The Crystal Archivist, page 1
The Crystal Archivist
The Crystalline Chronicles Vol. #2
By: Blake R. Wolfe
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
THE CRYSTAL ARCHIVIST
First edition. July 25, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 Blake R. Wolfe.
ISBN: 979-8201313456
Written by Blake R. Wolfe.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
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Also By Blake R. Wolfe
About the Author
We travel on, day and night, towards a greener place to rest at last.
One
Bark shattered off the tree as an arrow landed with a dull thump mere inches from the pinned shred of white cloth Dusk had been using as a target. A small surge of pride eased the ache of his shoulders and arm and made a smile sneak across his lips. The splintered, exposed wood and chipped bark all down the tree’s side told of his efforts in the last hour.
“Well, that’s a lot better,” Lex said, stepping up to Dusk on the shoulder. “You’re a bit of a natural at this, but time will make you more accurate. Most people I’ve met can’t even hit the tree for the first few weeks, especially at this distance.”
“I’ll keep practicing,” Dusk said simply.
“You’ll be a better shot than me in no time. I was always terrible with a bow,” Lex replied with a sigh. “I’m not great with this heavy beast of a blade either,” he looked at the thick bastard sword on his hip. “If we ever come across a town again, I want to find another rapier.”
“What do you want with some flimsy weapon like that?” Tara called from a few paces away. She was packing up the last of the bags and throwing them across Maribel’s back. “You should get a great sword and put some muscle on that skinny body of yours. You’re too easy to overpower and you look like a toothpick.”
“Remind me why we brought her along again?”
They had been traveling for a week through the endless sea of grass and neither Lex nor Tara had stopped bickering the entire time. At first Dusk had found it wore on his patience and by the end of a day’s travel he wanted nothing more than to slip away and sit with Maribel for a while, enjoying the silence with his only non-verbal companion. Somehow the constant arguing had brought Lex closer to his previous self, like he was before the incident at Windshear Tower. Dusk had wondered if Lex would ever truly recover. Less than a week before, he had been concerned that Lex would leave them and wander alone. To Dusk’s relief, Lex had chosen to go south with them through the plains to Emerald Deep. He seemed to be making a good recovery.
The great lake at the edge of the ocean still lay more than three weeks away on foot. The cold and snow had made it slow going, the wind on the plains cutting through their clothing and keeping them from building a fire most nights. Still, they kept on each day, trying to take shelter under trees when they found them and hoping the snow-covered grassland would end eventually. Tara assured them it would, but neither Dusk nor Lex had any idea what lay beyond. They were already beyond Ditania’s lawful reach, even if the land belonged to the newly-crowned king. It was a wild country without a village or road in sight.
Both Lex and Tara had proven useful on their journey so far. After finding the village at the base of the mountains burned to the ground and no survivors in sight, they’d turned onto the plains with little more than a few days of rations and water to survive. Tara’s hunting prowess brought in fresh meat almost every night. Lex on the other hand, well-educated in foraging, found edible wild roots and plants to bolster their meals. Between the two of them, they were all well fed. Water was scarcer, but they had happened upon ponds and water-filled depressions in the hilly landscape here and there to refill their water skins. Dusk was surprised to find small fish living at the edges of some of the pools. He’d pointed them out to Lex, but they were too small to eat. Lex promised him when they finally came across something large enough, he would teach him to fish. Thrilled by the idea, Dusk became a great spotter for water sources on their journey. However, he was confused as to how the fish had gotten there in the first place with no incoming streams or rivers, but neither of his companions had an answer for him.
Another arrow sunk into the scarred bark, piercing the cloth that hung there.
“Hey! You got it!” Lex yelled as he clapped his hands together a few times. “Soon we’ll have you out there hunting with Tara so we can eat something other than rabbits! I can’t believe you hit it!”
“Thanks,” Dusk replied sheepishly. He reached up and scratched the skin that chafed under his cold metal collar.
“Time to go, junior assassins,” Tara called from behind them. “Looks like more clouds are moving in over the mountain. We should be nearing the end of the plains soon. I don’t want to be caught out here for another blizzard.”
Lex jogged over to the tree, retrieving the arrows. Dusk turned back to Tara, putting the bow across his back.
“Do you think we’ll make it there by tonight?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see a treeline in the distance yet, but there are some small rises ahead. Maybe we can see more from there. It can’t be much further. It should be just on the other side of the River Sunder.”
“How are we going to cross that?”
“One problem at a time. We’ll worry about that when we get there.”
“Worry about what?” Lex asked as he jogged back to them, handing the bundle of black arrows to Dusk.
“We’re coming up on a river.”
“That’s going to be hell to cross with the snow-melt. And I can’t imagine there’s reliable bridges out here in the wilds.” Lex sighed, glancing back to Tara. “But I knew we’d have to cross one eventually.”
“It’s the same river that flows south of Alamond, so it’s going to be wide,” Tara advised.
Lex nodded, walking over to Maribel’s side and taking a folded piece of thick parchment from the bags tied across her back. Unfolding it as he walked, he brought it over to Tara and held it out. It was the same map they’d taken from Brand after Dusk had killed him in his shiny new bathtub.
“This map shows the main road and the towns, but not much else. It’s pretty crude,” Tara began. She ran her finger along the surface, tracing a circle around a large area. “These are the plains we’re in right now.” She pointed to a red X marked just south of the main road. “It looks like this is where that bandit camp was?” Lex gave her a quick nod. She began to trace backwards towards the mountains. “What you can’t see here is that the Sunder flows down from the Dorsum Mountains well south of the main road, but thanks to some of the hills and valleys around here, it actually flows north for almost a week’s trek before it turns east, heading towards the capital city where it fills the moat around the castle wall. From there, it spills into Lake Eblesal.”
“Wow... it goes so far,” Dusk replied. “I didn’t know it was the same river. I remember there being a lot of water in Eblesal, but I don’t remember much of the lake or the river. Just the smell of fish.”
“Most of the lake shore is walled in by the castle grounds. You’d have to leave town on the western edge and walk all the way around the castle grounds to find an open shoreline that wasn’t full of fishing boats,” Lex added without prompting.
“Spent a lot of time in the royal city have you? On holiday with your family?” Tara asked, giving him a sideways glance.
“I’ve been there once or twice.” He grabbed the map from Tara’s grasp and began to fold it up hurriedly. “So, are we leaving or what? Aren’t you in a rush to get to a river we don’t know how to cross or something?”
Lex walked away, stuffing the map back into his bag. Tara gave a quick glance to Dusk, motioning her head towards Lex with a cocked eyebrow. He replied with a simple shrug, unworried about Lex’s past or what kind of life he’d led. He figured Lex would tell him in time, but for now he was content to let it be. Besides, they already knew that his family was working with the Circle of the Dawn to get him back. It was obvious they were well-connected, but it seemed like it would be some time before Lex was willing to share all the details.
“Well, are we going then?” Lex asked again, grabbing Maribel by the halter. He was already leading her away before the other two could answer.
It was early afternoon when they set out towards the southern horizon, winding through waist-high grass and occasional tree patches.When they had started out, Dusk thought the grass would be easy to walk through, but soon he realized it was like wading through water. Although not as thick, it still presented a challenge to fight their way through everyday. Not only that, but some of the grasses had serrated edges that left tiny cuts on his exposed skin. He did his best to keep his hands covered, but
In the distance he could see the small rise that Tara had mentioned. It was large enough to veil whatever lay beyond, but it didn’t look like too much of a climb. The plains were relatively flat, but being at the foot of the mountains, they had a tendency to undulate slowly like waves, making the journey exhausting.
As the sun began to sink towards the mountain peaks in the west, Dusk and his companions came to the base of the small hill and began to climb. It was a bit steeper than most, but it would give them a good vantage point to get their bearings. Maribel was being stubborn, having not had a decent drink in almost two days. They hadn’t come across any of the small ponds they had been relying on and all their water skins were running low. Dusk hoped the river wasn’t far off. Food was easy to find, but without any snow on the ground, water was harder to come by.
At the crest of the hill they came to a halt, each one of them breathing a sigh of relief. Dusk put his hands on his thighs, leaning over to catch his breath. At the bottom of the hill he saw a river, swollen with the recent melting snow as winter struggled to set in. The river itself was more than fifty feet across and icy blue. The shore was composed of multi-colored rocks and boulders. Dusk looked to the center where the water shifted to a darker blue, warning of the depths below. They’d have to swim.
Tara led them down the hill to the water’s edge. She reached down and stuck two fingers into the water, pulling them back quickly. “I figured it would be too cold to swim,” she said with a sigh. “I’d hoped for a shallow area so that only our boots got wet, but this is too deep. We’ll drown or die of hypothermia on the other side even if we do somehow make it.”
“So now what do we do?” Lex asked, pulling Maribel to the shore so she could drink. She dipped her head in eagerly and began to slurp noisily. “We could ride Maribel across...” Dusk caught a quick disapproving glance from her to Lex before she turned back to the water. “Do you know of a shallow area or a bridge? Can we hope for such a thing?”
“The Circle cut across the river to Kinallin to find us,” Dusk added. “There’s got to be a bridge.”
“There is,” Tara replied solemnly. “But it lies more than four days northeast of here. I don’t want to backtrack that far unless we absolutely have to.” She put her fingers to her chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. “There is another option... but it’s not my favorite.”
“Well, let’s hear it. Drowning is not how I envisioned dying, so I’m open to other ideas,” Lex scoffed. “We don’t have a lot of choices.”
“Well, there is a small village, and if I remember correctly, they do have a ferry across the river. However,” Tara looked up to the pair of them, “it puts us near the Louring Bog. The swamp goes on for miles.”
“Then we’ll just take the road through. That’s easy enough.”
“It’s not easy at all. Even on the brightest days it’s filled with a thick mist that nothing can penetrate. There are things that live in that swamp that you don’t want to mess with. I was there once on a mission from the Royal Guard and I’d rather not return.”
Dusk was silent for a moment, concerned with the serious look on Tara’s face. Lex opened his mouth to retort once more, but seemed to think twice as he snapped it shut. They stood for a long moment, looking out over the water as it burbled over the rocks and boulders blocking its way.
After considering their options for a long while, Dusk spoke up. “I think we should go to this village. I know we’ve stayed off the road to avoid the Circle, but keeping off the road makes for rough going. I’ll brave a swamp for some easier walking. Especially if it gets us to Greencoast faster.”
“I agree with Dusk,” Lex piped up. “The road means more opportunities for shelter and supplies if we need it. A little fog will be the least of our worries. We’ve been hobbling wounded for a week now with no sign of another person. If the Circle could follow us, they would have done so by now.” He paused for a moment, looking out over the water. “I didn’t think it was possible, but it seems like we killed all of them at Windshear Pass. Even if a few did survive, they would have never made it past the Inahandrian soldiers. As far as I’m concerned, we’re free of them.”
“You saw some of the things they could do. They have ways of finding us,” Tara replied, shaking her head. “We don’t know what they are capable of.”
“Well, standing around here isn’t getting us any further away from them. And if the option is death or taking the road, I vote we take the road.”
Dusk looked at Tara. “I don’t think we have any other options.”
She sighed and glanced between them. “Agreed.” She lifted her head and gazed out over the water towards the east. “Louring Village is on the south bank of the river, eastward from here. We’ll need to follow the river until we find the crossing. It shouldn’t be more than two days if you two pick up the fucking pace.”
Dusk lifted his head to the mountains, ignoring Tara. He noticed the sun had sunk behind them. The orange glow was being replaced by dark clouds that came up and over the peaks. He could already see snow falling on the mountaintops, obscuring them from view. The wind picked up, carrying the unmistakable scent of icy cold as it rushed down the valley. It was going to be an uncomfortable night.
Two
When Dusk woke the next morning, the first thing he noticed was how warm he was. More so than the previous nights they’d spent out in the plains. He kept his eyes closed, savoring the heat as he curled up a little tighter. He’d thrown a blanket over himself before he’d gone to sleep, covering himself completely from head to toe. As he shifted there seemed to be a weight on top of him. Not an alarming amount, but just enough to give him a strange sense of comfort that he wasn’t used to. He wondered for a moment where the new sensation was coming from. It stirred something instinctual in him, making him long for more.
After a few minutes spent enjoying the quiet, curiosity got the better of him and he opened his eyes. He found himself completely enveloped in darkness. It seemed odd that he’d wake in the middle of the night, but he listened intently for a moment, wondering if something had roused him from his sleep. Hearing nothing, he tucked a hand underneath himself and pushed off, lifting the blanket and mysterious weight off his back. Suddenly there was a burst of bright sunlight. Dusk threw his arms up to shield his eyes, blinded briefly. Cupping his hands around his eyes he looked down at the ground around him. There was a perfect outline in the grass from his blanket and just beyond the edge was six inches of snow. He glanced over, seeing the far end of the blanket still completely covered in the snow that had been weighing it down.
To Dusk’s left, Maribel stood shifting her weight from side to side, a few inches piled up on the bags strapped across her back. To his right there were two other mounds hiding his sleeping companions. The cold air stung the inside of his nose as he inhaled deeply, making him wish he’d stayed covered a little longer. But the damage was done and the heat gone. Pushing himself to his feet and shaking out the blanket to wrap around his shoulders, he carefully made his way down towards the water with the snow crunching under his boots. All the world was silent, save the water that rushed past.
Flakes still fell slowly and silently, giving the world a foggy visage as Dusk stared out across the water. On the other side of the river he could just make out a small treeline. It seemed that the grasslands finally gave way to thin woodlands further south. Glancing about, he began to wonder how much longer it would take for them to reach Emerald Deep. He knew it was four weeks’ walk from Windshear Pass, but between the oncoming winter and this new watery obstacle, it seemed the journey was going to take much longer. The freezing cold collar at this neck was a constant reminder of why they needed to travel as fast as possible. But Tara had been right: taking the road would have been a huge risk. If anyone were looking for them, they’d be sure to look there first. Dusk wanted to believe they were safe, but something in his gut told them they weren’t out of danger yet. If there was one thing the Circle had taught them during their short imprisonment, it was that the cloaked men were more powerful than the world even thought possible.
