Around the same time King Aero reaches the western border of Bellum, Ser Matthew and Ser Ali arrive at the cave of Brintz.
As they prepare to enter the cave, they have no way of knowing that Aero and Asna have secured the allegiance of the Bellumi warriors and were about to take an envoy of more than thirty thousand Bellumi into the Royal Lands. Their thoughts had been on their King and Queen earlier, but now all thoughts turn toward the immediate danger; they are about to meet a monster. Both men are taking this mission very seriously, so serious that Ser Matthew did not drink last night.
As they settle their horses, Ser Matthew remembers his vow to Governor Dabir, his son must not see the monster. So, he commands his squire to remain outside the cave and tend to the animals.
Both men stand at the cave entrance. This moment has loomed large in their minds for over a month now. A sense of foreboding is shared between the men. They linger, the first step is the hardest. Finally, Ali who is holding the box of Meegan artifacts takes his first steps and disappears into the darkness.
Matthew quickly lights his torch and follows him in.
Even with the light, the cave is still dark. It’s a strange feeling for both men to have light, but still be in darkness. The idea of what’s ahead has both men on edge. They slide cautiously past an old skeleton still in its armor. An ominous sign they cannot ignore.
Cool air from inside the depths of the cave blows past them rhythmically, almost as if the cave itself is breathing.
Neither man speaks, but both are allowing fear to creep into their minds. Just when the tension is at its peak, a stirring from ahead can be heard.
“What’s this? A fresh snack? Good, I am very hungry.” A deep and intimidating voice says from inside the depths of the cave.
Both men stop, they allow a few seconds of fear to overtake them. Aero didn’t tell them the terror that grips their bones from his voice alone. Ali immediately starts thinking about running, Matthew starts trying to figure out if he can outrun Ali.
Heavy breathing can be heard from the direction of the voice, then footsteps that sound more like small earthquakes echo off the cave walls.
“He… He told us you would say something like that.” Matthew stammers out.
“He? Who did?” the voice says from the darkness.
“King Aero, he sent us to meet with the one he calls Crimson.”
“King Aero? King? How? Tell me. Come closer, I must know.”
“He also said that you would have questions.” Ali says.
Both men breath a sigh of relief as they step forward. That is until they see the body that the voice came from. Aero’s description did not do it justice. Both men allow their anxiety to rise up again.
“Well… he obviously made it to Meego and survived. Did he marry the Governor’s daughter?”
“Yes, we were pursued by a platoon of knights pushing us toward Meego. There was a plot to kill Aero to remove him from the Capital. The plot involved overthrowing King William, killing the oldest son, David and setting up his middle son, John Henry as the new king. That’s why Aero was chosen to go to Meego.” Ser Matthew responds.
“Did they do it? Put John Henry on the throne?”
“We don’t know. King Aero and Queen Asna entered Bellum to seek an alliance.”
“Does he think the Bellumi will support him because he married a daughter of Meego?”
“He has the Royal Blade; it works for him. Prince David is with us on the journey. It did not work for him. He has the sword and the Queen, per the ancient agreement, he is King.”
“Then I hope everything works out for him, he has the heart of a true king.”
“Agreed.”
“So, why did he send you here and break our vow?” Crimson asks.
“Only six people in the kingdom know about this, we are some of his most trusted knights. This is Ser Ali from Meego, and I am Ser Matthew from Two Springs.”
“The drunk? Aero did speak highly of you. I always wondered why.”
“Can’t say.”
“I don’t smell any ale on you.”
“I didn’t drink last night.”
“Oh, I see. So why are you here? We keep getting sidetracked.”
“We were sent with this box. In it contains all the known magical artifacts that cursed Meego. The King and Queen wanted you to look at them to see just how hard it would be to reverse the curses.”
“Oh, this will be a treat, open the box.”
Ali sets the box down and opens it. Inside are five artifacts. Crimson reaches down, picks up a stone tablet with ancient writing on it.
“This stone tablet was created when the spell was cast. This is a wizard’s spell; he struck his staff against the ground when casting. This is for the dried-up sea. It appears that this was intended to be a hundred-year curse that lowered sea level as a warning. It was never meant to be permanent.”
“What?” Ali gasps.
“This spell is strong, magic forces a meteor to come in from the sky and set over Meego. That is how it’s always light there. The good news is, that even though it is a very powerful spell, it can be easily broken. Let me see the others.”
Crimson looks over the old relics, one by one. He thoroughly inspects each item. He takes a few moments with each before setting them down.
“The jar is a curse upon the fresh water, the plate is a curse upon the food, the rock with the writing on it isn’t a curse but a blessing. It protects the city from ruin.”
“So that’s why the old city never wears…” Ali said to himself.
“That’s right, and the knife is a ritual blade for blood magic. It is neither a blessing nor cursing. It has magical properties, but it wasn’t used in the attack on Meego. However, I truly believe that these four are all the magic that was used to curse Meego.”
“So, how bad is it? You said the sea one was easily broken.” Says Ser Matthew.
“They all are. Once these spells are broken Meego would be fully restored within five years. The sea would begin to rise, as would the drinking water and food.”
“Can you do it?”
“Yes and no. I have the ability, but I cannot leave the cave and it has to be undone near the site of the curse. I have no choice but to remain here. However, I could easily teach someone with a certain bloodline magic how to break these spells.”
“Roasa, a Durrie we picked up on the road, she has bloodline magic that prevents her from missing any shot with an arrow.” Matthew replies.
“Not strong enough. Actually, the easiest thing would be to bring a relative of the King. The closer the better, maybe one of his brothers. It wouldn’t take me long to teach him how to do it with the magic flowing through their veins.”
“So we need to bring Prince David to you. What should I tell King Aero?” Matthew asks.
“Tell him the good news that Meego can be restored easily but since I can’t leave this cave, I can’t do it. I can teach someone to do it in a few weeks, hopefully. Tell him to come see me when he has time, there is so much I want to hear from him.”
“Will do, we will return with someone as soon as possible.” Matthew says as they turn to leave.
“Wait! You can’t leave yet. I need to hear the story with details, sit with me good knights. Tell me the story of my good friend, Aero.” Crimson demands.
Matthew and Ali look to one another, this is just like Aero said it would be. So they sit, and Matthew begins. “When Aero left the cave, he was arrested by a low-ranking officer in the Capital Guard named Will…”
Relics of the Old Age 