COTN House of Karen Part 7

7. Trapped

Kiring pulled at the bandage on her thigh as Cedi paced the chamber. Cedi has been calling for his pet but the Gryphon did not appear on the skies. Cedi keep on looking but his pet is not coming back.

"Why did you come to help me? Was it Malech?" Kiring looked up from her bandage. "Your Gryphon won't be back. It was never yours before and not now. It belong to the Micha. They talked to these creatures."

Cedi looked at her. He removed his sword from the scabbard and point it at her.

"Just like how you communicate to the Serpents? The children you laid your eggs for? The same ones that killed many of my friends." Cedi lowered his sword.

"What's so special about you? Malech asked me to spare your life and then to protect you. Why did Medi want to kill you?" Cedi pause and then he continued.

"So many questions? Yet I feel like I am doing it right." Cedi replaced the sword to it holder.

"I am Kiring; daughter of Orina, previous High Council of House of Karen. My father was Ricken; also known as Set, the one before Seti. I was Seti' lover before I betray him like what my mother did too to her lover then. I was raised by Malech after my mother's execution and was his apprentice. Then for a short time; companion for his comfort. I also betray him with Pipa; the sorceress of Man to trap and imprisoned him." Kiring sighed as she reflected on her past.

"Now I am just Kiring, warrior of Karen. I have no more sorcery in me, and none of the serpent' power. I do however retain a bond with my children which I can communicate to them. Their allegiance to me is dependent on their love for me." She shed her tear for the twins as they were her first born.

Cedi has turned his back to her and faced the wall opening to seek out his pet. He feels lost without Leoni now.

"We have not much time. We must leave now. " The figure of the sorcerer appear in the doorway. Malech walked in before the two of them. Cedi stared at him and then at Kiring. Malech walked towards his previous apprentice and hugged her.

"There is danger here. Its not the Serpent but the Mountain. Its collapsing inwards."

The trio ran out of the Hall. Malech created a solid water bridge from the island to the mountain side. They ran across it and up the side of the Mountain.

Once they reached the top. Kiring turned back to see the island with the tower slowly sink into the lake. She wanted to cry out for her mother and her people, but she just realized that its the best the tower disappeared beneath. Its hold too many memories for her. Then she noticed the outer mountain side are also collapsing with the other towers.

The House of Karen is going to disappear forever.

"Cedi, can you call on your Gryphon? We may need the ride." Malech was asking as he sees their legs are no match for the crumbling walls. "Kiring, perhaps you have another we can ride out."

There is none but the walls are still crumbling. The trio ran on avoiding falling rocks and skipping cracks that is appearing. Until Kiring stopped them.

"There is another way. There is a hidden tunnel that leads to the other side. Its here." Kiring point the doorway in the wall behind. Its a small tunnel that does not look secure in view of the crumbling walls. It not very tempting to the trio but their escape paths are limited. Or none in choice.

The crawled in and soon they find themselves encased in darkness. Malech called up a spell of light and that gave them some relief to their vision. That would be fine until they find the tunnel ahead was blocked by some fallen boulders. They tried to back tracked but the tremors came and that was blocked too. We are stuck in tunnel that is the length of one small chamber and the width of a corridor.

Malech pushed out with a kinetic spell at the boulders but it added in more boulders to the block.

"Stop, Malech". Cedi shouted out which Malech took command. This is the first time he did not dispute the command, nor question it in his mind. He seems to viewed the command as given by anyone who may be his King. "Please sit down here and we can discuss other options."

The place is bared of any food and drinks, and added to it, the air is getting stale by the hour. Malech was lamenting that he should be the one who lead them and not his apprentice. He had become more upset on his imprisonment and then he began doubting the words from Cedi.

"Kiring, you were born here. Tell me what do you know of the place. Looked into yourself and find the missing memories." Cedi told Kiring as he held onto her arms.

Kiring held her head into her arms and cried out loud.

"Not yet, Kirin. Be a woman later. Now is the time to be a warrior. Only your warrior self can save us." Cedi looked at the warrior. "Be the warrior, Kiring of Karen. Your people need their Queen."

It took Kiring some time to compose herself and then she walked around the place. She placed her hand on the walls and also the flooring. Then she leaned to the walls and placed her ears to it. She ran along the wall and listened harder.

"Its here." Kiring shouted back to Cedi. "Hit at this place hard. Its below the water line."

Cedi took out his sword and was to hit the wall when Malech threw the kinetic spell. Instead of cracking the wall, it bounce back at Malech causing him to fall on the impact.

"Fool! I asked for Cedi and not magic." Kiring rushed to her ex-lover and held him in her arms. "You were such a impulsing fool and still are. That's why I did love you."

Kiring kissed the lips of Malech.

Cedi had then took his sword to the wall and slashed at it. It cracked open but not as a stone wall but that of glass. Beyond the glass barrier is the water that surged there as they are beneath the mountain now.

"Cedi, break the glass and we may swim to safety. Its the way out. Orina told me once before. She showed me this tunnel once and then the tale of the way below the water. The Spirit of the Mountain dwells there." Kiring looked at Cedi. "Like your people, the House of Karen are the Guardians of the Water Mountain. Our swords are double blade as that resemble the waves of the water when we swing it at battle."

"The Mountain was created by the Karen' eons ago, when the Mountain sides were raised to formed a crater for the lake." Kiring continued her tale. "The center of the lake was given an island which holds the spellbinder that binds the Mountain to the lake. Orina was only the caretaker as those before her. The true bind was the monkey rope bridges were there for a purpose; it bind them to the spell. Once the caretaker was removed, the spell began to erode and when the island was destroyed, it completed the destruction."

"That is our way out but there is also another which would stop us; the Water Guardians. They are stronger in the water and more to it, they fed on the death of the Karen'. They may be at their peak power now." Kiring points to the glass wall. "There would be no other way. "

"Yes!' Cedi took his sword to slashed at the glass wall. It cracked and then it broke open on the pressure that built outside. The water surged in and starts to filled the trapped tunnel. The water level began to built up as more of the glass wall breaks more. Cedi waded over to Kiring and grabbed Malech.

"I would carry him and you can swim on your own. See you out there." Cedi waited for the water to filled the place before he swam out. Kiring followed suit and they immediately saw the Guardian of the Water Mountain. There are not one but a few hundred of them waiting for the trio.

Cedi waved Kiring back and they went back inside the flooding tunnel. There was a small gap on the ceiling where they seek sanctuary. The water is holding back at this level could mean the water line is only to here.

"Kiring, we cannot got there. We need to find another way."

Cedi passed the unconscious Malech to Kiring to hold while he go underneath again to seek another way. He saw the Guardians which are hovering outside and not coming in. They seem to fear coming into the place. He swim to the blocked boulders and noted that they are loosed by the water that seeped in between the boulders. He swim back to Kiring and noticed that Malech is awake but still groggy.

"Malech, I need you soon. Can you do your spell in the water? Those boulders need to be moved."

Malech did the works well; he used the spell to move the boulders and soon the water pressure building up then moved the remaining boulders until there was a gap for them to swim through. They swam through and soon the water level reside to the level of their feet. Thee walls are still vibrating from the tremors, and they got up to walked the balance of the way. Soon they reached the end of the tunnel where the light is not of lighted torch but of natural sunlight.

They are passed the mountain and into the outside valley.

"Cedi, take Malech with you. I need some more time to do my own tasks." Kiring looked at the two Elves standing at the entrance.

"Kiring, our fight with the Seti needs you. Please follow us." Malech pleaded with her but she was past from listening.

Kiring ran back to the tunnel while Malech wanted to followed but Cedi stopped him.

"She would join us when she is ready, Malech. We need to go now." Cedi pulled Malech along as the wall around them start to vibrate more strongly.

Kiring crawled back to the water and then she swam in it. She soon encountered the Guardians and then she followed them back to the island. The Guardians of the Water stayed in the water but soon one of them stepped up wet with water on its body.

"I am Necro; the one who would speak for them. We are the original of the House of Karen; the founders." Necro looked like an Elf but the body is made up of fluid substances and its ever flowing in the body. "We numbered about ten then and when we die, our souls would reside as the Guardians. Only our descendants are allowed to be Head Council like your mother. You are the next Head Council after your Mother."

"You could revive the House of Karen." The Guardian paused in the speech. "We could not allowed you to leave then with the others."

"I don't understand. There were hundreds of you in the water. And why me as the Head of Council? You saw the mountain, the towers and also the people are all dead. Tell me my role, Guardians of the Water. Just as I heard your words when we swam back to the tunnel."

"Let me tell you a tale, Kiring. Once you hear the tale, you would know why the Karen and the Serpents are intertwined in fate and also love. "