Ruins in the Mist - Part 2 (short story)

Part 1 here: https://www.minds.com/blog/view/822256231734177792

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Ancanus planted his staff on the stone floor beneath him, and the dark before him dissipated as the room was flooded with magical white light. The old man then leaned on it for support, exhausted by the effort he spent fleeing the dragon and protecting himself and his nephews from its fire.

Bannor and Galen too were left panting, hardly able to believe they had escaped the wrath of such a great beast without injury. A long moment later, when he had regained himself, Bannor finally found the strength to speak.

“Just a legend,” he uttered, so quiet it was nearly a whisper. He then lifted his head to look his uncle in the eye. “Just a bloody legend.” The second utterance was far sterner than the first.

“I thought it was,” said Ancanus between ragged breaths. “I swear it was just a story. Made up to thwart any from exploring this place.”

“You’re a gods-damned wizard!” said Bannor, his breathing now fueled by anger over exhaustion. “You didn’t think such a thing would be possible when you decided to set off on this expedition?!”

“Do you think I would have brought you here if I did?!” shot Ancanus, standing more fully to face his nephew.

“Maybe not, but it seems of the two of us that I’m the only one doing any real thinking!”

“How dare you-”

“Enough!” Galen finally spoke, and his brother and uncle turned their gazes from each other to him. “We’re trapped down here, dammit! No amount of research or yelling will get us out.” Both warrior and wizard held grim looks on their faces, but after a moment they nodded in agreement with the archer.

“What are our options?” asked Bannor, looking over the rubble behind them.

“Even if I could summon the effort to clear this,” said Ancanus. “The dragon will be waiting for us on the other side.”

“I suppose forward is the only option then.” Bannor turned his gaze further into the ruin, and Ancanus sent an orb of light forward to better illuminate the path before them. The three adventurers found themselves in a high-reaching hallway, which shortly led to a descending staircase. Ancanus gestured to his nephews and led the way forward, followed by Galen, with Bannor at the rear guard.

Downward they marched, their footsteps echoing throughout the hall, until after a solid minute they at last found level ground again. Before them lie another, much larger hall, its ceiling a hundred feet high, with pillars spaced out evenly on the left and right sides, while beyond them the walls gave way, branching out into other hallways. Before every second pillar stood more statues, all depicting armed and armoured soldiers. As with those in the courtyard outside, no two figures looked exactly alike.

“What exactly should we be looking-” Galen began, but stopped when he heard and felt a hard crack beneath his feet. So busy had they been looking up and away, that only now the three at last looked down.

It was not mere bones that had given way beneath him, but the arm of a full skeleton.

Galen immediately leapt in shock, and Ancanus wove his staff back and forth, illuminating many other skeletons strewn about around them, some still clothed in the tattered remains of the garb they had worn in life.

“What the hell is all of this?!” asked Bannor as he took in the sight.

“I’m uncertain,” said Ancanus. “Something was sealed away here. Something of... value, or power, the translation wasn’t exactly clear.” Suddenly, a deep rumbling echoed through the hall, shaking ages-old dust from the columns and sending tremors through the stone.

“What was that?” whispered Galen. As he spoke, the sound continued, but it was much fainter, rhythmic, and somehow eerier than before.

“An incantation,” Ancanus answered. Before Bannor could voice further questions, the remains at Galen’s feet began to move. To their horror, the bones fastened themselves back together, and began to rise. Once settled on its feet, with eye sockets glowing faintly glowing a dark red, the skeleton opened its jaws and let out a shrill scream.

In a flash of movement, Bannor drew his sword and swung forward, its blade splitting the skull in two. But before he could even catch his breath, the rest of the bones surrounding them began to stir, and one by one each skeleton reassembled itself, mimicking the behaviour of the first.

“Run!” yelled Ancanus, and the three took off down the hall, passing yet more skeletons as they fled deeper into the ruin. Galen tripped along the way, hearing and feeling a heavy thud behind him. He turned his head to see he had narrowly missed a halberd held by one of the soldier statues, nearly brought down on him like a headsman’s axe. The head of the statue then slowly moved, gazing upon him with the same faint red eyes as the skeleton. Galen quickly stood and took off again, not stopping to watch as the statue detached its feet from the platform on which it had been standing.

"Dammit!" yelled Bannnor as, sooner than any of the three would have liked, the end of the hall materialized before them. “We’re trapped!”

“No!” said Ancanus. “There must be another way out, look for any door we can put between us and these abominations!” Despite his uncle’s instructions, Bannor could not obey, as he was forced to turn and confront a skeleton that had gained on him. His sword cleaved straight through the creature's spine, its ancient bones crumbling at the touch of the blade.

“Galen, get behind me!” yelled Bannor. His brother did as instructed, taking shelter behind the warrior’s shield as he let loose an arrow which buried itself in the skull of an advancing skeleton, shattering the cranium. The two dispatched several more of the creatures before the living statue began to close the distance, halberd at the ready, and the brothers took off again.

“Here!” said Ancanus, having discovered a door in the dead centre of the rear wall. A locking mechanism held the stone slab firmly shut, but with a wave of his staff and a great concentration of effort, the wizard pried the door open, ushering his nephews inside. An instant later, he followed them in, and with another wave of his staff, closed the door again, barring their pursuers outside the chamber.

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Continued in Part 3: https://www.minds.com/CodenameWraith/blog/ruins-in-the-mist-part-3-short-story-976908996744888320

Thank you for reading. I intend to post more short stories such as this in the future, to showcase my writing.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a like and/or comment, repost if you'd be so kind, and if you'd like to read more of my work, my debut novel, King Slayers, is available in ebook and paperback here:

https://www.amazon.com/Brad-Turner/e/B076J41NR4/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1