Josh awoke to increases in Strength, Agility, Speed and Chi, the legacy of his escape the previous day. Before he could explore his character sheet too closely, however, he was interrupted both by the huldra delivering breakfast, and by Lady Paleyne’s desire to hold another secret conference.
One of these was more welcome than the other.
“We must be careful,” Lady Paleyne said, as she engaged the silence bubble.
The huldra appeared to think that breakfast should consist of a giant mushroom, turned upside down to make a cup, and filled with fish broth. It wasn’t what Josh would have chosen to start his day with, but looked filling, if only because he would be able eat the cup afterwards.
His mouth was too full to reply to Lady Paleyne, but she didn’t need any encouragement.
“The huldra are good at camouflage,” she went on. “But if they have not retaken the bridge to Safirbai at this point, I can only assume that they don’t have any true invisibility spells.”
Did she not know that invisibility spells on the bridge made it too insubstantial to walk on? Maybe that wasn’t common knowledge. Josh hastily chewed and swallowed so he could speak.
“What if the bridge has, uh, counters to that?” he asked. “Are there any counters to invisibility?”
Lady Paleyne gave him a surprised glance.
“Of course,” she said. “There are a great many. Vapour or clouds of ash or sand, for example, which I assume is how the invisibility of the bridge itself can be countered.”
She was very wrong about that. The bridge material allowed small particles to pass through it, meaning that the only way to tell it was there was to put your foot on it, or tap cautiously ahead of you with a stick or a weapon. Given that the pieces of the bridge could be at different heights, even tapping with a long staff made it difficult and time-consuming to find the way across.
Josh wasn’t going to tell Lady Paleyne that, however.
“What else counters invisibility?” Lady Paleyne continued. “Hmm, yes, fey lanterns that illuminate what is not seen. Guard dogs to hear movement or scent intruders. Drakes which can detect the heat of a body.”
The wormspider in the library at Brackstone hadn’t been able to detect heat through the cloak, Josh thought, only movement. Although that had been bad enough. He supressed a shiver at the memory.
“There are so many counters to invisibility that it is rarely used as a tactic these days,” Lady Paleyne said, “It is only effective against a purely human enemy, and thus has now fallen out of fashion. It does not help that such spells are extremely taxing. Even your cloak, powerful though it is, can only apply the effect if you are still or moving very slowly. And so, of course, as invisibility spells become less common, so do the counters. While I am surprised at Northcrag for not equipping his men against such a tactic, it does confirm my theory that the huldra have no such magic.”
That made sense.
“They have no doubt seen your cloak in action, and you have, very foolishly, told them you know how to cross the bridge,” Lady Paleyne went on. “This makes you a valuable lieutenant to recruit to their cause. They may even forcibly detain you, or threaten you, to force you to comply with their demands.”
“They gave us guest rights for three days,” Josh pointed out.
“We cannot trust that they will honour their word. I propose that we let them think you are a Chosen One, assigned to Lady Alianne.” She paused and studied his expression. “You do not know what that is, do you?”
“Not … really?” Josh said.
“The cloak is a holy item, and it allows you to wear it. Most commonly, an honour of this magnitude is achieved by long periods of prayer and meditation to one’s god, before one is permitted to take up the mantle, as it were. More rarely, this might be down to dire need—such as the young child who rang the holy bell to banish the Lich of Nersima, if you are familiar with that story. Which method was it for you?”
Dire need covered it pretty well.
“The second,” Josh said.
Lady Paleyne paused again as she absorbed that.
“Interesting,” she murmured. “The rarest blessing of all is that of the Chosen One, an individual selected to carry out the god’s will. Anyone attempting to interfere with such an individual would be risking the wrath of his or her patron god.”
Josh absolutely no desire to parade around pretending to be a Chosen One. There was no reason for a cover story, anyway, because he had already promised to help the huldra, but he couldn’t tell Lady Paleyne that.
He’d finished all the fish soup, so he took an exploratory bite out of the mushroom while he tried to think of holes in her plan.
“Why wouldn't Northcrag have been afraid of the Chosen One?” he said.
Lady Paleyne gave a pleased smile.
“You can be sure I will be pointing out to the huldra that Northcrag may well have angered the gods, in which case he can shortly expect divine retribution to be visited upon him. I will suggest that if they do but wait, they may take advantage of this.”
“But I’m not a Chosen One, so they won’t get that opportunity,” Josh said.
Lady Paleyne shrugged as if this was no concern of hers.
“Won’t the gods be angry at you?” Josh asked. “For pretending.” Or at Josh, for going along with such a stupid scheme.
Lady Paleyne’s smile grew wider.
“Not if you make a vow before your god to protect Lady Alianne on her journey to Dendral. Even if you are not a Chosen One, you would still be under a holy oath.”
She had such a twisty mind. She had multiple plates in the air, and had found a way to keep them all spinning at once. Appease the huldra, without offering them victory. Evade Northcrag’s attempt to capture them, but without angering him enough to force him into the arms of her enemies. Keep the Azure Cathedral under Northcrag’s control in order to appease King Rupern. And secure the Philosopher’s Stone for Lady Alianne, which presumably gave her faction an advantage of some sort.
And all this while sitting in a village of tribal stone elves with nothing but the clothes on her back. She wasn’t even using any of her magic for it.
Josh was desperately grateful Lady Paleyne didn’t know enough about the invisible bridge to realise that most of these plans weren’t going to work. She was operating from faulty intelligence, and it was the only thing that was going to save the huldra.
Josh didn’t want to make a holy vow for two reasons. First, he had no idea who the god of the cloak was, and the only thing he did know about it was that it accepted human sacrifice. Swearing a vow in its name seemed a very bad idea all round.
Second, he resented being asked to make a vow to Lady Alianne for something he was already doing. He had gone to great lengths to save both ladies, not because he liked them, but because he couldn’t have escaped with a clear conscience while leaving two women behind in captivity.
He'd been silent for some time, he realised.
He glanced across at Lady Alianne, who for some reason was looking hurt. What was wrong with her? He looked at Lady Paleyne to see if she knew, and saw she was doing the lip biting thing again that meant she was struggling to repress amusement.
“I don’t want a vow made to me unwillingly!” Lady Alianne declared.
Wait, was she hurt because he hadn’t leaped at the chance to swear a vow in her honour? After he had risked his life to help her anyway?
Besides, it wasn’t as if she was some helpless maiden waiting to be rescued. She might be whiny, self-obsessed, and way too fixated on her stupid title, but she’d kept a cool head through their escape, and she’d managed to hide under a flower and drag Lady Paleyne through the water to get away from the guards, and had managed to bring the supplies, even if they had been water-logged.
Both women were narrow-minded, and Josh hated the way they didn’t seem to see the huldra as actual people with emotions, but neither of them were helpless idiots. Lady Paleyne was good at disguising it, but she was a powerful mage and shrewd negotiator, and Lady Alianne was resourceful and determined when she wasn’t moaning or trying to criticise every plan Josh came up with.
Would telling them that be a mistake?
Josh thought about some of the women he knew. Rachel, for example, Timothy’s teenage sister, who had interrupted his gaming session. It had been funny watching Timothy and Ben get everything so wrong when they’d tried to shut her up and make her go away. Josh was usually better at relating to the female mindset than that, but Lady Paleyne and Lady Alianne were products of a completely different culture and it kept throwing him.
“It’s not because of you, my lady,” he said to Lady Alianne. “It’s just that…” he cast about for an excuse, and what came out of his mouth was, “I need to meditate.”
There, that sounded appropriately mystical, and it would give him time to think of a way out of making any stupid promises.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“My lady,” Lady Paleyne said deferentially to her charge. “Let us take a walk about the village, and leave de Haven to his prayers.”
Prayers? Josh opened his mouth to object, then closed it again. They didn’t go very far away, and since they were still dawdling in plain sight, he closed his eyes and adopted an expression that he hoped radiated mindfulness or whatever.
He wasn’t going to make a vow to the god of the cloak, no matter what. But on the other hand, the gods in this world were real, and they sounded like the kind of angry, jealous gods who would get annoyed if Josh went around pretending to be under a holy vow when he wasn’t. The god of the cloak was bound to be one of those sorts of gods.
There was Mayad, the goddess who had saved him from Varian’s gang the first time. Her ruined temple had seemed a calm, welcoming place. Shortly after that, Josh had found out about the Dreamer, and decided on his quest. He was making progress on it, albeit slowly.
If Josh thought of this as a game, as a fantasy adventure, he wanted to be the kind of hero who helped people. And you didn’t only help people who were going to be nice or grateful about it. You helped anyway if you had the power to do so, and you didn’t expect anything back. That was the point.
That didn’t mean Josh had to make rash promises like an idiot. Lady Paleyne would walk all over him if he let her. He opened his eyes a slit to make sure she wasn’t close enough to hear him speak.
He wasn’t in Mayad’s temple, so the goddess probably couldn’t hear him or his thoughts anyway, but he cleared his throat, and said quietly, “I promise to do my best to help the huldra across the invisible bridge, and to help Lady Paleyne and Lady Alianne get out of the Azure Cathedral.” He mentally reviewed his wording. “Safely out of the Cathedral,” he amended.
There. It didn’t promise results, just that he would try his best. A perfectly reasonable oath, and something he had been intending to do anyway.
When the women returned, he was ready.
“I vow to do my best to help you both get safely out of the Azure Cathedral,” he said firmly. Lady Paleyne opened her mouth, but he held up his hand. “We don’t know at this stage whether we can get out via the north or the south exit, so there’s no point in me promising anything more than that.”
Lady Paleyne inclined her head.
“In that case, let us meet with these elders,” she said.
The next few hours were intense, but also excruciatingly dull, as Lady Paleyne and Katofen took over the negotiations. It was a full out battle, which both seemed to relish. It didn’t help that Katofen had to stop every once in a while and consult with the huldra elders, or that both sides were masterfully prevaricating at any opportunity. Lady Paleyne expertly skirted around the subject of Josh’s holy vow, delicately implying that it was much more serious that it was, while Katofen pretending to fall hook, line and sinker for the idea that Lady Alianne would petition King Rupern on behalf of the stone elves.
They were interrupted by a huldra, a young one, Josh thought, who was sweating and breathing heavily, as if he had run far. He babbled in the huldra language. There was some discussion between Katofen and the elders, before the former turned to Lady Paleyne.
“There is a Northcrag shipment expected in two sleeps, travelling north,” he said. “If we are quick, we can intercept it, and you can hide yourself within. We can simultaneously cause a distraction, by sending word to the commanders at both northern and the southern forts to say that we have captured the three of you, and are willing to ransom you for concessions. This will prevent them from expecting an attempt to smuggle yourselves through.”
Lady Paleyne frowned thoughtfully, but nodded.
“That seems to be our best chance,” she agreed.
There was another hour or so of discussion, but in the end, Katofen’s suggestion carried the day, even though Josh knew it was just a cover for the real plan.
Lady Paleyne took Josh aside as the huldra made their preparations.
“Prepare all the spells you can,” she said. “There is a high chance we will be discovered, and captured by Northcrag’s men once we reach Safirbai.”
Josh blinked.
“How do you know?”
“Because if it was a viable way to smuggle people out, the huldra would already have made use of it,” Lady Paleyne said, impatiently. “We have an edge, with your cloak and…” she glanced around swiftly to make sure none of the huldra were in earshot, “my own magic, but we must prepare for the worst. If we are near the northern exit, though, we are further out of reach of the ones who paid Northcrag to detain us, and that gives me time to negotiate with him. I need you to draw me a map of the caverns, however.”
Josh spluttered.
“What…? I don’t…” He might be able to navigate the Myriad, but there was no way he could draw a coherent map of it, even if he did have time to wander around it for several days, which he didn’t.
“If Northcrag finds us,” she said in a low voice, “we need to be in possession of a map of the Cathedral, because it gives us leverage over him, and we can use that to negotiate our freedom. Hush now, say nothing of this.” She broke off as Katofen approached, but gave Josh an expectant look, as if he should run off and draw a map immediately.
Instead, he spent the rest of the day training with the staff. It cast illusions for him again, showing him how to stand and place his feet, and adjust his balance, and reminded him very much of the swordsmanship training he had attended the first morning in Brackstone.
A magic training staff was possibly the best item Josh could have hoped to come across. Once he was out of the caverns and in a place where people weren’t trying to kidnap him all the time, he would work on his staff training, and his archery, as well as learning more about spells.
He would also, finally, be able to sit down and focus on his Plumassier class. At some point he would have to level up, and would learn more feather-related skills, so he needed to get his current skills as high as possible, albeit within the limitations of his level. Feathers might seem like useless decorative items, but look at what the Stone spell could do. What if Josh could make feather armour? Or, even better, wings?
Wings would be so cool!
Once he’d finished the staff training, he occupied himself with some bow practice, and by that point the day was nearly over. Insofar as they had days down here. There was no sunlight, so the huldra didn’t keep to a diurnal rhythm, and tended to work and rest in rotations, which they called sleeps. Despite this, the village was constantly bustling with activity, and was consequently a noisy place to get any rest, but Josh had exhausted himself with the weapons training. When it was time to sleep, he drifted off very quickly.
He woke to something cold and astringent covering his mouth and nose, and struggled violently. He was being held down. He bucked, trying to throw his attacker off. Was someone trying to kidnap him again? He inadvertently breathed in and nearly choked at the harsh fumes that filled his lungs.
“Easy,” someone hissed above him. “It is I, Katofen.”
Katofen released him, and stood back. Josh looked around him. He was still in the huldra village, in the hut they had been given. Nearby were the still forms of Lady Paleyne and Lady Alianne.
Katofen followed his glance.
“Your companions are fine. They are merely sleeping, and will do so until the effects wear off.”
“Effects of what?”
“Deep in the caves is a predatory fungus which releases a powder that lulls its prey to sleep, whereupon it stretches out tendrils to infect it, and grows within the body of its prey until it can be killed and consumed.”
“That’s gross!” Josh said thickly.
Katofen nodded.
“But useful. This,” he held up the sponge he had been pressing to Josh’s face. “This is the counter agent.”
That was why all the guards had used masks, Josh realised. So the huldra couldn’t throw sleepy mushroom powder at them.
“Paleyne and Alianne won’t get eaten by the fungus?” Josh asked, just to make sure.
“I swear to you, on the lives of my people, that they will not," Katofen said gravely. "Such a thing would not be permitted within the bounds of the village in any case, even if we had not promised you guest right.” He crouched down beside Josh. “We will take the bridge now. Are you with us?”
Josh rubbed his eyes and blinked them to clear the heavy-lidded feeling away.
“Yes,” he said.
It turned out that Lady Paleyne had been right about the huldra not having invisibility. They were small and quiet, they could wriggle through the tiniest of gaps, and they knew how to camouflage themselves against the environment of the caverns, but they couldn’t simply stand in plain sight the way Josh could with his cloak.
Josh offered them as many Hide spells as he could reasonably draw in the time available, which Katofen accepted. The latter was aware that the bridge wouldn’t allow an invisible person across it, but explained that he had a plan for that.
Then he explained the plan.
“That’s it?” Josh asked, trying not to sound nervous. He had been hoping for something sneaky and clever, since Katofen seemed like a sneaky, clever person.
Katofen laid a hand on his shoulder.
“If this fails, you have given me the key,” he said. “It has been recorded amongst the elders, and will be remembered. It may take another generation to rise and train as warriors before we can try again, but now we have hope.”
“Right,” Josh said, trying not to panic. No pressure, then.
The first stage was to make their way through the Myriad to the first of the forts protecting the bridge. At the northern end of the great central cavern, the one with the shrine at its centre, were a series of waterfalls which fed the lake. The present Earl of Northcrag's father had ordered miners to smash through the twisting caves of the Myriad to make a tunnel that followed the path of the river rapids directly up to the cavern before the invisible bridge. There, a spring gushed forth which was the source of the water that gave the Azure Cathedral its name.
Beyond the cavern of the spring, were two passages. One led to the Tangle, but the other had one of Northcrag’s miniature wooden forts built across it, which guarded the invisible bridge.
The fort was the first hurdle. The huldra had to take it without the alarm being raised, but here, Josh’s Hide spells came in handy. When combined with the huldra’s natural camouflage ability, they were able to spend nearly a full hour getting into position right under the noses of the guards.
Josh didn’t see any of this happening. He was kept well to the back, beside Katofen. To distract himself, he studied his new quest.
[QUESTS
Helping the Huldra. Assist the huldra across the invisible bridge so that they can claim their birthright, the city of Safirbai. Reward: 2,543 xp. (Bonus: release the huldra hostages held by the Earl of Northcrag. Reward: 420 xp per hostage.)]
It was wrong to hope that there were lots of hostages, and that Josh would be able to free them all. No matter who they were or whether he got experience for it or not, he was going to help them anyway.
A messenger came running through the caves to where Josh stood with Katofen, and a handful of other huldra. He gasped out something, and Katofen nodded. He turned to Josh.
“The fort is taken.”
“Already?” Josh asked with surprise. He followed in Katofen’s wake.
“We have overrun them before,” Katofen told him. “And will do so again, if we must. It is the hostages, not these defences, which the Lord of Northcrag relies upon to control us. But the key to the Azure Cathedral is Safirbai, and we will not rest until it is ours once more.”
The guards were all dead. Josh had known that would happen. They were men working for the Earl of Northcrag, and although they might not be evil themselves, they had helped perpetuate an injustice.
But when he saw the bodies laid out in a row in the inner courtyard he faltered, and suddenly felt sick. He had to turn away and breath deeply. Katofen waited, offering neither disdain nor comfort, until Josh was ready to move on.
Despite everything, Josh couldn’t help feeling responsible for their deaths.
A few twists of the cave later, they came to the small alcove before the bridge. The huldra of the vanguard were crouched there, donning their armour and equipment. They showed Josh where to step so that he wouldn’t be visible from the bridge room itself.
“Are you ready?” Katofen murmured.
Josh was carrying only his staff, his bow, and his quiver. According to Katofen’s plan, he wouldn’t need either weapon, but there was no point in going unarmed.
“Here.” Katofen handed him a small round shield.
It had two buckles Josh could use to strap on his arm, and was slightly convex, with a spike on central boss. The shield itself was made of a hard, shiny material, not dissimilar to the lacquer he had seen on some of the stone elf decorations.
“You should not need this either,” Katofen said. He sounded calm and confident. “But I would like you to have it.”
“Thank you,” Josh croaked. He cleared his throat and attempted a smile. Katofen gripped him briefly by the shoulder, and then the vanguard formed up around him. In addition to their plate armour, made of the same material as Josh’s shield, they each bore tower shields, which they could lock into a turtle formation.
This was Katofen’s idea for crossing the bridge.
“May the Sleeping One be with you all,” he said.
The vanguard thumped their fists to their chests, and then turned as one towards the entrance. Josh kept in the middle of the formation as they marched into the room where the invisible bridge lay.