Conjunction

He had only taken a few sips of his drink by the time one of the Dweorh leaned over and cleared his throat.

"Pardon me," he began, his voice far deeper than seemed fitting for someone of his stature. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the shopkeep. Is it true that you're headed into the Coral Sea?"

"That's my intention, sir," Caden replied as he took another draw from his cup.

"Then you're braver than you look," he added, his companions chuckling. "I'd heed the warnings if I were you, lad."

"May I ask what you're doing all the way out here?" Caden asked. "It was my understanding that the Dweorh people were mountain folk."
"Aye, that we are," the man replied. He lifted his tankard to his lips, spilling some of its contents down his bushy beard as he took a greedy draw. He slammed it back on the table, suppressing a belch before continuing. "We're surveyors representing a mining concern, we've come in search of riches. This desert is full of mineral deposits that nobody has been able to exploit until now."

"Don't you go giving away all of our secrets, Alberich," one of his companions warned as he nudged him with his elbow.

"It's quite alright," Caden said, "my business here is purely academic. Speaking of which, has your prospecting taken you very far into the Coral Sea?"

"Aye, once," the one called Alberich replied. He turned back to his drink, taking another noisy swig. "We know better than to set foot beyond this trading post now." He gestured to one of his friends, who pulled back a mop of tangled hair to show Caden an ugly scar that trailed from his forehead to his cheek. It was recent, disfiguring, but the flesh had knitted well enough. He might have offered to heal him under different circumstances, but he wasn't sure that he'd be able to do much to help.

"Monsters?" he asked, grimacing at the sight.

"We lost two members of our company," Alberich replied, staring into his cup for a moment. "They attacked while we slept. The sun was still up, always is these days, and Osgar was on watch. They moved so fast that by the time the sound of his cries roused us, he was already dead. Ludek took up his sword and tried to fight them off, but they fell upon him like a pack of wild dogs. Heimrad here hit one of them with his pickaxe, the brave old sod, but he got a blade to the face for his trouble."

"How did you escape?" Caden asked, both horrified and captivated by the tale.

"We were carrying black powder charges," he explained, "we use them in our mining operations. Before stopping to rest, we had rigged them to destroy one of the spires, hoping that it would expose a vein of ore. Robrecht detonated them. The noise and subsequent collapse created enough of a diversion that we were able to flee Westward. We won't go back, not even to recover the bodies."

"What are these spires you speak of?" Caden asked.

"There are stone pillars all over the Coral Sea," Alberich explained. "They must have formed when everything was still underwater, because none of us have ever seen structures like those anywhere else. They're made from minerals that were deposited over time, we think, they're too irregular to have been carved by masons."

"I think they're volcanic," another of the Dweorh added, "like miniature volcanoes."

"These monsters," Caden added, "did you get a good look at them? What are they like?"

"They were tall," Alberich began, quickly realizing that the term had a different meaning to Caden. "Taller than your folk, maybe seven feet. They had the shape of a man, more or less, but in place of skin, they had the scales of a serpent. Hard as chain mail it was, tough like leather. Their faces were like nothing I've ever beheld. They had snouts like lizards, and their mouths were full of razor-sharp fangs. They fought with the ferocity of a wild animal. We were attacked with spears and axes, so they have sense enough to make tools, at least."

"Not from iron or steel," another added, "they were fashioned from stone."

"Aye," Alberich replied with a nod. "Flint, or maybe obsidian. We didn't linger long enough to find out the details. They didn't wear much in the way of clothing, either. Savages never do."

Their description filled Caden with dread, but as tough as these Dweorh were, they weren't sorcerers. Still, could he really face off against monsters that had sent a party of half a dozen armed men packing? What's more, they were said to practice magic themselves. Both the Master and the shopkeeper had mentioned their shamanistic rites. As primitive as they must be, what powers did such rituals bestow upon their practitioners? Was it anything like the magic that he knew?

"When did all of this happen?" Caden asked.
"Maybe two weeks ago," he replied. "If you're wondering whether they might have moved on by now, I wouldn't put money on it."

"During my travels, I heard rumors of ancient ruins that lay beyond the Coral Sea," Caden said as he leaned closer to his neighbors. "A long-abandoned city that lies on its far shore. Those who built it have no name, but scant records of its existence remain. Is this something that is known to the Dweorh?"

Alberich exchanged glances with his companions, reaching up to stroke his braided beard as he considered.

"We've heard rumors," he replied, lowering his voice. "Some speak of a grand city that was lost to the desert eons ago, of long-abandoned vaults packed to the ceiling with riches, just waiting to be claimed. That is, if you can reach it. I don't pay it much mind, myself. I've heard such talk before. Lost cities of gold, uncharted islands where pirate lords buried their ill-gotten gains, hidden tombs where mummified kings still preside over their worldly possessions. It always ends up being nonsense." He took another long drink from his cup, pausing to wipe the foam from his mouth. "Me, I prefer to dig my riches out of the ground. It's far more reliable."

"Say, you look like the scholarly type," another of the Dweorh interjected. "Any idea when this summer might come to an end?"

"Hopefully soon," Caden replied, relieved to be able to take his mind off the monsters for a moment. "I have it on good authority that the guild of sorcerers is working on a solution. The problem has something to do with a misalignment of the heavenly bodies, so I heard."

"How are they able to correct something of that magnitude?" the Dweorh asked. "It's not as though they can reach up and put everything back into its proper place...can they?"

"They're sorcerers," the one with the scar replied, "they spend all of their time cooped in their towers staring at the sky. If anyone can work it out, it's them."

Caden wanted to tell them more, but the Master had warned him of spreading word of his mission. He couldn't let them know of his true purpose here, or of the treasure that the ruined city held.

"How are your people faring?" he asked, changing the subject.

"We build our cities deep beneath the mountains," Alberich explained. "It's always cooler underground than above, you'd be shocked by how cold a cave can get just a few feet below the surface. The heat is no concern of ours, but the crops have been unreliable. I fear that the grain stores will start to run low."

They talked for a while longer until Caden had finished his drink, then he lifted his pack, bidding the Dweorh farewell as he headed for the door.

"Do you still intend to enter the Coral Sea?" Alberich called after him, Caden nodding in reply. "Won't you even take a sword with you?"

"What difference would that make?" the scarred Dweorh scoffed, taking another draw from his tankard.

CHAPTER 3: CORAL SEA

Caden stood at the edge of the Coral Sea, what had once been a sloping shore giving way to a vast expanse of desert that resembled a canyon. It extended as far as the eye could see. The far side must be over the horizon, whatever it looked like. He unfurled his map and checked it, making sure that he was indeed where he was supposed to be.

From this vantage point, he could make out the spires that the Dweorh had described. They looked like chimneys of stone, their surfaces covered in what resembled colorful moss, but was actually discoloration in the minerals. They were uneven, bulbous, no two of them exactly alike. They sprouted from the ground in clusters, many of them seeming to emerge from the same formation of rock. They were far higher than he had imagined, some of them looked to be skirting a hundred feet. Many had collapsed under their own weight, but there were plenty still standing tall.

Surrounding them was the coral that gave this place its name. It was so abundant that the Coral Sea could scarcely be referred to as a desert, the ancient growths creating massive shelves where they had built atop one another over eons, like a petrified botanical garden. They took on such varied shapes. Some bore a close resemblance to fungi, like giant mushrooms that sprouted from the rock, while others were more plant-like in their appearance. There were even corals that had taken on an uncanny resemblance to trees, rising from the ground on stout trunks, branch-like formations creating a sort of table that cast shadows on the land beneath then. Unfortunately, the vibrant colors that they must have sported in life were long gone, time having made them as lifeless as the stone that surrounded them.

Between the clusters of spires and outcrops of coral, paths formed in what had once been the seabed, filled in with sand that bore a striking rust-red color. Caden began to descend the sandy incline, dropping down into the maze of spires and reefs. It would be easy to get turned around in here, and although he might have an infinite supply of water, the same was not true of his food. He would have to make sure his path remained straight.

His heart began to race as he walked between the towers, the jagged formations casting deep shadows in the harsh sunlight. He was glad of the shade, but his mind played tricks on him, insisting that monsters could be lurking wherever the darkness pooled. The story told by the Dweorh had rattled him, but he couldn't turn back now, he had no choice but to press on.

He marveled at the strange structures as he made his way along the path that had been carved out by the sand, like a red river that snaked between the rock formations. A sudden movement caught his eye, startling him, but he quickly realized that it was just a snake. The creature had been basking on the hot stone beside a cluster of bulb-shaped corals, its orange scales patterned with black diamonds that ran down its long spine. When it saw him, it darted into the corals, winding its way into the holes in their sponge-like surfaces. There must be all kinds of wildlife down here that had made their homes in the rocks.

Caden proceeded ever deeper, craning his neck to admire the tall towers that surrounded him. The colors that stained their uneven surfaces were quite beautiful, streaks of greens, reds, and oranges discoloring the mottled stone. As he rounded a corner, he faltered, coming across a grisly sight. There was a relatively flat outcrop of rock, creating a sheer wall directly ahead of him, its surface stained with some kind of red pigment. It was clearly man-made, or at least, made by something with intelligence approaching that of men. It had been painted over with some kind of white, chalky substance, crude figures and strange runes adorning it. The figures stood upright, with two arms and two legs, but their features were decidedly bestial. Although they lacked any real detail, little more than stick figures, he could make out their winding tails and their elongated faces. In their hands were clutched spears and axes, and at their feet lay the bodies of what were obviously supposed to represent people, broken and dismembered.

That wasn't what turned Caden's stomach, however. Arranged in a neat row at its base were five spears that had been driven deep into the sand, and at the tip of each one was a head in varying stages of decomposition. The oldest was little more than sun-bleached bone, its lower jaw missing, the tip of an obsidian spearhead jutting from a crack in its crown. The others were covered in desiccated flesh, their sunken eye sockets empty, jaws that were only connected by rotted strands of muscle and sinew hanging agape as though they were screaming silently. Clouds of insects buzzed around them, crawling across their flaking skin, and inside their...

Caden turned away, covering his mouth with his hand as he gagged. The warning was obvious enough. These creatures did not want anyone trespassing in their domain, and the fate of those who ignored the gruesome display was death. Had the party of Dweorh prospectors come across such warnings and ignored them?

He looked back at the shore, doubt overwhelming him. He should be sitting in the tower library with his nose buried in a book right now, he had no business being out here, no business fighting off wolves and savages. What had the Master been thinking, assigning him this task? Even a company of the King's most seasoned knights would be hard-pressed to make it through this unscathed. A monster could be lurking behind every rock, waiting for the right moment to chop off his head and impale it on a pike as a warning to others.

"This is folly," Caden muttered to himself. He turned his back on the severed heads, trudging his way through the sand, following his own footprints as he returned the way he had come. It was a struggle to suppress the urge to run, his imagination conjuring monsters on his heels. The Master would have to find another candidate to make the perilous journey, as he should have done from the beginning. He hadn't known the extent of the danger, he needed to employ a company of sellswords, or maybe petition the King for an entourage of guards. A single traveler would never make it through this place alive. So what if time was running out? If Caden went home, or if he died, the outcome would be the same. He would still fail to retrieve the artifact. Even if it meant that he had come all of this way for nothing, he would at least return home with his life.

He eventually reached the shore, starting to climb his way back up the incline, digging his staff into the ground for purchase. With every step, his boots seem to grow heavier, a new tension rising up inside of him as he neared the top. It wasn't fear, it was shame...

Caden stopped again, bowing his head as he leaned his weight on his staff, the sweat that dripped from his brow sizzling as it hit the hot sand. He collected himself, catching his breath, glancing over his shoulder at the expanse of eerie towers.

There was nobody else. That was the only reason he was out here to begin with. Either he completed this task, or the world would die, along with all of its inhabitants. The green hills and forests of his homeland would look just like this place, the dead trees surrounded by sand dunes, the merciless sun beating down on a lifeless hellscape. Going back was just as much a death sentence as going forward.

Cursing under his breath, he began to slide back down the slope, resolving to see his quest through to its end.

***

Caden walked until the sun began to set, then took shelter beneath the shade of one of the large table corals, its branches spreading above his head like those of a strange tree. If it had endured this long, he surmised, then there was little chance of it suddenly collapsing on his head.

He hadn't come across any more of the gruesome warnings since the one that he had encountered at the shore. The monsters probably placed them near its border to dissuade trespassers, there would be no reason for more grisly displays deeper inside.

So far, he had come across no lizards in the shape of men, merely a few small reptiles that had been basking in the sun, quickly dashing into cover when he had disturbed them. This place was not completely devoid of plant life. There were cacti and succulents that sprouted amongst the petrified corals, creating an odd contrast between ancient and modern, land and sea. They were scarce, however, clinging to what patches of soil they could find. An ecosystem existed here, albeit a desperate one.

The food that he had bought at the trading post provided no small measure of comfort, Caden enjoying some salted pork as he took in the alien landscape that surrounded him. As he ate, he heard what sounded like loose stones rolling down a rock face, echoing between the spires. He reached out to grip his staff, pausing his chewing so that he could hear more clearly. After a good few moments, he set it back down, glancing around suspiciously as he continued his meal. There were animals out here, it could have been a snake or a rat, but he wasn't about to let his guard down after seeing those decapitated travelers.

When he was done eating, he set down his bedroll on the rock beneath the coral, keeping his staff close by as he lay down. He felt so exposed, but without a campfire, he could hopefully avoid drawing attention to himself. If the savage inhabitants of this place randomly stumbled upon him while he slept, then he could only conclude that the Gods wanted him dead, there wasn't anything to be done about it.

Come to think of it...

Caden sat up, pulling the heavy, leather-bound spellbook from his pack. He searched the index, glad that the setting sun was still providing enough light to read by, locating a likely page. Why hadn't he thought of this before? Had his mind been so clouded by fear?

There, a concealment spell. He read through the incantation, poring over the instructions as his eyes scanned the looping text. This spell could bend light around the sorcerer or an object in his possession, making him functionally invisible to onlookers, and it seemed to block the transmission of sound as well. The only way to discover him would be physical contact.

It wasn't an especially complex spell, and before long, there was a small pocket of invisibility shrouding his hiding place. Wanting to see how effective it was, he rose to his feet, stepping off the rock and onto the warm sand. After a few paces, he turned to see that his campsite had vanished. He should have been able to see his bedroll lying on the rock beneath the shadow of the towering table corral, his pack and staff sitting beside it, but the rock was bare. There was a slight shimmering in the air if he looked closely, but it would be unnoticeable to someone who wasn't looking for it. He reached out a hand and pushed it through the bubble, watching it vanish up to the wrist, strange reflections glittering like the shards of a broken mirror around the breach.

Satisfied that he could sleep in relative safety, he stepped back inside, his possessions reappearing. Pleased with himself, he lay down on the bed, draping his cloak over his eyes to shield them from the sunset.

***

Caden was roused by the sound of something large shuffling around nearby. He opened his eyes groggily, his vision slowly adapting to the darkness. It was night, the stars twinkling above the splayed branches of the table coral, the crescent Moon providing just enough light to see by. He turned his head, and had to cover his mouth to stifle a gasp of alarm.

Lurking at the foot of the rock, not ten feet away from him, were two figures. They were hunched over, appearing to examine the red sand. Their features were hard to make out in the twilight, but he could be certain that they were not human. Their long, winding bodies were coated in a layer of fine scales that reflected the moonlight, like the tiny tiles in a mosaic. They were patterned with blotches of orange, black, and yellow that camouflaged them against the desert backdrop. Long tails trailed behind them, as though giant serpents had joined to their bodies at the rump, as thick around as a human thigh at their base.