The Elder's Curse by Andrew Walbrown (superbooks4u .txt) 📗

you can trust Mazargo,” the mystery person answered, “yet there is no way Mazargo can trust you either. It is all faith.”

Is Mazargo his name? Or is it another Kalikki word for something?

Seconds seemed like hours as they stood on opposite sides of the doorway, no one daring to make the first move. Amantius looked from Ulam to Kona, holding a hushed conversation about how to proceed. They could not manage to agree on anything, though, and while they argued the mystery person on the other side began sighing loudly.

“You take too long to reach a decision,” the other person said, “Mazargo will be a grandfather before you agree on anything.”

Amantius had been speaking with Kona when the mystery man entered the room. But it was not a man Amantius saw, nor a woman; it was not even a Human at all. He did not see an Elf, an Orc, or even a Kalikki. No, instead of any of those many races, Amantius was standing face-to-face with something altogether different.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said while shaking his head in disbelief. “First mice-men and now cat-men?”

Standing before the group was a catlike humanoid, much in the same vein as the Kalikkis, only with feline features. He stood as tall as Amantius, with gray and white fur speckled with clusters of black spots. One of his eyes was a deep blue while the other was as green as grass, an unusual combination Amantius had never seen before. Like the Kalikkis he had a tail, but unlike theirs, his danced gracefully behind him, as though it had a mind of its own. To accommodate his anatomy an opening was cut into the back of his mustard yellow mage robes, while his fluffy ears poked out of the two holes in the hood.

Kona snickered beside Amantius, looking at him with an amused expression. “He’s not a ‘cat-man’ as you put it. He’s a Mwai.”

“Greetings be upon you, Kalikki-friend,” the Mwai said with a bow. “What is your name?”

“I’m Kona,” she replied while returning a bow. “The Nogoon is named Ulam, this confused Emberi is Amantius. And who may you be?”

“This one calls himself Mazargo,” the Mwai replied. “Mazargo the Enchanter.”

“Do you always refer to yourself as Mazargo?” Amantius asked, already a little annoyed by the Mwai’s peculiar way of speaking. That is going to get old real quick.

“By what other name would Mazargo call himself? It is the only name he has ever known.”

“Is this how all the Mwai speak?” Amantius whispered in Kona’s ear.

Kona shook her head. “I’ve never heard anyone speak like that before, but I would not be surprised if there are more. Some Mwai can be very…unique. Mazargo, what do you know of this place?”

Mazargo pointed to the book in the center of the room. “Mazargo can read some of these pages, though his knowledge is limited. From what Mazargo can tell, there are two passages, both of which need to be traveled simultaneously in order to reach the top.”

“Is there anything more?” Ulam asked, interested in the Mwai and his ability to read the foreign text surrounding them.

Mazargo flipped some pages in the book, the big yellow-stained sheets ejecting small amounts of dust into the air. He mumbled to himself as he read, occasionally nodding. Eventually, he stepped away and carefully closed the book, a small frown stretched across his whiskered face.

“This Kuruk was devious,” Mazargo began, “and quite clever. His magic is dark and very strong, more powerful than anything Mazargo has ever seen. You see this word here?” Mazargo pointed to the top of the left archway, where leaf-green letters glowed. “That word loosely translates to ‘mind.’ That word over there,” Mazargo pointed towards the fire-red letters glowing above the right archway, “that word is related to ‘flesh.’”

“Meaning what, exactly?” Kona asked. Amantius was unsure if he wanted the mage to answer her question. Remembering what he was told about Kuruk’s affinity for traps, he found the word “flesh” quite unsettling.

“One side of this tower will present mental challenges, one side will present physical challenges,” Mazargo answered before grinning, “or horrors, or dangers, or potatoes. Mazargo’s translations are not always the best.”

Oh, great, Amantius thought, we’re doomed.

“According to the book, the challenges must be completed simultaneously,” Mazargo continued, “which is why Mazargo did not scale the tower on his own.”

“Are you suggesting we join forces with you?” Amantius asked. He did not attempt to hide the disbelief in his voice. “No offense, but how could we trust that you wouldn’t stab us in the back?”

Before Mazargo could reply Ulam pulled Amantius and Kona in a tight circle, excluding the Mwai from their little conference. “We will need his help to get to the top, especially if there is dark magic still lingering in these walls.”

Amantius groaned. “Can we trust him, though? He’s so…odd, and isn’t it a little strange that he was just here, waiting for us? Who would even go with him?”

“I could go with him,” Kona offered, “we are both from Yawan, after all.”

Ulam grunted.

“I don’t know,” Amantius said to Kona, knowing Ulam would not trust her going off with a complete stranger. Though Amantius had struck up a quick friendship with the Kalikki, Ulam’s worries planted a seed of doubt in his mind about her true intentions. “I feel like we should travel together because of my leg, and you have the medicinal herbs. I’ll probably need to go the mental path, since the physical one may require running I can’t do right now. Brother, you should take the other way since you’re the strongest here.”

Ulam nodded in agreement. “And I will take Mazargo and watch over him.”

“Does that make sense to you, Kona?”

“Of course,” she replied. “My mind is stronger than my arms and legs anyway.”

“Very well.” Ulam then turned towards Mazargo. “If you accept, you and I will climb the physical side of the tower.”

“Mazargo accepts. He believes exercising one’s body is just as important as challenging one’s mind.”

Ulam