“A Runelord,” Bjorn began while wetting his lips. “Is something I thought to be lost forever.”
The temple grew silent as everyone glanced from Bjorn to Skalr. Confusion and concern swept the room as Ania gazed at the hidden tunnel.
“Runelords were blessed by the gods. They were the first Skardians to be taught the divine language. Or the old words if you prefer.” Bjorn coughed as he eyed Skalr. “Their power matched that of demigods. The Runelords were responsible for keeping the peace and protecting Skardia. They were our greatest warriors.”
Bjorn glanced at Skalr nervously as he wondered how powerful Skalr really was. ‘If things went sideways, would I be able to stand against him?’ Bjorn frowned slightly. ‘He’s past his prime, so I should stand a chance. Besides, there’s no telling if it’s a bluff. He could have come across a few useful words somewhere. Or maybe his family didn’t pass down their entire knowledge.’
Bjorn’s eyes narrowed as he studied Skalr. He was looking for even the slightest trace of deception.
“So, shall we find out where this goes?” Skalr asked as he gestured to the tunnel.
“Bjorn, Fjora, Skalr, and I will check it out. What about you?” Ania asked as she glanced at the elder.
“Willer, Jom, Svern. You three accompany them and let us know what you find.” The elder said as three men stepped forward.
“I’ll go first,” Bjorn said with a grim expression. “Fjora, you follow behind me. Skalr can come next, with Princess Ania after him. The rest of you decide among yourselves.”
Bjorn descended into the dark and made room for the others. ‘We’re never going to see anything down here.’ He grumbled as he felt the packed earthen walls. ‘I don’t know how they dug this tunnel. It’s too smooth to have been done with normal methods.’
Suddenly, three globes of light appeared somewhere behind him. As Bjorn glanced over his shoulder, he saw Skalr passing runestones along the line. When Bjorn took the runestone from Fjora, he stared intently at the carving. ‘I’ll have to remember this one.’ He sighed as he turned to look into the tunnel.
“The tunnel is pretty deep. Everyone, be on your guard.” Bjorn declared as he started walking.
It did not take long for them to find a small chamber just off the main tunnel. When Bjorn entered it, a deep frown appeared on his face. Luminescent purple flowers bloomed all over the place.
“Hold your breath!” Skalr yelled when he joined Fjora and Bjorn.
Skalr quickly marked another smooth stone before a golden shimmer surrounded the group. Bjorn glanced at Skalr for an explanation as the latter tossed the runestone into the chamber’s centre.
“It’s ok. You can breathe now.” Skalr said as he bent down to study the flowers.
“What was that all about?” Ania asked as she looked at the strange flowers.
“These are El-Thaura flowers,” Skalr explained when everyone finally joined them. “They’re native to the elven forests.”
“The elves must have planted them to suppress the curse,” Svern said with a happy expression at finding proof of the elves’ goodwill.
“I’m afraid you’re quite wrong,” Skalr replied as he shook his head. “These flowers create powerful hallucinations when boiled down into a drink.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean anything. The elves never gave us anything to drink. Is it possible they’re just a way to defend the tunnel?” Svern asked as Skalr stood up and looked at him.
“They could be,” Skalr admitted with a deep frown on his face. “We won’t know until we find more evidence of what they’re using this tunnel for.”
“What do mean when you say using?” Ania asked as she glared at Skalr. “Do you mean they’ve been here recently?”
“That’s impossible,” Svern replied, rejecting her idea. “They left weeks ago.”
“Princess Ania is right in her assumption,” Skalr replied in a grim tone. “If you look there, you’ll see fresh footprints that lead back into the tunnel and further than we’ve explored.”
Bjorn, Fjora, and Ania drew their weapons when they heard that. Everyone present looked for what Skalr had described and found that he had spoken the truth.
“This changes things,” Bjorn grumbled as he glanced at the three villagers. “You should return to the village and let us handle this.” ．𝒄𝙤𝙢
“That’s not happening,” Jom replied as he stepped forward. “How are we supposed to learn the truth if you kill the elves when you run into them?”
The air between the villagers and Bjorn grew tense with anticipation. It seemed like the two groups would come to blows at any moment.
“Bjorn, stand down. They’ve made their choice. We’ll deal with it once we discover what’s really going on here.” Ania sighed as she noticed Skalr’s approving gaze. “Skalr, is there any way to protect ourselves from these flowers moving on?”
“I can create a few runestones like this one. If you keep them on you, they’ll protect you for a few hours.” Skalr replied while bowing his head.
“If you would then, Skalr,” Ania replied.
She watched the elderly man while he carved a stone for each of them and activated them. ‘Skalr’s already proven to be of use, and these runestones could improve many lives. He’s a lucky find as long as he has nothing to do with what’s going on in this village.’
Ania could not explain why, but she felt like Skalr was hiding something. ‘He came out of nowhere right when we needed him. We have to be careful he hasn’t been planted by the elves to lead us into a trap.’
The group moved on and found the tunnel branched out all over the place. Svern soon voiced his opinion that the tunnels and the chambers holding the flowers covered the entirety of the village. Bjorn could only agree when he noticed the concern on the villagers’ faces.
“Over here!” Skalr suddenly yelled as he ran a hand over one of the walls. “There’s something hidden here.”
A runestone appeared in his hand, and as he placed it against the wall, the dirt fell away to reveal a second, hidden tunnel. Bjorn quickly raced to his side and gently pushed him out of the way. He glared into the darkness as he raised his stone that emanated light.
“There’s elven markings on the walls!” Bjorn hissed in a low voice but loud enough for the group to hear him.
“Why would they bother with that?” Ania asked as she approached them with concern on her face.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be for anything good,” Bjorn replied. “If they had good intentions, they wouldn’t need to hide it so well.”
The villagers could only agree at that point. With everything they had found so far, they had to admit it did not look good for their benefactors. Jom took it upon himself to return to the temple and relay their findings so far. He argued that it was best to let them know in case something happened to the group.
Ania agreed with his reasoning and warned him to be careful. After all, there was no telling if they had missed some kind of trap. Once Jom left the group, Ania gave the order for the two heroes to lead the way.
As the group travelled down the new tunnel, Ania could hear Skalr muttering to himself as he studied the carvings on the walls. She noticed he would curse every now and then before pausing to stare at certain marks.
“What is it?” She asked in a whisper as she drew up alongside him.
“Well,” Skalr began as he scratched his beard. “I’m not well versed in the elven runes. But it seems to me these act as some kind of conduit for a spell.”
Ania frowned when she heard that. ‘A conduit for a spell? What are the elves up to?’ She could not make heads or tails of the elven markings, so she could only rely on Skalr for that. However, she felt uneasy at the thought of trusting the strange man.
“Here,” Skalr whispered as he grabbed Ania’s arm. “See this rune here?”
“Yes,” Ania replied as she gazed at the swirling rune.
“This rune means to store. To store magic or something else. I can’t be sure exactly. But right now, these runes are not active.” Skalr whispered as he moved to the next section. “And this one should mean to disperse. But disperse what?”
Ania shivered as she kept walking while studying for more of the runes Skalr had shown her. “If you had to guess, what do you think this spell does?”
“I honestly wish I could tell you,” Skalr replied with a grim expression. “It’s incredibly complex. For all, I know it’s meant to keep the flowers from wilting. Or maybe it was used to spread their effects above ground. I could be wrong, and it’s actually meant for something far less harmful.”
Skalr let out a long groan as he traced one of the runes with his finger. ‘I wish he could tell us more.’ Ania sighed as she turned her attention to the pair of heroes in the front. ‘If he’s right about it being used for something bad, then there’s a chance we have a fight waiting for us at the end of this tunnel.’
Ania chewed her lower lip as she tightened her grasp on her spear’s shaft. ‘But this could be a disaster if Skalr is on the elves’ side and misleading us. He was the one who found both tunnels where nobody else noticed anything. Exile, please keep us safe.’ Ania prayed while rubbing her necklace.
A smile crept across Skalr’s face in the dark when Ania turned her attention away from him…