Disclaimer: I have a little bit more to say on that subject, unfortunately.
Udalin Stonebreaker is part of Neoquest and not my own creation. I also
make a small reference to Lord of the Rings, which is owned by Tolkien. Go
to the Lord of the Rings fanfics if you want to see people bowing before
shrines; it's not my thing.
A/n: Please do not flame for the above comment. Fire is Kyerind's element of choice, not mine. That's also why he's the most minor character. The upcoming chapter may be slightly confusing.
After the servant guys put the boxes down in the storage room and finally left, Shiryami got out her knife and sliced into the wall of the box. "Darn knife," she muttered. "It is so dull. I don't think Uncle Hyhinmor is quite as stupid as he makes all of us believe. Lilynris saved us when she cast the freezing spell. I only wish she knew it. Where's Kyerind, anyway?"
Finally, Shiryami managed to cut the box open. She checked her surroundings and hopped out, then searched the group of boxes for Kyerind's, which had several small airholes poked in it. "I suppose this would be the storage room," Shiryami said while looking through the different boxes. "Uncle Hyhinmor certainly sent over a lot of stuff. Where did he get it all? I can see where the crops came from, obviously. Here's a box of magic robes—that must be what Meryisi and Aunt Brithinell weave all the time. Some gems mined from the Two Rings Mountains and other things needed to make staves are here, I see." Shiryami dug through that box, which was open, and came up with a large disc of amber. "This looks interesting."
She heard a loud sound that sounded like an explosion of some sort. "Kyerind…" Shiryami growled quietly. Sure enough, the fire Shoyru appeared out of…a pile of something that used to be a box. The gem on his staff glowed.
Shiryami rolled her eyes. "You know, you just announced to the entire Palace that you're here."
"We were planning to do that anyway."
"Yes, but I would prefer later than sooner," Shiryami said. "You know that Lilynris and Ashayie were captured?"
From Kyerind's facial expression, he obviously had not. "Do you have any idea where they could be?"
"I wish. The servant guy just said to the others to take them 'you- know-where.' We're in the storage room. I do not have a map of this place. Therefore, I have no idea how far we could be from 'you-know-where' or the throne room, where I assume our final destination is."
Kyerind hadn't been paying attention to the last part and instead wandered off to the other end of the storage room. "Shiryami, check this out!"
"What? There isn't anything there."
Kyerind stopped. "No way! I saw this really huge mirror."
"Well, what use is a mirror?" Shiryami asked, her arms crossed. She followed Kyerind anyway.
"Maybe if it's enchanted, it can help us," Kyerind said, flying over the boxes. Shiryami raided several of them as she went by, taking healing potions from one box, two magic robes from another, two invisibility potions from the third, and a mysterious book from the fourth. Finally, they both reached the mirror.
"Looks pretty ordinary," Shiryami said. "Wait…there's an inscription on there. I can't figure out what it says."
Kyerind peered at the inscription. "It's in the same language as the inscriptions on Lilynris's keys. I have no idea what it says, though. It might be useful. I wish Lilynris was here to translate."
"I wish she was here to do more than translate. I wish she was here to give us a hand. I suppose that we can't have everything, though. That's interesting how the edges of the mirror have those five vines intertwined," Shiryami pointed out. "Five is a strange number."
"It's been popping up everywhere, though," Kyerind said. "Five in our family. Five spheres of magic. Maybe another companion will turn up on our quest."
"I doubt it. Lilynris is equally strong in two spheres, so I don't think we'll need a fifth person on our quest. Does it happen to make you a little scared that we have absolutely no fighting experience?"
"Slightly," Kyerind said, still staring at the mirror. "I try not to think about it."
"Take these." Shiryami gave him some of the things she had taken from the boxes. "There are a couple of healing potions, an invisibility potion, and some armor. You'll probably need them." Shiryami put on her own armor.
"What's that?" Kyerind said, pointing at the book and the amber disc.
"I have no idea. They looked interesting. Maybe they'll do something important."
"Or maybe those things are evil. Say, have you found any suspicious- looking rings in the boxes?"
"Maybe the mirror is evil too, Kyerind. And no, I have not found any suspicious rings in these boxes." Shiryami laughed inside at the idiocy of that comment. Kyerind sometimes got desperate. She looked at the mysterious book again. It had a copper-colored cover with no title written on it. Interested, Shiryami opened the cover to find that the book was hollow. Five silver keys were stored inside the book.
"I think they go with the mirror," Kyerind said. "The keys are the same color."
"I don't advise it," Shiryami said. "It'll probably do something bad." She closed the book and passed by the mirror, looking into it. "Why does it show your reflection and not mine?"
"Huh? I don't know. It must be some kind of magic trick."
"It still kind of bothers me if I can't see myself in a mirror. What kind of mirror is this supposed to be anyway? I don't think that we need suspicious-looking rings. We've got plenty to be suspicious about right here."
"What says that your book isn't mysterious? Hollow books don't just pop up everywhere you go."
"They're easier to understand than mirrors that don't reflect properly, Kyerind." Shiryami went off to another box to see what it might contain, forgetting about the book. "I don't know what this is, but it looks interesting," she said, picking up a small flask. "I've never seen one of these before. It must be from the village." Shiryami looked up and noticed that the book was open. She went back to it and unfolded a note that had been revealed when the five keys were taken out—
The five keys were taken out? Shiryami thought. Kyerind must be trying to see what's happening with the mirror!
Shiryami quickly glanced over in the direction of the mirror, but it had disappeared. Kyerind was gone too.
It must be magical! And Kyerind went through it using those keys. What a fool. I hope he finds a way to come out…
Shiryami opened the note in the book and read:
If you are reading this, be wary. If the keys were taken, that means someone has gone through the enchanted mirror. I myself have gone through it, once, and I barely returned. That was why I placed the five keys inside the book and wrote this warning. After that, I brought the book into the Two Rings. There, I thought, it would not come to any harm, since the place is nearly uninhabited. And even if Jahbal still lives, the keys mean nothing to him without the mirror, which is located in the Archmagus of Roo's possession behind many locked doors.
Udalin Stonebreaker
"I wish I could be that optimistic," Shiryami said, folding the note. "This Udalin Stonebreaker seems to be popping up a lot. Lilynris mentioned him somewhere. So, despite this guy's expectations, both the book and the mirror are here."
Shiryami heard footsteps behind her and swiftly whirled around. "Who are—oh. You again. I see you followed up on my promise."
A/n: Please do not flame for the above comment. Fire is Kyerind's element of choice, not mine. That's also why he's the most minor character. The upcoming chapter may be slightly confusing.
After the servant guys put the boxes down in the storage room and finally left, Shiryami got out her knife and sliced into the wall of the box. "Darn knife," she muttered. "It is so dull. I don't think Uncle Hyhinmor is quite as stupid as he makes all of us believe. Lilynris saved us when she cast the freezing spell. I only wish she knew it. Where's Kyerind, anyway?"
Finally, Shiryami managed to cut the box open. She checked her surroundings and hopped out, then searched the group of boxes for Kyerind's, which had several small airholes poked in it. "I suppose this would be the storage room," Shiryami said while looking through the different boxes. "Uncle Hyhinmor certainly sent over a lot of stuff. Where did he get it all? I can see where the crops came from, obviously. Here's a box of magic robes—that must be what Meryisi and Aunt Brithinell weave all the time. Some gems mined from the Two Rings Mountains and other things needed to make staves are here, I see." Shiryami dug through that box, which was open, and came up with a large disc of amber. "This looks interesting."
She heard a loud sound that sounded like an explosion of some sort. "Kyerind…" Shiryami growled quietly. Sure enough, the fire Shoyru appeared out of…a pile of something that used to be a box. The gem on his staff glowed.
Shiryami rolled her eyes. "You know, you just announced to the entire Palace that you're here."
"We were planning to do that anyway."
"Yes, but I would prefer later than sooner," Shiryami said. "You know that Lilynris and Ashayie were captured?"
From Kyerind's facial expression, he obviously had not. "Do you have any idea where they could be?"
"I wish. The servant guy just said to the others to take them 'you- know-where.' We're in the storage room. I do not have a map of this place. Therefore, I have no idea how far we could be from 'you-know-where' or the throne room, where I assume our final destination is."
Kyerind hadn't been paying attention to the last part and instead wandered off to the other end of the storage room. "Shiryami, check this out!"
"What? There isn't anything there."
Kyerind stopped. "No way! I saw this really huge mirror."
"Well, what use is a mirror?" Shiryami asked, her arms crossed. She followed Kyerind anyway.
"Maybe if it's enchanted, it can help us," Kyerind said, flying over the boxes. Shiryami raided several of them as she went by, taking healing potions from one box, two magic robes from another, two invisibility potions from the third, and a mysterious book from the fourth. Finally, they both reached the mirror.
"Looks pretty ordinary," Shiryami said. "Wait…there's an inscription on there. I can't figure out what it says."
Kyerind peered at the inscription. "It's in the same language as the inscriptions on Lilynris's keys. I have no idea what it says, though. It might be useful. I wish Lilynris was here to translate."
"I wish she was here to do more than translate. I wish she was here to give us a hand. I suppose that we can't have everything, though. That's interesting how the edges of the mirror have those five vines intertwined," Shiryami pointed out. "Five is a strange number."
"It's been popping up everywhere, though," Kyerind said. "Five in our family. Five spheres of magic. Maybe another companion will turn up on our quest."
"I doubt it. Lilynris is equally strong in two spheres, so I don't think we'll need a fifth person on our quest. Does it happen to make you a little scared that we have absolutely no fighting experience?"
"Slightly," Kyerind said, still staring at the mirror. "I try not to think about it."
"Take these." Shiryami gave him some of the things she had taken from the boxes. "There are a couple of healing potions, an invisibility potion, and some armor. You'll probably need them." Shiryami put on her own armor.
"What's that?" Kyerind said, pointing at the book and the amber disc.
"I have no idea. They looked interesting. Maybe they'll do something important."
"Or maybe those things are evil. Say, have you found any suspicious- looking rings in the boxes?"
"Maybe the mirror is evil too, Kyerind. And no, I have not found any suspicious rings in these boxes." Shiryami laughed inside at the idiocy of that comment. Kyerind sometimes got desperate. She looked at the mysterious book again. It had a copper-colored cover with no title written on it. Interested, Shiryami opened the cover to find that the book was hollow. Five silver keys were stored inside the book.
"I think they go with the mirror," Kyerind said. "The keys are the same color."
"I don't advise it," Shiryami said. "It'll probably do something bad." She closed the book and passed by the mirror, looking into it. "Why does it show your reflection and not mine?"
"Huh? I don't know. It must be some kind of magic trick."
"It still kind of bothers me if I can't see myself in a mirror. What kind of mirror is this supposed to be anyway? I don't think that we need suspicious-looking rings. We've got plenty to be suspicious about right here."
"What says that your book isn't mysterious? Hollow books don't just pop up everywhere you go."
"They're easier to understand than mirrors that don't reflect properly, Kyerind." Shiryami went off to another box to see what it might contain, forgetting about the book. "I don't know what this is, but it looks interesting," she said, picking up a small flask. "I've never seen one of these before. It must be from the village." Shiryami looked up and noticed that the book was open. She went back to it and unfolded a note that had been revealed when the five keys were taken out—
The five keys were taken out? Shiryami thought. Kyerind must be trying to see what's happening with the mirror!
Shiryami quickly glanced over in the direction of the mirror, but it had disappeared. Kyerind was gone too.
It must be magical! And Kyerind went through it using those keys. What a fool. I hope he finds a way to come out…
Shiryami opened the note in the book and read:
If you are reading this, be wary. If the keys were taken, that means someone has gone through the enchanted mirror. I myself have gone through it, once, and I barely returned. That was why I placed the five keys inside the book and wrote this warning. After that, I brought the book into the Two Rings. There, I thought, it would not come to any harm, since the place is nearly uninhabited. And even if Jahbal still lives, the keys mean nothing to him without the mirror, which is located in the Archmagus of Roo's possession behind many locked doors.
Udalin Stonebreaker
"I wish I could be that optimistic," Shiryami said, folding the note. "This Udalin Stonebreaker seems to be popping up a lot. Lilynris mentioned him somewhere. So, despite this guy's expectations, both the book and the mirror are here."
Shiryami heard footsteps behind her and swiftly whirled around. "Who are—oh. You again. I see you followed up on my promise."