We hugged the wall on the way back. This was both so as to avoid Myrra’s notice, and two see if my ring could detect the lift beyond the walls.
We succeeded in the first and failed in the second. Undoubtedly there was a path, but I didn’t have the spells available to experiment if we wished to return home safely.
I did manage to detect the bookshelf barrier between the lift room and the barrier room while we were in the room where I’d cremated the bodies.
Tunnel IIII
The spell began chipping at the barrier around my mind. Chip chip chip, until a hole was formed, and the sanity began to leak out, and noise began to leak in.
Concealing Soul
What was I supposed to do with that? I didn’t have the choice to leave it, so I could only hope it would be revealed with time.
Chip chip chip.
The spell would be enough to get through the wall. Barely. It would be slow.
We could wait.
***
Chip chip chip.
The steady drone of my spell was abruptly replaced with girls laughter and the howling of the denizens of the deep. Home sweet home.
Attar crawled through first again, and I handed our stuff through.
It was once more a tight squeeze, but this time I made it through without panicking.
The lift was still waiting for us, how could it be otherwise? I redressed, donned my back, and then we ascended.
***
Our return was met with a feast of the last of our swan. We might have tried to ration it, but it wouldn’t last long anyways, and there were thieves to be concerned with if we left the temptation of the smells too long. The lower floors seemed full of ogres, and we didn’t want to lower any upward.
“How long do you have?” I asked Brace near the end of the feast, “Attar and I can provide for ourselves, but the rest of you?”
“We came prepared. Three months on rations with forage. Perhaps shorter now that we have Eric and Astra to look after.”
I raised an eyebrow. I’d be hard pressed to carry one month of food with my new strength, perhaps I could do two or even three through supreme effort. But royal eunuchs and a pair of women couldn’t hope to match my strength.
Brace dug into her pack and unwrapped a small reddish brown brick from its prison of byblos.
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“It’s called blonac, a travel food from the Delta. A single bite provides enough energy for half a day of travel.”
She tapped it against the floor where it rang like a stone, “We prefer to make a soup from it where we can. It tastes awful either way, but at least you won’t break your teeth.”
I reached out and tapped it. The surface didn’t have the slightest give, “And if you don’t have a pot?”
“You suck on it, and hope it softens before your lips bleed.”
I was glad to know they were well provided for, but I’d be doing my best to find my own food.
***
In time a new day dawned, heralded as ever by the sun.
Attar and I tapped into Marian’s supplies, while Brace and her crew broke out the cooking pots. The blonac was still boiling by the time I returned from my latrine and refilling of my waterskins.
As I waited for Attar to finish breaking his fast, the whispers returned to me. I snatched them from the ether and trapped them with the others before the sounds could drive me mad.
Void Beacon
It was possible I was too hasty in allowing whatever that was into my mind. If I didn’t resist at every step, even if I slid down into dark magic’s embrace, would I not be following exactly in the footsteps of the warlocks?
It was something to muse on as Attar and I descended for the lift. The journey took three quarters of an hour, which was time enough to come to a decision. I would still be cautious in acceptance, but still in denial. In many ways it was a non-decision, but taken conscientiously and consciously, I’d made the choice to stay alert and accept the consequences.
It was nearing nine in the morning by the time we arrived. By my best estimate at least. I was no Cillian with his supernatural sense of time, even if I could sense exactly every sunrise.
“Stand on the lift with me. We’ll be moving up and down significantly, and I’ll not have you left behind. Plus I’d appreciate your help with the lift.”
“Always. You need only ask.”
The lift had held ten knights of the emperor previously, which meant I’d need the combined strength of Attar and myself if I wanted the full effect of its capacity, but also touted the lift’s extreme efficiency. I suspected the women had taken turns at the winch, two at a time, which I couldn’t afford to do. Instead, I’d provide the bulk of the force, while Attar would join me to allow me some respite to prevent my strength from flagging. I lowered the lift for a while, then released the brake to allow it to rise while I rested, letting it rise slower than normal to give myself more time, before lowering it again. At my command, Attar would take over the lift or join me on the winch as my arms got tired, and together we controlled the lift for the full hour of my recording.
Lift: A 10’x10’ platform capable of lifting 2000 lbs raises and lowers at the speed of 0.5ft/sec as the caster commands for 1 hour.
I let at a groan as the hour came to a close and let my arms drop to my sides.
“Got it. Let’s take fifteen minutes to rest, then we’ll head back to the bottom.”
Attar was breathing heavily. He was a slim man, not weak, but not used to sustained heavy labour.
“How close are we?”
I shrugged, “A quarter of the way? A third? We moved faster than our previous descents, but we undid most of our work with the brakes.”
Attar lay flat on his back and pressed his waterskin to his forehead, “You’re lowering us the rest of the way.”
I took a swig from my own and laughed, “I’m an old man, you’re the young ‘un here.”
“You’re the Magus.”
“The stories of our physical training are exaggerated.”
Attar didn’t deign to reply, and he didn’t have to. Ten minutes into our break I felt fully recovered, by fifteen I was starting to feel a chill. I welcomed the exercise.
I started again at the winch, and we descended jerkily into the darkness.
