The Fire Fox Tablet

The Fire Fox Tablet

by

Zaidey Cooper

For A.C. I will love you always.

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by Zaidey Cooper

http://zaideycooperbooks.blogspot.com

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. This publication is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by any trademark owner.

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Chapter 1

Prologue

Not long after the dawn of time, after the Creator had put to order what was once chaos, two men stood alone on a high virgin peak above the lush lands below. Mist rose up to meet their dark cloaks in the early dawn, the crisp air filling their nostrils with an invigorating breath of life. The mountain was low lying and bursting with spring snapdragon blooms and wild lilies, but the beautiful floras went unnoticed by the pair. They had other business at hand.

The man on the left looked intently towards the southeast and pointed an old, gnarled finger adorned with a noble ring in that direction.

There, he said. There is the place I wish to build my city.

You are sure?

The man who had first spoke nodded his head.

This is not how the Creator meant for us to live, the other, a warlock, said knowing it would bring a swift rebuke.

"I know how He wants us to live. But it is not how I want to live, the old man spit out in anger. And then as he contemplated further he added softly with great sadness that was polar to his previous emotion, And it is not how I wish for my daughter to live either."

The warlock, a much younger man and obviously at the beck and call of the older, said gravely, Once the spell has begun, there is no turning back. It sounded as though the comment was not intended only for his royal accomplice, but as a reminder to himself. He did not wish to be there. Performing the magik he was about to conjure was at best against his moral code, something he loathed to betray. At worst, it could be catastrophic, taking their very lives. But he was bound by an oath to follow through with what his Sovereign had ordered. He prayed it would not damn his soul for all eternity.

It shall be done as you have asked, the young man said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a miniature of a city, most intricately made with the highest attention to detail that could be accomplished on such a small scale. The older king looked on as his charge took the tiny replica and threw it into the air with all the strength he could muster away from the mountain towards the earth below. The warlock stretched out his arms and with magik that swelled within him, manipulated the miniature from afar speaking an incantation that the Sovereign had entrusted to him alone.

As the spell was spoken, the tiny city grew and grew as it fell, propelled and turned upright by the power that carried it to the destination underneath. Great walls thrust themselves high into the sky with readied banners flapping in the wind and spindly towers crowning the center of a town behind their protection. The untouched exterior stood sparkling in sunlight, and a massive gateway made from tree timbers that were among the largest in the world faced the mountain. The Sovereign's kingdom finally stood ready, anticipating future inhabitants who would make its interior home.

It worked, the warlock breathed as though he could hardly believe what he had just undertaken.

Of course it worked, the old man laughed. How could you ever doubt such magik when it came from the very birthplace of the world?

I suppose I thought the Creator would protect the fire fox's den more fiercely, the young man said not attempting to hide his sadness at how the land would now be changed with the arrival of a city he had just helped bring forth.

Perhaps He is not so perfect as we had all thought, the old man said in triumph.

You go too far, the warlock said. Did you ever consider that maybe He allowed you to find the fire fox? With words like that you will end up cursing yourself for all eternity.

For that matter you have also surely been cursed for being my cohort, young Caruso, the Sovereign stated matter-of-fact. At least you will gain some benefit from having conjured the spell.

Caruso hung his head. He knew the Sovereign was right, he was surely cursed. But he had had no choice. He did the spell as the king had ordered him, because there was no other option. And the benefits to which the older man referred, they were ones the warlock was not interested in.

The Eternal Lands, that is what I shall call it. My daughter and I and whoever else will follow me may never fear for death again. It will be a principality of life everlasting, the Sovereign placed jubilant fists on his hips and puffed out his chest looking over the kingdom that would be his.

Of life indeterminate, would be more accurate, Master Beneen. It can, after all, only last as long as this world lasts. And that is one thing over which you will never have control.

Chapter 2

Lord Kimroy

The land groaned with much age that had accumulated since time's beginning lights.

One of the oldest known cities, Mura, stood amongst soft rolling hills of green, surrounded by the Great Forest and a network of mines which fed the population's economy. The day had dawned windy and cold, but the sun shone boldly overhead promising an end to winter soon in spite of the circling grey clouds.

Cool air whipped around the High Lord Nyle Kimroy’s cloak and dried the moisture from his eyes causing him to blink more furiously than he normally would. It was certainly gustier than he had anticipated before leaving the castle walls, but he was at least glad he had requested the stable boy to saddle his grey gelding for the trip rather than have attempted it on foot. Although the mines were not long off from Mura, they were far enough to seem leagues away on a tempestuous day if you did not outfit yourself against the chill.

The mines were a main source of occupation to Muradians, but the forging of rough stones was not the reason for Kimroy's visit today.

As he led his horse up to the hitching post, he longed for nothing more than a roaring fire while enjoying a hot cup of tea in his favorite chair, but he was on urgent business for the king, Sovereign Kathara. Not wanting to tempt the stability of his own position as Lord, Kimroy had plucked himself from his cozy home on this dreadful day, and now plunged down into the depths beneath the earth’s surface searching for the taskmaster, Asher, so that he could get straight to business and then return to his house and hide from the dismal weather.

Inside the mines, dusty workers shuffled past one another hulking pick axes over their shoulders or wheeling rock into wooden wagons for transport to the surface. Overhead countless dusty lamps sporadically lit the corridors, and Kimroy found himself stumbling more times than he was willing to admit while he searched out Asher Roanan.

He pulled aside one of the workers, Where is the taskmaster?

Down a level sir, chamber 217. We’ve been having some problems with the gnome rooms again. He is trying to smooth things over.

Kimroy rolled his eyes, Thanks. The gnomes were quite cantankerous, and Kimroy was not alone in feeling that there must be a better way to mine the valuable gems that were deeper in the caverns, but so far the gnomes had done their job in keeping production high albeit at the cost of lengthy negotiations for higher pay and strikes for better work conditions.

Kimroy came to an end in the tunnel and boarded a rickety elevator along with a handful of dirt covered men, then exited on the next stop thankful to get his delicate nostrils away from the close proximity of earth ridden clothing. He murmured a quick charm over the openings of his nose to help block out anymore dust, chagrined that he had not thought to do so earlier, and continued on towards the gnome rooms. He finally saw Asher and flagged him down.

The tunnel that they were in was a peculiar one in comparison with most others in the mine. On either side there were heavy closed doors, chained and locked against the outside world guarding valuable gems the gnomes gathered within. Beside each secured entry were much smaller doorways the size of a mouse hole. Dull beams of light shone out each open portal, a tenable gate to the cavern within. However, there were presently no gnomes to be found passing through their personal ingresses, and the normal pitter patter of small tools working the rock walls was absent. Kimroy assumed they were probably on another mutiny demanding skylights in their workspace or some other crazy notion they thought they were entitled to.

Where are your workers? Kimroy asked as Asher drew near.

Asher brushed his hands against each other wiping off what dust he could and shook Kimroy’s hand. Who knows? It is their break time and they are all quite mysterious about where they go. As long as they are back here the second their fifteen is up, I don’t care where they are. Between you and me though, I think they just go outside and get bits of fresh air.

Why don’t they just say so, that doesn’t sound so bad after being in here all day?

I guess they feel like they have a reputation to keep up. Being a garden gnome is not the most masculine profession in life, and when you are working in the same spaces with men ten times your size it may take a toll on the ole ego, eh? Too bad saving face has never stopped them from asking for more perks or money, Asher laughed.

They are quite difficult I have heard. One of your workers said you were down here trying to smooth things over with them.

Yes, but it is nothing out of the ordinary. I mainly came down to make sure they left in time to take their breaks. Otherwise they will start accusing us of shaving off a minute or two of what they are promised. They are very high maintenance those gnomes.

But proficient at what they do.

This is true, Asher agreed. My friend, it is good to see you, but I’m sure you did not come to discuss our employee roster. What business do you have? Seeing Kimroy in the mines was after all not a very common occurrence, making Asher nervous for the answer the High Lord was about to give.

The Sovereign has sent me, Kimroy confessed. "Asher, I’ve come to collect the earth fire. He has said it is time."

I see, said Asher. He sobered at the prospect, but not one to keep the Sovereign waiting he did not hesitate. Follow me, then.

Kimroy followed Asher back to the elevator. They boarded it once again, and this time went down fathom after fathom until all the workers on board had exited at their own respective stops, and then alone Kimroy and Asher went even further into the bellies of the earth. Finally, they stopped, not because it was any floor in particular, but for the reason that now the elevator rested on firm ground and no longer had depths to drop into.

This way, said Asher more as a way to break the silence than as a command since there was only one way to travel at this point. They walked down the corridor and within moments stood before a river of burning magma. How are you going to retrieve the earth fire?

We have created a container I believe will be a reliable transport. I must lower it in from a distance. If you would give me a moment, this will not take long, stated Kimroy. He took a side pouch from under his cloak and obtained several short rods he then screwed together into a long pole. On the end of the rods, he strung a thin chain and then whispered a fireguard charm over the entire apparatus so quietly that Asher thought it must be a secret spell known only to Kimroy himself. Finally, the Lord took a shiny bucket from his pouch. It was a small metallic piece, and hummed of energy that Asher was not familiar with. Kimroy hooked the pail on the end of the chain and held his breath unconsciously as he lowered it into the magma. After a few breathless seconds, he raised the bucket into the air and brought it back towards where he and Asher stood on the lava river bank.

That should do it, exhaled Kimroy. He produced a cap made from the same material as the bucket out of his pouch and screwed the lid into a locked position before disassembling the rod and placing it back in his bag. The bucket and lid retained their metallic color and seemed unaffected by the heat source within, but the Lord was still careful to test the sides before lifting the container up in his hands.

Asher had waited in silence, but could no longer bear to keep to himself an opinion that had been burning inside ever since the fiery river had been found. A bucket full of lava is all well and good, Kimroy, but what I want to know is when is the Sovereign going to tell the people of Mura that they are all living on top of a ticking time bomb? This volcano is a deathtrap and its discovery should be made public to the city.

Asher, my friend, the people of Mura already have something more important to worry about, Kimroy said as he rose from the ground and straightened his cloak and pouch to a more comfortable position.

And what would that be? asked Asher cautiously.

An old secret that will soon come to light is going to affect not only our city but possibly the whole planet. Let us go.

Chapter 3

The Fire Fox

"Look here!" yelled Tierce to his friends.

You better watch it. You’ll break your neck, and then we’ll have to carry you all the way back home, said Valkyrie who was definitely not up to the task.

I’m not going to break my neck. I know what I’m doing.

I don’t know how you are even moving after the twelve egg sandwiches you ate this morning for breakfast, teased Valkyrie.

It was five, just for the record, Tierce puffed under his breath.

Yeah, you better watch it Tierce. In fact, I am surprised you don't already have a pot-belly like Val’s pig Reno. Your balance would be all sorts out of whack, chortled Matty, sounding a bit like the snorting pig he was just referring to.

Tierce was with two of his closest friends, Valkyrie and Matthew, in the woods not far from a large castle and the city of Mura they called home. The three had been thrown together into a tightly knit bond through their school classes, especially in recent years, which was actually the reason for their visit to the woods today. To them it was a double accomplishment, because they were not only getting some homework out of the way but they were also able to enjoy time absent of the daily expectations others placed on them. At sixteen years old, their childhood was quickly vanishing and passing by with greater speed every day.

In the city of Mura, school was very structured, as was the life afterwards. Children were educated in general studies until the seventh grade, at which time they had to choose a focus path. Anyone who did not complete a path or dropped out of school ended up a member of the common workforce, most typically resulting in employment by the local mines – a profession many youths denounced but later reluctantly fell into because they could not find another way to make a living.

Tierce, Val, and Matty all three chose botany in their seventh year, one of the less popular paths, as their course of study. This caused most of their classes to be scheduled together until they graduated from school at the age of eighteen, which was still a couple of years away yet for Tierce and his friends but was looming ahead in the distance nevertheless.

A quiet boy among groups of people, Tierce had felt botany would suit him, mostly due to the fact that the class sizes for the path were smaller than most. His one concern was that, while interesting, the material did not excite him. However, he felt it was something he could learn to appreciate and excel in as he gained more knowledge. At least, that is what his parents had suggested when he told them he was scared to death to begin a focus path that could possibly determine the course of the rest of his life.

Valkyrie had also chosen botany, not for the class size but because it was her passion. She loved plants and ate up the information in her textbooks like pieces of candy, and could not wait for the day that she could run her own greenhouse or work in the palace gardens.

Matty just liked being outside, so he chose