Eliona's War 1: Hesitant Healer

Chapter 19

The dungeon wasn't what Severance expected.

He'd pictured a sinister cave or even the ruins of an abandoned castle, but instead, what he got were two stone pillars with a swirling purple-gray light between them. The pillars were waiting in a little clearing, surrounded by pale, silvery grass.

There was a trail leading off into the trees, meaning there was an actual path to reach the dungeon, but of course the men in black didn't bother with such things. Who wanted to take the easy way when there was a disorientating forest of giant trees to wander through instead?

No one else was in the area either, though Severance wasn't sure if he was grateful or disappointed for that.

He looked up at the stone pillars. The portal they held was far larger than the last one he'd seen. If two ten-foot giants tried to step through side-by-side, they'd easily fit.

Maun stopped just before the portal, which completely dwarfed him. He half turned to look back at them, his face illuminated by the eerie purple-gray light.

"This is it," he said. "Any last words?"

What?

Severance stopped in his tracks. Surely the man was kidding, right? Yet Maun appeared quite serious, from the menacing gleam in his eyes to the way he'd spoken.

Rasin sighed. "Maun, this is not the time to joke."

Maun's lips curved. Then he turned and stepped into the murky light of the portal. It swallowed him up without even a ripple.

"Please don't take him seriously," Rasin turned to Severance. "Sometimes I think he and Dhin are the same age."

A scoff came Dhin as he walked past them. "Don't lump us together, old man."

He walked into the portal and vanished. That left Severance standing in the clearing with the oldest member of their little group. He felt a little dazed. So, Maun had been joking. Right?

Thoughts of escape briefly flitted through Severance's mind, but he dismissed them. He wasn't foolish enough to think that he'd actually be successful. Instead, he eyed the portal with increasing wariness.

Sensing his hesitation, Rasin asked, "What's wrong?"

What wasn't wrong would have been an easier question to answer. Severance tore his eyes away from the dungeon entrance and turned to the man standing beside him.

"I don't think this is a good idea. I've never been in one of these before."

Creases formed in the corners of Rasin's eyes. "There is no need to worry, Severance. You're in safe hands."

"But what if I mess something up? You could get killed."

"I have faith that you won't." Rasin gestured towards the gate. "Now, shall we go?"

Well, at least someone has faith. Resigned, Severance made his feet move towards the portal. He was aware of Rasin following right behind him, no doubt making sure he didn't chicken out at the last second and make a break for it.

When he passed through the murky light, his entire world morphed into gray fuzz. A cold tingling pressure surrounded him. For one dizzying moment, it felt like he no longer possessed a body. He couldn't sense anything except for the icy static.

It didn't last long. It faded as quickly as it had come and next thing Severance knew, he was standing in a very different place.

A towering cavern rose up all around, its walls and ceiling made of glittering dark rocks. The floor, oddly enough, had patches of smooth black marble embedded in rock. Stalactites dropped out of the ceiling like enormous daggers, while little specks of light glittered on their surface. It wasn't much for a light source, but there was enough to dimly light the entire cavern.