“His soldiers?” the guard asked and frowned as he studied the three young people. “They seem rather young. Is he sure about this?”
“I am,” Wulfsun declared and all but bared his teeth at the guard. “They can handle this and have chosen to come here. Fortunately for you, I know how to deal with this accursed thing so if you would like us to get started on that, I suggest you move out of our way.”
The guard, briefly taken aback, straightened quickly and nodded. “Y-yes, sir. This way.”
“He knows how to deal with it?” one of the scholars asked another. “Thank the Astrals. I had begun to fear what the possibilities would be if we couldn’t contain it.”
“Nothing good,” the other scholar mumbled as the team passed them. “We’ll have to ask him the specifics when they return.”
“If,” the first scholar replied.
Wulfsun shook his head. “Honestly, I would be more concerned if they did know what this was,” he said, his tone low enough that he didn’t broadcast it but the rest of the group could hear. “I’d hate to see what would happen if enough fame-hungry scholars decided to play with the Abyss to make a name for themselves.”
“It could be what happened here,” Farah pointed out as another scholar approached her with a box. “Scholars can be rather inept when they get impatient.”
“Yes, and what folly they bring,” Jazai muttered. “It’s not like they are the ones typically responsible for discovering the full capabilities of magic or anything.”
“Here you go, Ms. Malik.” the new arrival said and opened the box to reveal several marbles. “These will take you back to the entrance once you break them. It will require a little vis to do so. We had to use a special container for the magic so we could apply small wards to defend them from some of the…irregularities that happen within.”
“Thank you,” Farah stated, took the box, and turned to the others. “Take one, each of you. As she said, these will teleport you back here in case something goes wrong.”
“Or when we’re done with this mess,” Wulfsun added, took one of the marbles, and stowed it in a pouch. He looked at the scholar. “Do you have any idea where the center is?”
“Well, the dome stretches for a little more than four miles, so a couple of miles heading north.” She pointed through the gate. “If the center of the dark spot is where it started to grow, that would be in the bloodflower patch.”
“Bloodflowers?” Devol asked and looked at Asla.
“Yes, bloodflowers.” The scholar nodded. “We have one of the largest fields of bloodflowers here in Renaissance and we use them in certain ceremonies, such as—”
“There’s no need for a history lesson right now,” Farah snapped and pointed to the archway. “Open the gate. We’re going to head in.”
“At once, Captain!” One of the guards nodded, motioned quickly to several magi, and pointed at the gate.
“Are you sure we don’t need anyone else?” Farah asked and drew her blade. “I’m certain a few would volunteer and many of the soldiers here are also skilled magi.”
“Things can get tricky in the Abyss,” Wulfsun stated and punched one of his gauntleted fists into the other. “Illusions, those abyssal fiends, not to mention the way it twists and turns the terrain it consumes. It might seem like a good idea to go in with an army but keeping the group small is for the best. There is less of a chance of chaos resulting.”
“Very well.” She took a deep breath and nodded, and four magi began to deactivate the wards around the gate. “Prepare yourselves. We will enter now.”
Devol drew his majestic, Achroma, and activated his anima. Jazai and Asla did the same, along with the Templar captain and Farah. As soon as the gate opened, the group entered cautiously one behind the other.
As they passed the threshold, they were bombarded by the abyssal energy. It began to swarm around them but Wulfsun activated his barrier and pressed forward. “Keep your anima up and higher than normal,” he instructed. “Your mana will adapt. Once we get into the guts of this we’ll be in the clear.”
Achroma began to shine and Devol glanced at it and pressed on. He could barely make out a clearing ahead. Without hesitation, he moved to the front of the team and used the light to guide them. The abyssal magic pressed down on him but a flash of light from his blade seemed to carve through it until he stopped in an area surrounded by dark trees with blue leaves. “Is this normal, Wulfsun?” he asked as he studied the twisted forest. He received no response.
When he turned, no one stood behind him. His heartbeat raced for a moment before he focused and calmed himself. Wulfsun had said there would be tricks and the members of their team had probably been separated by the barrage from the magics. He shouldn’t have pressed ahead. With a shrug of resignation, he turned again and his gaze settled on some kind of structure in the distance. It seemed like a logical destination and perhaps the others saw it as well and would meet him there. For now, though, he was alone with Achroma in this dark, foreboding realm.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Asla heard a hoot above that sounded like the cry of an owl and it caught her off guard. This was probably the first sign of life she had heard in this unnatural world since they stepped inside the dome. She looked up with a frown and squinted as she tried to find the source of the sound. Trees surrounded her completely and although leafless, the tops seemed to bend inward toward one another.
She scanned the sky beyond the twisted branches but found no signs of any owl or birds in general. Her frown deepened until she recalled that Wulfsun had said the abyssal magic would play tricks on them. She merely had not expected
