Chapter 4: The Finding Of The Lost World

The mist is as thick as the heaviest fog, and through it all they can hear the mighty wings of the Fire Dragons putting forth the great effort necessary to keep them aloft. Wisps of the mist stretching through the strands of time like specters hoping to entwine the divine.

From out of the darkness they can see the flames breaking through, as a mountain peak or rock outcropping explodes into a ball of fire and rage, no doubt hoping to get a lucky shot in and to heat up the night sky so the warm air currents will make it easier for them to stay aloft. Far off in the distance they can now hear the labored march of Clan Soldiers making their way up through the Pheminol Mountains.

Curious, Kyle turns to Maddox, "Since night has fallen and the time of the dragon is upon us, why then is the mist out? It would seem to take away part of the advantage of the dragons' night vision."

"We know not for sure why, but we think maybe mist magical, and since dragons strong willed we figure dragons are also slaves to the evil that long ago covered our land." Kyle nods his head in a sad understanding.

The truest darkness is misinformation given to the sheep, so the weak can have power. But it is all lies, for the power of light lies within us all and the knowledge of the universe is for everybody to explore. It takes courage to see the truth.

With all possible haste Kyle, Maddox, Tork and Lynx make their way through any cracks and crevices they can fit through to avoid contact with the dragons and Clan Soldiers. They know if they have to use their powers again, most assuredly the Masters will come, if they have not already.

They come to a peak that allows them to see a good distance in the western and southern directions. The mist is still thick, but down in the lower part of the valley it is very thin. What they see are columns of Clan Soldiers heading their way. You can see the enemy soldiers appear, disappear and then reappear as they follow the topography of the mountain.

Their time is becoming more pressing by the second, so they must make a quick choice on how to proceed, but in all actuality it is not that hard of a decision. The Clan Soldiers are coming from the west and south, and they have just come from the Stiefel village from the north, and the Fire Dragons seem to be all over that area, so they start making their way east. Although their destination lay in the south, they have no choice but to turn east or confront the Clan Soldiers, Fire Dragons and most likely the Masters shortly thereafter.

Suddenly the mist thickens and swirls as a Fire Dragon swoops down, and twenty paces to their right a peak explodes into flames sending shrapnel of red-hot rock flying through the night air. As if on queue the Clan Soldiers are spreading out in a fan maneuver, coming further up the mountain in their direction.

Now they truly have no choice. They must gather what supplies they can carry from their horses and release them so they can make better time through the mountains. Plus it is obvious the horses are not going to fit through the narrow passages much longer anyhow. And then once again the mist thins enough so they can see that off in the distance another mountain peak explodes into flames. The assaulted peaks still glow from being super-heated, giving off an eerie reddish glow and taking away the night's advantage.

They try their best to run their horses off in a northerly direction so the Clan Soldiers cannot pinpoint their easterly movement, and also because all life is precious to The Way and they do not want any harm to befall them.

It is not much longer after that until they can hear the voices of the commanders of the Clan Soldiers as they shout out orders, which signifies that the enemy is coming up behind them from the west at varying angles. As quietly as they can, they quicken their pace and head off into the eastern part of the Pheminol Mountains.

At first Lynx seems very hesitant to go in that direction. His footsteps falter and he seems more concerned with what lay ahead rather than the enemy closing in on them from the rear.

When Kyle asks him what is wrong he answers, "The Elders always told us stories of strange and mysterious things that happens to folk when they stray into these parts. Though I believe no good people ever lost their lives, they are just encouraged to turn back by some unseen force. I remember ancient stories that the Lost Mystic Caverns are supposed to be in these higher parts. Of course they are not lost to the Mystic Wizards, only those who do not belong. In truth, no one has ever seen them, and we are not really sure they exist since they are known mostly as legend. But out of respect for the Old Ways the Elders tell us not to intrude."

Kyle always pragmatic, "We have no choice now, my friend. Let us move with haste and purpose before the enemy gives us no choice but to fight."

Lynx wistfully replies, "I do like a good fight, but my Elders warned me against my carelessness, for this journey is far too important for the people of Owen."

They duck and dodge, and at times watch groups of Clan Soldiers pass by within just a few paces from them as they peer from under or behind huge rock formations and outcroppings.

After a while it begins to look like they are being played with by an age-old tactic of driving your enemy into a trap. Just when it is beginning to seem almost hopeless and the trap is ready to be sprung, a strong purposeful wind starts to blow. As if they come from the abyss themselves, black thunderous clouds roll overhead and lightning starts to strike the mountainsides.

Every now and again you can hear a Clan Soldier yell out in fear, or if the lightning bolt strikes true, a scream of pain starts and then fades away as fast as it came. A moment later one mighty lightning bolt lights up the entire sky, even through the thick mist it is as if the heavens open up and share its light. Then a bone chilling shrieking sound from a Fire Dragon echoes through the mountains. Another moment later, after the thunder, you can hear the halfhearted flapping of the Fire Dragon as he tries to fly off to safer skies.

The thunderous boom that follows the mighty lightning bolt shakes the entire Pheminol Mountains to its core, and starts several little rock slides. As the Clan Soldiers and Fire Dragons begin to leave posthaste, deciding that it is the better part of valor for the moment to find safer places to hide out until the storm blows over. Almost immediately the mist begins to thin.

The storm progressively grows in intensity. From some of the excited and shaky voices of the Clan Soldiers as they run by, Kyle guesses they have also heard of the legendary tales about these mountains and the Mystic Wizards.

Now the winds are blowing fiercely at speeds up to gale force, plus hail starts to fall and pound the world like the Forger God's hammer as he made the universe. The hail feels like being pelted with rocks if one is foolish enough to stay out in the open.

The four companions have no choice but to find immediate shelter, so they can ride out the storm themselves or become its victims as well. They travel nearly half a league before they find a small cave they can stay in for the night.

They settle in and Kyle asks Lynx, "Do you know of any passes that we can travel through to make our journey through these mountains any shorter?"

"No. I have never been in these parts. As I told you, the Elders forbade it, but I am right at home in any mountains and we shall find our way."

Kyle and Maddox say in unison, "Of that we have no doubt, my friend." Sore and tired they rest for the rest of the night, with Lynx taking the first watch.

It is almost morning by the time the storm has subsided enough to even contemplate going back out into it. They eat and drink just what they need to stay strong, and then they head back out into what is left of the storm. It is now just very light winds with occasional sprinkles of rain. Though it is still cold, that does not slow them down because the faster and harder they move the warmer they are.

Tork seems to move with a new determination in his eyes. He grows stronger and seemingly more controlled every hour. Kyle knows the time is nearing that he will have to train Tork as best he can, and he knows to use their magical powers will attract the Masters and their followers.

Perhaps what concerns Kyle the most of all is when Tork does release his powers once again, even in practice, it is going to be a touchy and dangerous situation, for he has crossed the line of uncontrollability before he had almost any training at all. Kyle, with the knowledge of The Way, knows that the powers of light come from life, and if one uses those powers without control and understanding, then they could kill their most beloved standing right next to them without meaning to.

The death of his father, and now his mother Tula, has probably made Tork's purpose in this escapade one of revenge rather than honor. That before all else must be changed, because anything and everything the old Mystic Wizards of Owen and the Centurion Wizards of Parrethia do, they do out of love and caring. To be a servant of the good faith, to be a wizard of light, you must have a sincere heart.

Their trek through the mountains is slow and laborious, but they see no signs of being followed by the Masters or Clan Soldiers, and the purplish mist is nowhere to be seen.

You can especially see it in Lynx's eyes, but it is in all their minds. They are wondering and hoping the others in the Stiefel village got away safely.

They traveled for the better part of two days, and now they are nearing the ridge that will start them heading down the other side of the mountains. First, though, they come to a passage, really nothing more than a glorified crevice that they are going to have to pass through. They have no choice, as the walls of the mountain all around them are far too steep and rugged looking to try and climb.

As they step up to the passage, the wind starts blowing so fiercely that they can barely move forward. Maddox has to help the not quite fully recovered Tork, but they still have no choice. They have to move forward or falter. As they step into the passage an eerie howling begins, and at times it seems the ground starts to shake.

Maybe all of them hear something different in the howling of the wind, but they all seem inexplicably uncomfortable at this point. Kyle has that same feeling as before. The feeling that he thinks the wind is calling to him.

Soon they start seeing the openings of caves. They go into a few, but they are shallow and lead to nowhere, but it is a nice momentary respite from the wind. The further they go, they start seeing so many openings that eventually they stop looking in each one or they will never get out of these mountains.

A little more than half way through the passage they pass by an opening of a cave that looks no different than any of the others, but this time the diamond on the hilt of Kyle's sword starts to glow a dim but constant golden light.

At first Kyle and Maddox look around for some kind of enemy intruder and or danger, but they see none. Then Kyle looks inside the opening of the cave and the light emanating from the diamond starts to grow brighter. Curious now, Kyle and the others step into the cave, and from the light given off by Kyle's sword they realize this is not just a cave like the others; it is a cavern that seems to disappear deep into the mountain.

Once again Kyle knowing better than to second-guess his and his sword's powers, they cautiously venture in, Kyle with sword in hand, Maddox with battleaxe at the ready, Tork with dagger drawn, and Lynx with an arrow notched on his bow ready to plunge it deep into the heart of the first unfriendly that challenges them, they start going deeper and deeper into the cavern.

By now the sound of the wind has faded behind them, and all they hear is their own footfalls and the sound of dripping water coming from the ceiling falling away into the darkness, and into milky white ponds that seem to glow without light.

If not for the divine light emanating from Kyle's sword, the darkness would envelope them wholly. They would be plunged into total darkness and further progress would be impossible without risking the use of more magic. Luckily the further they go, the brighter Kyle's sword starts to radiate.

Then suddenly the natural path they are following seems to drop off into oblivion, and there in front of them is what looks like the grand opening of a mystical room that they believe must be as huge as its own world, because the light from Kyle's sword seems to get swallowed up by the darkness as it disappears into the distance.

At first there seems to be no way down, but after closer examination there appears to be natural steps in the side of the drop off. Though they are near vertical going down, the steps look usable. They cautiously make their way down the steps, making sure each footing has a secure hold before moving on to the next, because they cannot see the bottom and nobody wants to find out what is down there the hard way.

Kyle, after a few minutes, starts realizing just how perfect this is, and starts wondering if these are actually naturally made or made by some long forgotten realm. Although in his mind he is beginning to believe that which in his heart he already knows, that these are the Lost Mystic Caverns.

Now after three hundred or more steps down Kyle sees the reflection of the light from his sword hitting what he hopes to be the bottom of the cavern. Kyle, who is in front, as he nears the last step before the last jump down to the bottom, starts to get a feeling of supreme peace and serenity, and yet at the same time he feels sorrow and shame laying heavy in the air.

He takes a leap of faith for the last steps and strikes bottom, and just as he hits the bottom the diamond on the hilt of his sword lights up so brilliantly that it momentarily blinds him. He has never seen his sword glow so brightly. And then, as if taking on a power and mind of its own, the whole cavern lights up, and all four of them gasp and stand there in silent awe, because there in front of them is the most spectacular and beautiful sight any of them have ever seen in their entire lives.