until she saw a red face and neck extend itself out of the huge rock. It moved forward to nibble at her boot. As quick as lightning, Zackara ripped her staff free and pointed it towards the rock. Sparks started to sizzle and all of a sudden a huge bolt of lightning came forth and hit the flesh extending from the rock. Instinctively, the creature inside the rock withdrew into it.
   Palin stared, open-mouthed. Tas, who had turned to see what happened, quickly ran over to her. "Wow! That was some lightning bolt! I didn't know you were a mage too!"
   "I'm not what you think I am." Zackara returned, catching her breath. She fastened her staff back and moved towards Madfrent. She managed to find a place to sit on the rock and rolled up Madfrent's pant leg an inch so she could inspect his bite. "Krey, can you get me a piece of cloth from my sack and my waterskin?"
   Kreya got up and did so. Zackara dipped the cloth in and rubbed the scratch. "He should be alright." She then announced. "He was poisoned, but it was only a poison to cause him to fall asleep. I have no idea what manner of creature that thing was, but it looked like some sort of turtle. I'm thinking that maybe I should go scout ahead for other sources of danger."
   The whole time Palin was trying to make sense of the incident. Quentos had psionic powers, but her other staff had magic powers. Why would a psionic use a mage's staff? While it seemed likely that non-mages might use magical rings, it seemed more unlikely to Palin that a non-mage would use a weapon designed for a mage. He wanted to believe that Zackara had magical abilities as well, but he knew he couldn't prove it, especially with Zackara's denial of it.
   The mage saw her walk off and followed. "I'm going with you!" He declared.
   Zackara said nothing but kept walking. Palin's thoughts were in turmoil; he was torn between determination to figure her out and fear that the unknown would become known and turn into something very ugly. He then pondered whether her 'companion' Oryn might have had something to do with it.
   He kept following her until she stopped. He was inches behind her, heart still pounding, his gaze set to her long, flowing black hair. He couldn't understand why she stopped.
   Zackara turned to look at him, a callous look on her face. "What, did she tell you my whole life story?" She shouted and then turned back ahead to start walking.
   'She must have been reading my thoughts! Great! Now she'll NEVER talk to me again.' Despair grew within Palin's heart as he thought of this. He sadly turned to walk back towards his friends.