The People Under the Stairs

Aaron, Lysa and Allea try to help the dying Talminor, Mew.

2.

The People Under the Stairs

 

“They’re gone!”  Lysa exclaimed as they reached the bottom of the stairs.   There was a dark red spot of blood that revealed where Mew had lain, and drops of blood leading away.

“They’ve probably taken her back to their quarters.”  The young Duke told the two women and they followed him around the side of the stairwell.   At the very back of the wall was a door that opened up into an odd shaped room that the Talminor had taken as their quarters.  

The blood droplets ended at the door, so Aaron just pushed it opened.   The sounds of whimpering and soft mewing came to them as they went inside.

They were all gathered around Mew’s bed, and Wulf-wuf sat on the bed, anxiously looking at the cat-headed woman.

Bull motioned for them to come forward and then moved Grunt and Hiz aside to let them through.   As they passed, Bull held out Mew’s tail to show Aaron.   Allea gasped upon seeing the bloody appendage, but went on over to Wulf-wuf and began chanting the communication spell.  

Aaron knelt by Wulf-wuf and laid hands on Mew, as Lysa had.

Blue light covered her and she ceased crying and seemed to be comforted.    Wulf-wuf glanced at Aaron and nodded, but then Allea’s spell activated and he began to speak.

“Thank you, Your Grace.”   He said through the spell, “Mew lost her tail this evening and I think she is bleeding inside.”

“What can we do, Wulf-wuf?   We’ve tried several things with the others, but nothing worked.”

“Duke, the Archmage created us from the parts of different creatures and bound the parts together with magic.”

“I know, Wulf-wuf, but what can we do?   We don’t know of Helios’ spells.   Allea has completely read his entire spellbook and the spells he used to bind your parts together are not in the book.”

“He had a big circle with a terrible creature of fire trapped inside.”   Wulf-wuf told him, “The power of the spell seemed to come from that creature.”

“A Demon.”  Lysa commented, and Aaron nodded.

“We don’t have magic that powerful, Wulf-wuf.”  Allea told him, “Let’s think of anything that might help.   Did any of his creations die of the same disorder?”

“No, Lady Allea.    He would sometimes disassemble those creatures that he crafted, who had a form that he did not think turned out right.”

“Disassemble?!”  Allea asked, horrified at the thought, “Are you saying that he would chop them up?!”

“No, not like that.”  Wulf-wuf replied, “There is a pool of water at one end of Helios’ valley that is called ‘The Faerie Pool’.   It is an enchanted pool and I was told that the pool’s magic is what kept the valley from freezing over in the wintertime.   Helios built his tower in the valley because the valley itself was magic, due to that pool.”

“That explains some things.”   Aaron said to Allea, as both of them had been on the expedition to the Helios’ valley last year.

“I had wondered how Helios could have become so powerful in his magic that he could control the weather in that valley… even after he had died.”

Wulf-wuf nodded, “Yes, he relied on the magic of the place to amplify his work.   The Faerie Pool is at the northernmost end of the Valley surrounded by large trees.    Something that goes into the water is changed.”

“Changed how?”  Allea asked.

“In differing ways.”   Wulf-wuf shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable talking about it, “There usually were minor random changes and many times no changes at all.   But Helios found that when he would throw one of us that had been crafted from the parts of three creatures, into the pool, it would separate the forms every time.”

“But wouldn’t that kill the creature?   If they were just one third of three creatures, what would happen?”   Lysa asked.

“The strongest of the three parts would be spared.   I am one third human, one third Sylvan Elf and one third Timber Wolf.   If I was thrown in, when I resurfaced, I would either be a human, Elf or Wolf, depending on what the Faerie Pool thought I should be.    Then Helios would reuse the creature that left the pool in a new construction, after he had killed it and chopped off the parts he wanted to use.”

“What a horrible, evil man!”   Lysa commented, and everyone in the room nodded.

“So if we were to take Mew there, and put her into the pool, what would happen?”   Aaron asked the wolf-headed Talminor.

“Mew is one third Halfling, one third Wood Nymph and one third feral cat.   One of the three would be the strongest.   But those placed in the pool must be alive when they are put there.   The pool does not restore life.   Mew does not have long until the three parts separate and she dies.”

Allea and Lysa looked up at Aaron, who had been given the Valley of Helios as his Duchy at King Eleazar’s coronation.   The heavy winter snows had kept him from travelling to see his new holding.   But now he had a reason.

“Well, the road is going to be extremely muddy for a few more weeks, but I think we need to take Mew there.   Is there any way we could teleport into the valley?”

Allea shook her head, “No, Helios wrote about that in his spellbook.   Anyone can teleport out of the valley, but not into it.   I would guess this is due to that magic pool.”

“Mew probably won’t survive a road trip.”   Lysa commented, looking down at the Talminor lady with tears in her eyes.

“I have an idea.”  Allea responded, “There is a spell in Helios’ spellbook - Temporal Stasis.   It suspends a person in time until the spell caster removes the spell or another wizard dispels it.   They are frozen and will not age… or die… until the spell is dissolved.    He would use this spell on… parts… of creatures that he would construct.     I think it would work to keep Mew alive until we found the pool.”

“Can you cast this spell?”   Aaron asked her and Allea smiled confidently.

“Yes, I am sure I can.”

“Well, we still will have a trip to reach the valley.   The airships are all in Southgate for at least a month.”   The Duke told her.

“Yes, but we can teleport over halfway there.    Do you remember the old Faesidhe watchtower in which our group camped?   Helios had a teleportation spell in his spellbook, and since I have been inside the watchtower, I can cast that spell and take us there.    That would cut out at least four days of travelling.”

Aaron smiled at her, “You’ve come through again.    That sounds like a plan to me.”  

“Your Grace, I should come with you to show you the way to the pool.” Wulf-wuf said through the communication spell.

“Yes, in fact, I am going to ask the King to take all of you Tri-Racial Constructs with us.  Then you each can enter the pool and be free of the danger that Mew faces.”

The four Talminor looked at each other uneasily.

“What’s wrong?”  Aaron asked, seeing their fear.

“Duke, each of us has been mixed with at least one race of animal, and we fear that if we were to enter the pool, we would emerge a wolf, bear, snake or something like that.   When an animal is the strongest race, the Talminor comes out of the pool with the mind and body of the animal.”

“So that is why none of you entered the pool on your own?”   Lysa asked.

“We were imprisoned in suspended animation until Lady Valmiai freed us.   We were frozen in time for hundreds of years, Lysa, and never had the chance to use the pool, but we probably would not have tried it, until death was close.”

At that moment, the spell that enabled Wulf-wuf to speak the common tongue ended and he fell silent with some frustration.

“Well, at least we can help Mew.”   Allea told him, “I will go get the spellbook and cast the spell.”

“Alright.”  Aaron responded, “I will go find King Eleazar and ask his permission to take his servants with us.    Lysa, prepare our horses and equipment; we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, my Lord.”  She bowed and followed her master and Lady Allea out the door.

“Tell me, Lysa, why weren’t you at the dance?”   Aaron asked her and the Orc lady saw Allea frown slightly upon hearing the question.

“My Lord, the dance was not for the likes of me.” 

Aaron stopped with a hand on her arm, “What do you mean by that?”

“Lord, I am only a squire.”   She looked down at her muddy boots.

“There were many squires there, Lysa!   I thought you would certainly attend.”

“My Lord, most of the squires are from noble families and this dance was for those people.    Orcs don’t usually go to Balls, sir, especially in muddy boots.   I’ve never danced, My Lord, and I don’t even own a dress worthy of such an occasion.   I’m quite sure I would have caused quite a stir if I attended, and I didn’t want to spoil it for everyone else with my brutish appearance.   Besides, who would have wanted to dance with an Orc?   Now, if you’ll pardon me, sir, I will go do as you’ve asked of me.”

She quickly, but respectfully turned and with a nod at Allea, hurried toward the servant’s entrance.

“You’ll have to learn to dance sooner or later, Lysa.”  Aaron called after her, “It is part of what is expected of a Paladin.”

“I can’t see how that would be important in the service of Yesh, sir.”   She called from the doorway, “But if I must learn how, then of course I will do as I am told.    Even though I am sure I will never need to dance.”

As she disappeared into the servant’s entrance, Allea turned back to Aaron, “I don’t know why you are pressing the issue with her, Aaron.   She’s right, you know.   I think that the whole idea of an Orc Paladin is ridiculous anyway.”

Aaron looked at her with some surprise, “Well, it was Yesh’s idea to bestow the blessing upon her.    Just as he bestowed it upon Queen Aurei some years ago.   It sounds as if you might have some prejudice toward Orcs, my dear.”

Allea shrugged, not denying it, “I just think she needs to know her place.”

“Perhaps she does.”   Aaron replied, putting his arm around her, “I’m sorry our date was spoiled.   But now it seems as if we have an adventure upon us.”

“But not alone.”   Allea looked up at the handsome Half-Elf, “I’m sure it won’t be very romantic.”

“No, but it is necessary.”   He told her, “Perhaps it will help you change your perceptions about Orcs and Talminor.”

“I have nothing against either race, Aaron.    They just need to do what they are supposed to do.”

“Which is what, Allea?”

The Half-Drow girl just sighed in exasperation, “You know what I mean, Aaron!”

“Yes, but I also know that it is wrong to judge a person by their appearance.    Look at Mutt and Carn - when they first came to Westmark, they seemed to just be a Goblin and a Bugbear.    We learned how helpful Mutt was, and Carn turned out to not even be a Bugbear at all!”

“Well Lysa is certainly an Orc!”

“From a very good family that has served Kings and Queens for many generations.   She has Ogre and even human in her ancestry, Allea.   Her ancestors, Lute and Siris were dear friends of your parents and mine.”

Allea closed her eyes, “I know, I’m sorry, Aaron.   I don’t want to sound prejudiced.   I’ll give her a chance; I know she’s your squire.”

“Good.”   Aaron smiled and kissed her forehead, “Now let’s get moving before Mew succumbs.”

The couple separated and hurried off in different directions, both of them lost in troubled thoughts.