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you will be placing light gems as we go?"
"Yes," John replied still somewhat remorseful from his brother's previous
remarks. "I will place one here when everyone has past and another at the door
to the next tier."
"What are light gems?" Ryson asked aloud.
Jon seemed grateful for the chance to remove his attention from his
brother. "Light gems reflect light from outside, like mirrors. It is what the
dwarves use to bring light to dark tunnels. I will place them at certain
points of our travel to keep the light that is with us now with us as we
venture forward. With your sword to amplify that light, we will never lose our
current depth of illumination."
Ryson considered the explanation and held it in regard with the gems
which waited beyond the darkness, as well as the void itself. "Will you be
able to penetrate the darkness? And won't the gems beyond shift the light from
where you direct it?"
"The gems that create this barrier of darkness do not stop light from
entering," Jon explained. "They only keep it from reflecting back to our eyes.
As to the other gems, they will play tricks with the light I direct, as they
will with the light from your sword, but they will not stop it from reaching
its destination. Let me show you." He reached into the pack which hung about
his shoulder and pulled out a clear crystal gem. It appeared more like an
octagonal piece of glass than a multi-faceted diamond. He took one quick
glimpse of the opening above before placing it on the next-to-the-last step.
Immediately, the light within the cavern doubled.
"Right now, I am directing light from our entrance back towards Ryson.
His sword is now magnifying light from two different sources. Even without
your sword, this reflected light would allow dwarves to see for long distances
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in tunnels. Even though the gems beyond this point will bend it, change it to
create the illusions my brother spoke of, it will reach the door to the next
level. For now, I will hold it in the open so that even when Ryson's sword
passes through, those that remain on this side will still have light." He took
the gem back in his hand and waited for Tun to retake command.
The elder prince said nothing. He simply turned, faced the void, and
stepped beyond it. His body moved through the curtain of black much like
breaking through the surface of water, though there were no shifting waves of
dispersal. It simply gave way to his shape, and then returned to its original
form. The veil remained intact, unfazed by the crossing as the darkness
swallowed Tun whole.
There was no visual trace of the dwarf, not an outline beyond the void,
not a glimmer of form within the darkness, yet he stood only a single pace
beyond the last stone step which remained visible to them all. It was only the
sound of his voice which reassured the rest that he was not removed to
oblivion. "Send them one at a time, Jon."
The order rang loud and clear and revealed his close proximity. Holli and
Ryson stared with near disbelief at the spectacle. Her trained ears and his
keen senses allowed them both to calculate the dwarf's distance. They knew he
stood no more than an arm's reach from Jon, but neither could see even the
faintest trace of the older prince. The light from Ryson's sword continued to
bathe the steps and should have shown upon Tun, but the curtain of black
consumed the glow and covered the prince as if he stood miles beneath the
surface in an airtight cave.
They were not given a chance to comment, for Jon quickly moved them
forward. One by one he guided them past the void. The experience was near
mesmerizing. Each moved up to face the darkness. It stood within a finger's
length of their noses. Their eyes could not penetrate it, not even Ryson with
his ability to see in near total dark. It stood as a wall, solid and thick. As
they stepped into it, they cringed as if their minds told them the wall would
not give, but the veil did not hold the least resistance. It had no substance
and it gave way to their movements as free as the air about them.
The first step would take a foot and an ankle through the screen. They
would disappear just as Tun had vanished. Many wavered at that moment of
crossing, looking down at a leg which broke through the void and was no longer
visible. Uncertainty gripped them with unthinkable power as fear washed over
their consciousness. Tun had warned them a single misstep could mean their
doom and here they were stepping into an area they could not even see. The
algors, Stephen, even Ryson were hesitant. As they stepped into the void, they
felt the ground ahead, carefully probing for solid footholds. The ground was
there and with the same rock solid sturdiness as any other platform.
Holli had the most difficulty with the crossing. How could she convince
herself to step blindly into the void while knowing the area was laden with
traps and pitfalls? Even as Jon waited patiently to guide her, she remained
more than reluctant. Simply passing through a barrier with such little
knowledge of what waited beyond was an action of the untrained, the foolish,
or both. She tested the curtain with her hand first. The result was no
different. Her fingers vanished, then the rest of her hand. It dissolved
before her eyes just as everything else which passed through the void. She
pulled it back rigorously and inspected it, as if she expected missing digits.
Nothing, however, had affected her hand. She pressed it beyond the border of
light and dark again. She let it linger there as she inspected the border on
her wrist that was the limit of her vision. The darkness encircled her arm,
just as something on the other side, out of her sight, took her by the hand.
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She reacted near violently. She pulled, but whatever held her, gripped
her tightly. Her eyes narrowed without fear but with contempt. It became a tug
of war with the veil of darkness as the focal point. Instantly, she set her
feet apart for greater balance and leverage. She pulled her shoulders back, as
far as her gripped arm would allow. She bent at the waist and pulled
rigorously and evenly against whatever held her.
With one violent tug from the opposing side, she was pulled from her
feet. Against her will, she flew through the void. The mere instant of passing
was something she wished never to go through again. For a split instant,
during that miniscule moment that her wide open eyes surged through the
darkness, nothing existed. The light from behind her disappeared, ravenously
devoured by the void.
Thankfully, gracefully, life instantly appeared before her. Where there
was once no light, there was now an abundance. She saw the surprise in the
faces of her comrades who stood single file, though in a somewhat twisted line
in front of her. Her hand materialized before her. She saw the hand of Tun
still grasping it firmly. With his help, she caught her balance before she
stepped wildly passed the initial platform that waited beyond the stone steps.
She appeared more than ready to scold the dwarf. Her eyes fixed upon him
as he released her. Her mouth trembled, ready to release a barrage of angry
remarks, but she clenched her jaw. She remained in control as she questioned
the dwarf.
"Why did you do that?" Her voice was cool, but demanding.
"I know you are an elf guard," Tun replied stoically, as if he did
nothing wrong. "Your reluctance was not surprising. I understood your need for
care, but you must understand the need for haste. Though the safe path is set,
the illusions are not fixed. They will change as the light changes. If the
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