Curse of the Shadowmage - Mark Anthony [100]
"Music," Morhion finished the thought aloud.
"The Valesong," Mari said in amazement. Gradually her expression became a frown. "But there's something wrong with the music. I'm not certain exactly what-this is like no harmony I've ever heard before. It's almost alien. Still, I can't help but feel there's something wrong. It's almost as though some part of it were…missing."
Morhion trusted Mari's knowledge of music. "Verraketh said that he marred the Valesong long ago." He gazed around at the rocky landscape. "But what is the source of the music? We cannot restore it if we do not know how it is formed. Does it truly echo here from the dawning of the world?"
"That would be some echo," Ferret commented skeptically. The thief began to look around, exploring. Morhion wondered what he was doing. "Doesn't this music sound familiar?" Ferret muttered. The thief hopped aside to avoid a blast of hot steam shooting from a nearby fissure. At the same moment, another tone was added to the music that throbbed in the vale.
Kellen looked at the fissure, his green eyes curious. "It's almost like a pipe organ," he said thoughtfully.
Ferret snapped his fingers. "That's it!" He tousled Kellen's dark hair. "Good work, kid!" Kellen grimaced smoothing his hair with a hand.
Morhion gazed at the little thief. "What are you thinking, Ferret?"
"Just a minute," Ferret said hastily. The thief continued to explore the vale in ever-widening circles, climbing atop heaps of rubble and peering into dark pits. At last he let out a hoot of victory. He waved an arm wildly, gesturing for the others.
"What have you found?" Mari asked as they reached the thief.
Ferret perched atop a blocky outcropping. Three jagged hole gaped in the rock beneath him. "Look at these fissures," the thief directed. "Are we supposed to be impressed?" Morhion asked dubiously.
Ferret hopped down. "Don't you notice something strange about these holes, something that makes them different from all the other crevices in the vale?"
"There's no steam," Mari said after a moment. "Exactly." He peered into one of the fissures; it was large enough to crawl into. "As far as I can tell, these three holes join together a little way down. Unlike all the other fissures in the vale, no steam is blowing out of these. Something must be blocking them from below." Morhion suddenly understood what the clever thief was getting at. "Now I see, Ferret. The music doesn't echo in the vale. The vale itself is making the music."
"You got it," Ferret beamed. "It was Kellen who made me understand. The steam blowing through all these crevices acts like a giant pipe organ. Each fissure makes one note, and all the notes blend together to make the Valesong."
Mari nodded excitedly. "But something below ground is blocking these fissures, which means the Valesong is missing three notes. That's how Verraketh marred it." Morhion bent to examine the rough-edged holes. He could see only darkness beyond. "We have to find a way to unblock these fissures. If we can restore the Valesong, we might have a chance to-"
"Morhion! Mari! Ferret!"
The cry rang out over the vale. Kellen. Swiftly the three turned, peering into the swirling steam, trying to catch a glimpse of the boy. He must have wandered off.
Mari's sharp eyes found him first. "There!" she said, pointing. As they approached, they saw what had caused him to call out.
"Kellen," Morhion said gravely. "I want you to take a step back. Carefully."
The boy stood on the edge of a wide pit. Crimson light rose out of the pit, along with wisps of hot yellow smoke. Four yards below the rim of the pit was a bubbling pool of lava. When Kellen did as he was told, Morhion reached out and snatched the boy safely away from the edge.
Mari gazed down at the pool of molten rock, her face bathed in the ruddy glow. "The lava must be heating a source of underground water, and the resultant steam is forced up through the fissures in the rock, making the Valesong."
"Hey,