Glass Throat - Chapter 1

The Mirrorhold had been silent for a month. Knight-Questor Vornus had been sent to investigate. When he disappeared, they sent a warrior chamber after him. When the chamber disappeared too, they sent her.

Elia stepped along the path. Stalactites and stalagmites littered the caverns around her. Glowing emberhearts lit the way.

She was in Aqshy, headed towards the Realmgate to Ulgu, where she would find the Mirrorhold citadel.

[Note to reader - Aqshy is the realm of fire. Ulgu is the realm of shadow. and realmgates take people in between realms (there are several other realms too)]

It had been a day since she’d passed through Sparkbright. She’d asked for directions to the realmgate and the headman of Sparkbright had sent her into the warren of tunnels underneath the settlement. “Keep following the path,” he’d said, “and if you’re ever not sure, pick the darkest fork.”

The lantern clunked at her hip. She’d still never used it.

It had been thrust into her hands by Lord Castellant Strongoak, who had just arrived from Azyr. Incredibly powerful. Incredibly dangerous. Use only when absolutely necessary. He’d said all that, but not bothered to explain what it did or why she’d be chosen to have it.

Elia Iceheart didn’t feel fear often, but she was annoyed.

And resentful. Both towards the lantern and towards Strongoak. She missed her unit. Her shield-brother Artan. She’d still be with them if it wasn’t for this duty. She wouldn’t have this lamp if not for this duty.

But, she thought, sighing, duty is life. One does not choose duty so much as it chooses you.

In her mind’s eye, she pictured the map that she’d studied at the stormhold before heading out. When she stepped through the Realmgate, she’d be near the Mirrorhold, in a valley that connected the Thundermount with the Fireshade delta. The map hadn’t named the valley.

The headman of Sparkbright had called it the Throat of Lies.

She picked her way quietly, avoiding loose rocks and ensuring that her scabbarded broadsword didn’t knock anything as she walked by.

The mists were thick here. She could barely see where she placed her feet. Glimpses of — something — kept dancing just out of the corner of her vision. And there were whispers in the darkness. Secrets. Truths. Lies. She did her best to tune it all out. Even though there was nothing complicated about the path, it was exhausting to make sure she kept her footing and stayed on it.

She must be close to the realmgate for Ulgu’s influence to be felt so strongly.
Elia ran her gauntleted fingers along her right pauldron. It was embossed with the regal head of a falcon. It had only ever been plain before this, like the rest of her unit of liberators.

“One thing I’m not clear on,” she muttered, “Why me?”

Elia had thought about that a lot since leaving the stormkeep. She was no closer to figuring out the answer. There had been better fighters in her unit. Smarter thinkers. More charismatic leaders. Let alone all the other units. Yet she alone had been chosen. She had been given this … lantern.

“Bah,” she said. “This is annoying.”

She could feel the shadow magic suffusing the air around her. Not that she’d ever mastered magic like the mages among the Stormhost, but she had always been sensitive to the energy. Able to feel it.

Something was off. And it wasn’t just Ulgu’s influence. She hadn’t run solo since her first forging. But Trantis — her shield-brother — had died, and she was still waiting his reforging. She didn’t worry much, and never for herself, but she was worried for him, this long before reforging did not bode well for whatever was left.

Still, it was a worry that would have to be set aside, for there was nothing she could do about it now.

One foot in front of the other.

~

Again it happened.

A smudge in the darkness. Too dark to just be another layered shadow.

As she looked closer at the spot, whatever she’d seen faded out of existence. Another shadow.

How much more of this? Where is the realmgate?

She closed her eyes. Tried to sense the seams of magic floating around her. Trying to follow the thread of shadow. Would it lead her to a realmgate?

The sound of pebbles tinkling down a slope caught her ear.

Elia opened her eyes. Nothing but shadow around her. Up to this point, it had only played tricks on her eyes.

She squeezed her grip on the lantern handle. Was this the time to use it? No one had told her how to use it, but she could almost feel it respond to her will. The barest flicker started and then faded as she changed her mind.

A few more steps.

And she started to feel a faint breeze and hear the whispers of giant fans, as if she was a ruler on a divan being cooled by servants.

Pausing, she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

And suddenly three pairs of glowing red eyes materialized in the darkness ahead of her. All of her instincts were yelling at her, that she was prey. Well, these beings were going to discover that this prey had sharp claws indeed.

Elia held up the lantern and willed it to light.

It blazed bright.

And revealed three floating black-furred beasts. They had small glowing red eyes, sharp fangs, massive claws, and they floated on gossamer thin black wings.

All of them recoiled as if slapped by the light. Then the middle one snarled, pulled its arm up over its face, and started beating its wings frantically.

It hurtled forward, its massive claws swinging in a wide arc.