Kai

Karsen, red-faced and fuming, charged back to defend his honor. Kai realized he was about to get a real beating, one he hadn't experienced since he was caught lifting a few oranges from a tradesman’s cart when he was fifteen. For a moment, Kai had the urge to run, but the words that sprung from Karsen's mouth changed everything.

"I'll show you who's brave, you half-born bastard,” Karsen sneered. “Your own whore of a mother won't recognize you after I'm done with you."

Without thinking, Kai unslung his cudgel and attacked. Roarke and Dunny gasped as Karsen barely managed to dodge the first swing. Then in a flash, Karsen's axe was in his hands. It was just a simple woodsman's axe, light but sharp as the devil's prick.

“Dragon-shivving Hintari!” Karsen screamed. "You trying to get yourself killed?!" He swung with the force and precision of a woodsman, blocking Kai's next attack. The cudgel snapped in two and the hard knob that made the crude weapon almost seem like a mace fell to the ground.

Holding only a stick, Kai lifted his diminished weapon with as much dignity as he could muster.

Roarke’s laugh was harsh and whispered, like the soft whisk of a blade across a sharpening stone, an almost-private sound reserved for solitude or the shared joy of foul deeds.

In two quick strikes, Karsen smacked the stick from Kai's grip and slapped the blunt end of his axe into his chest. For the second time that afternoon, Kai found himself on the ground.

Karsen tossed the axe aside and straddled Kai. "I'll show you how useful courage is," he hissed. Kai tried to push back, to get up, but Karsen pinned him down with his knees and threw punches at Kai's face too fast to block. Several strikes landed about his head as fast as dragonflies before he managed to block a few, but the blows kept coming. They weren't as heavy as before, and Kai realized Karsen meant to break his spirit as surely as his face.

Kai tried to defend himself, but it was no use. Karsen had learned too much from his father.

A voice split the air, somehow stopping the deluge of punches. “Let him prove it then!” Dunny called out.

Everyone turned to stare at the blushing youth, who had already stifled any further outbursts, slapping both hands over his mouth. Dunny looked as guilty as a bread thief with crumbs on his tunic, but he’d spoken too boldly to be ignored any longer.

Karsen growled at his brother, “Shut your trap! The fun'll be over soon enough.”

But caught up in the scene unfolding before him, Roarke held up a hand and called out, “Hold on … what do you mean, Dunny? How could a spineless cren-eater like this prove himself?”

Dunny’s eyes went wider still as he racked his brain for any acts of foolhardy bravery that might be of use.

The moment stretched out too long. Just as Karsen pulled back his fist again, Dunny blurted out, “Have him touch the shivvered dungeon! Only a brave man would do that."

After a few astonished seconds, an intrigued Roarke chuckled. “Or a fool.” He called to his friend, reaching out to keep the raised fist from continuing its punishment. “Karsen, I’m sure you can hold your ire for a moment while we settle this once and for all. If this bloater will walk into the dungeon on the hill and touch its shivvered core, we’ll know him a man of courage. Hells. I’ll even buy you a pint, Kai,” he snorted.

Kai’s assailant lowered his fist, giving Roarke a brief nod, as if to say, I’m listening.

“But,” Roarke held up a finger, “if not, Karsen will give full vent to his wrath, and we’ll tell the town guards you attacked him with a weapon. You’ll have to leave Mindonne and never come back.”

Karsen got up, an eager look of hunger still in his eyes. “Will you do it, Kai?” he taunted in a vulpine tone. “Or are you really just a spineless, Hintari whoreson?”

Kai could feel his face swelling though nothing felt broken, and he rolled up to his hands and knees, trying to clear his head. His mother wasn’t Hintari. She’d been a Brintoshi soldier, but rather than argue the facts or throw another useless punch, he stood instead and brushed himself off. Then he surprised all present, including himself, by accepting the proposal.

“I’ll touch the blasted core.” He scowled. “And you’ll owe me two pints, Roarke, and give my mole skin back. Deal?” He knew he was scrounging for forgotten tubers at this point, but he didn’t see many other options. If he denied this opportunity, he’d get a drubbing, then they’d beat him back to town. His only bet would be to sneak in and find Winford or Jakodi to take his side of things.

It was too risky.

And besides, the dangers of a shivvered dungeon have to be exaggerated, he thought, attempting to justify his decision.

So it was that late in the afternoon that Kai found himself walking in foul company, heading to a foul end at the end of a long and trying day. He couldn’t fathom why, but Roarke’s mood had brightened. The brute decided it was a fine time for banter, and he spoke at length about anything and everything that popped into his thick skull.

The motley group marched away from town and up into the hills, neither north into the Atoli forest nor south toward the Mirin Swamps. The shivvered dungeon they’d all heard tales about was less than five miles from town, tucked under the overhanging rock face of a mesa west of the village.

Karsen led the way, as he seemed to be the only one who’d actually seen the dungeon, with Roarke filling the otherwise-quiet trek with his boisterous and unnecessary commentary. At least that was Kai’s opinion. Dunny had fallen to the back of the group into his usual position as a tag along, grateful to sink again into obscurity and be forgotten.

“And you know what she said to me then?” Without waiting for a response, Roarke continued his rant. “She told me, in a tone that was plain as a page to read, that I’d better come with her to fetch the milk. Now, as my da always says, if a maid tells you she needs help collecting her milk, the only right answer is ‘right away ma’am.’ So course that’s what I did.”

The incline increased, earthy loam growing hard with stones as they staggered up the side of the hill. Karsen looked back, exasperated by his friend’s endless boasting. “Oh yeah? So you shivved Hines’ youngest?” He snorted. “And let me guess, she called your name out to Yugos as she finished twice?”

Roarke replied, the injured tone of his voice rising an octave. “Well, I didn’t exactly mean that I…”

Karsen stopped to look back over his shoulder and cut him off. “Did you shiv her or no? Else, and either way, maybe you can hold your tongue a minute. Save your wind for the hike.” For once, the big man listened. The only sound that disturbed the rest of their progress was their harsh rasping breaths.

As they neared the top, Kai sensed a distinct air of reverence grow amongst their party, a response to some unseen force, as if they stood amidst the fervent prayers of a worshiping host.

The ether in the air was thick enough to taste.

Kai thought of the danger he was walking into and stared at the mole skin flapping over Karsen’s broad back as he walked ahead. The woodsman had agreed to return the skin, should he prove himself. Trusting Karsen, however, didn't seem wise.

More than likely they'd come up with some excuse to take it anyhow, Kai mused, but somehow he couldn't back down from his pledge. Despite the stories everyone told about broken dungeons with broken minds and the horrific things that happened near them, Kai would not turn back.

The feeling of being watched had them all on edge; the threat of unseen predators lying in wait crept over the youths until they were all scanning the trees. To make matters worse, the sun was falling, and a chill breeze blew down Kai’s neck.

Oh, why must every fear be accentuated at nightfall?

“Might we not turn back?” Dunny suggested sagely. “Supper will be ready, and we can just give him his stupid skin. He needs it more, anyhow.”

Kai gave the boy an appreciative look, but it was Karsen who spoke. “No. He has more courage than all of us, remember. Probably has the blood of dragons in his veins,” the woodsman snorted. “He will touch the shards of the Earth Core as he said. Or would you rather admit you're a coward and head back to your shed to pack up whatever rags you hold dear?”

Kai swallowed the lump in his throat and ignored the comment.

Dunny’s breath caught a moment later, and Kai looked up to see what had excited the boy. A darkness loomed below the overhanging shelf of the mesa. The mouth of a cave burrowed deep into the side of the hill, a crooked and gaping mouth.

Karsen stopped and held out a hand. When he spoke, Kai could feel the grating cold of his ever-present anger. “And there it is. The shivvered dungeon, though some call it the Dead Dungeon now.” He grinned cruelly. “Not because it isn’t alive, but because anything that goes inside is as good as dead. Not even crickets return to see the sun again.”

Kai wanted nothing more than to return to Jakodi, to beg the old man to heal his wounds, see who in town would trade for a night’s meal, and to hell with the blasted mole skin.

But his wounded pride snarled in his chest like a feral dog and something else prodded him on. How many times had he wanted to peek inside this dungeon? It had fired his imagination ever since he’d first heard mention of it in town. Kai had long daydreamed of searching the dungeon for treasure.

The hostile eyes surrounding him judged him, daring him to justify their months of derisions and bullying. Roarke sneered and Dunny frowned, while Karsen stared at him patiently. It occurred to Kai that this was exactly why the man had led him here—not to see Kai enter the cave, but to see him fail to do so.

Ignoring his better judgement, Kai cleared his throat and said aloud, “Well, if I’m to go in, then let me at least borrow your axe. You broke my weapon, and I would be twice foolish to enter without one.”

“No.” Karsen shook his head. “This is my father’s and given on loan.”

They all looked at Roarke, whose feathers visibly ruffled. The big man raised his hands palms up and shrugged. It wasn’t as effective as he’d hoped.

Dunny croaked out, as polite as he could, “Maybe Kai can borrow your sword, just for a moment?” When Roarke blustered at the absurdity of it, prepared to make any argument to keep the sword in its sheath at his hip, Dunny pressed him in a most clever way. “It is the finest weapon we have with us. Might even be the finest in town!” he gushed. “It would only be fair to lend him the blade.”

The compliments pricked Roarke’s ego and pride like darts from a bow. He drew the sword with as much pomp and ceremony as he could manage, nearly nicking Karsen’s ear as he did so. “You’re right, Dunny, it is a fine sword. We can all take a good gander at its glory once more. But I’ll be holding onto it. If anything goes wrong, Kai, I’ll come in after you.”

Kai sighed. He’d figured they’d refuse to accommodate him, but it was worth asking. It’s not like I can use a blade to fight against the dungeon itself, he thought. And maybe there aren’t any creatures inside. Still, perhaps a stick might do in a pinch.

He looked around to find one for this purpose when Dunny stepped forward. “Here. Use my dagger. Isn’t much, but I bought it myself. So, if it goes missing, at least I won’t be thumped for it,” the boy said and produced a crude, hand-length dagger.

“Don’t be a fool,” Karsen croaked. The older of the brothers tried to interfere physically, but Dunny gave him a surprisingly stern look. “Fine, the blade’s yours, Dunny, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

Kai took the dagger, and felt a rush of gratitude well up inside. This is the friend I’d been hoping for all along. He has the wrong family and just a few years too young, but who am I to be choosy?

He didn’t know what to say, so he patted the boy on the shoulder and nodded gravely. Then, turning back to the dungeon, he gripped the dagger in his hand and felt just a little bit braver.

A fell breeze blew back his hair, and goosebumps ran the length of his arms and down his legs. Kai stopped, the darkness of the cave making him pause, but when his eyes adjusted, he realized a subtle glow suffused the place, as if the dense ether in the air had become visible. Part of him had hoped that the need for a torch might suffice as a fair enough excuse to back out after a few more steps.

Kai stopped and turned to look back to the group waiting for him. He coughed nervously, but before suggesting that he’d proven his point, Karsen barked, “Head on to the very back. They say the shivvered core lies at the cave’s bottom. Don't worry,” he sneered, “you’ll find it.”

At the bottom? I can manage that, Kai encouraged himself, and pressed on.

The first room was cut roughly from the mountain like a natural cave. Pillars of stone fell from the ceiling and a single path ran to the back of the cave where its ceiling tapered down to frame the foreboding shape of a solitary door. Slightly taller than it was wide, the opening gaped cold and black, bidding Kai enter.

Kai stepped through into a second chamber and marveled at the series of etchings carved along the walls, the stonework that of a precise hand. The walls were smooth as a sheet of Winford’s breakfast cake. A dancing filigree of climbing vines decorated the corners, and despite Kai’s fear, he admired the craftmanship and artistry of the dungeon.

The air was stale and a penetrating silence filled the space. A few piles of debris littered the corners, and black soot streaked the walls. There was a fire here, Kai realized. Someone had burnt out this chamber and everything that had once been inside. A wisp of sadness mingled with his fear, and he walked slowly into a third room through a short connecting hallway. He wondered about the dragon that must have once called this place home.

Suddenly, the importance of proving himself to two men who would continue to despise him, no matter what he did, became distant and unimportant. It was replaced with a burning need to know his fate was greater than hunting squirrels and begging bread. This is what I’ve been after! Why didn’t I come sooner?

He walked through the room, distantly noting an overturned wooden table, the wood wormy and rotting away. Chips of shattered pottery and broken stone were all else that remained within. Familiar black streaks marred one side of the room, but it appeared the blaze had left the table mostly unharmed. Only a few blisters curled its faded yellowed lacquer.

At the back of this third chamber, Kai spied a spiral of stone stairs descending into the depths. For a moment, he was seized by an ancient memory or some fragment of the distant past, and it felt like he’d walked here before. Thoughts of Kevir and the hundred dragons of legend flittered across his mind’s eye as he took the first step down into the dungeon.

Kai felt as brazen as any ancient hero until the heel of his boot slipped on the skeleton of a long-dead mouse, its powdered bones resting precariously on the edge of a step. His feet shot out from beneath him, and he fell hard on his backside, slipping down a few of the stairs. “Twice-shivved cow!” Kai’s frustrated shout echoed in the stairwell, and he winced, the snarl of his curse profane in this magical place.

Dunny’s voice called out from the distant entrance, “You okay, Kai?”

Kai stood and brushed himself off. Years of dust covered his pants like a coat of paint. He thought of calling back to the others, telling them he was fine, but the echoing curse had been bad enough.

No, I’ll just keep going, touch the blasted core, then leave, Kai repeated, until he once again felt courageous enough to forge onward.

The stairs curled around several more times, taking him deeper into the dungeon, until he came to a landing where a pale-blue light spilled up onto the bottom of the stairs. Kai couldn’t guess what magic created the pale light, but he wanted more than anything to know.

The dungeon split three ways at the foot of the stairs, but the right and left-hand passages had collapsed, the elegant stone archways above them scorched black. Whatever fires had raged here had done more than a little damage.

Straight ahead, the tunnel remained intact, continuing ever downward in a gentle slope. This path was lit with a brighter shade of blue, and Kai squinted as he trod forward.

Down the corridor, a stone slab stood ajar, blocking the way. A crack a few inches wide allowed a beam of ethereal light through. Kai had no clue what an Earth Core looked like, but everything pointed to him heading in the right direction.

He pushed at the stone and marveled as it turned easily on an unseen hinge.

Then he saw it.

Kai’s breath hitched, his eyes going wide as he beheld the still-gleaming shards of the once-powerful entity just a few dozen feet away. Ether crowded the air, making it nearly opaque. He crept into the room, lowering the outstretched dagger, aware of how useless the weapon would be in the face of such power.

At the end of the final room, cut from the bedrock of the mountain, fingers of stone curled up from the floor. The formation twisted into a point, on top of which rested a rocky chalice or a blossom made of stone.

Within, rested the Earth Core.

Its remains glowed a vibrant blue, as if ether itself had crystalized. Every fiber in Kai’s soul raged against the devastation before his eyes. The most beautiful gem he could imagine, not much bigger than his fist but more majestic than the endless sea, had been smashed into countless fragments. No doubt the work of a mace or hammer, but all Kai could think of was how evil had been the hand that destroyed it.

Kai stepped closer, and as he did so, a susurration, like the whisper of buried souls, drew him forward. Without conscious willing, his hand lifted and settled upon the broken core. He ran his fingers along the slivers of the broken gemstone. Dunny’s dagger clattered to the ground, no longer important, as Kai stared into the gem.

Then the fine edge of one fragment split his finger open, and a few drops of his blood dripped onto the stone. He flitched at the slight pain, but before he could withdraw his hand, a wave of blue light pulsed through the chamber and an endless tide of magic tore at his soul.

Kai screamed, dust within the chamber swirling abound him as his hand clenched the broken heart of a mountain.

Every muscle in his body howled with the joy and terror of the absolute power that gripped him. As the pain gathered to a torturous crescendo, the current of magic shifted. Suddenly, it felt as if the shards sucked his blood, his life force, his very soul from his body. All he could do was stand rigid and stare into the frigid blue of what had once been an Earth Core.

An eternity later, Kai was released and he slumped to the ground, his thoughts sliding down into sleep’s forgiving embrace.