The Swamplands
A horrible stench assailed their nostrils. It was ten more minutes of flight before they actually saw the beginnings of the swamplands. A thick greenish-grey mist hid the ground from view, and stands of dark green trees rose above it to droop long, ropy leaves back to the ground. A few hillocks stood out like islands in a sea of eerie clouds, and it was one of these that the two dragons descended towards. After checking that it was relatively solid with a prod of a hindclaw, Arokh landed and Morghus followed.
Rynn dismounted, wrinkling her nose in disgust as her boots made a squishing noise on the ground. Fetid water made small puddles around the imprints her feet had made. She quickly moved away, seeking drier ground, and there was a horrible sucking sound as she lifted her boots free of the gloop.
"It must have rained recently," Ebontyne said clinically. "High ground is usually drier than this."
"That's nice to know," Rynn said. "Really nice."
"We'll start searching the ground," the War Mage said, ignoring the sarcasm. "Morghus, you and Arokh check the surroundings?"
"We won't be able to see much on the ground," Morghus rumbled warningly. "Want us to look out for airborne foes?"
"Probably the best idea. If there are any mountains or anything, feel free to check for caves as well. We'll call if we need you."
The black dragon nodded and was aloft with a beat of his wings.
"Good luck, Rynn," Arokh said, his eyes telling her to be careful. Then he, too, was up and away.
Ebontyne took off her helm and let it hang at her back. Then she drew her sword. Rynn felt an irrational sense of foreboding at the sight of it. It was black. Solid black, without any textural patterns to tell if it was steel, stone, wood or crystal. It reflected no light - it was just black. As long and straight as a greatsword, the hilt seemed to describe the shape of a dragon's outstretched wings.
Rynn suddenly felt none too safe. Even though Arokh seemed to trust them... she lost her train of thought as Ebontyne glanced at her with those intensely blue eyes of hers.
"Are you coming?"
Drawing Runeblade, Rynn followed her down the hill and concentrated on trying to keep her footing on the mud-slick slope. "Can't you tell when we're near the jewels or something?" she asked.
"Yes, actually, but not from very far away."
Rynn silently reached level ground, her thoughts despondent. This place was huge. There had to be an easier - quicker - way to find what they were looking for. There [i]had[/i] to be. Then her mind reasoned that if there was, Ebontyne wouldn't have spent two hundred years searching so far.
"What I'm hoping," Ebontyne went on, her eyes scanning the dense swamp plants around them, "is that your sword might be able to help." She parted a few bushes to check what was beyond them.
"Runeblade?" Rynn glanced at the coldly glittering weapon in surprise. "But Arokh said that all it did was open and close rifts."
"He might be right." She gestured for Rynn to follow and walked through a bush onto a trail running through the middle of a scummy mire. Somewhere nearby, a frog croaked. "But I think it can also [i]sense[/i] rifts."
"Why do you think that?"
"When I looked at it." She threw Rynn a thin-lipped smile. "I was one of the more powerful War Mages in the Order of the Flame, and the third powerful in the Dark Union. I can sense some things... innate powers, you could call them."
"But we're not looking for a rift," Rynn pointed out as they walked down the trail. "Or do you think Navaros left all those magic things with something that is connected with rifts? The mirror?"
"That's what I'm hoping," Ebontyne said. "So tell me if it starts doing something weird."
"Sure thing." She hesitated. "But why... why didn't you just steal Runeblade?"
Her answer was a mirthless laugh. "There's no guarantee that the jewels are with one of those mirrors. If they aren't, Runeblade is no use to me. I'm not going to use it to open a gate to find Navaros, because Morghus and I have no chance against him. I no longer believe he would simply tell us where to find the jewels, either. But with allies..." she threw Rynn another penetrating look, as it trying to decide whether Rynn had indeed fought Navaros and won.
Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Rynn gave her attention to a tentacle-like appendage that was rising from the swamp water to their left. A large eyeball with a blue iris was on the end, and it swivelled to watch the two humans walk. "What's that thing?"
"No idea. I've never been here before, remember?" Ebontyne watched the creature warily from the corner of her eye, her hand flexing on the hilt of her sword.
The eyeball-tentacle didn't attack, and they reached the other side of the bog to pass through a curtain of tall reeds.