Chapter 11 7 страница

Walking through the doors, Nox paused as he turned his head skywards. The room they'd walked into was about half the size of Republic Senate chambers, making it almost ridiculously massive even by this world's standards. Around the edges of the room were columns of black stone statues, separated out evenly to provide both support to what was once the roof, as well as to add an artistic flare to the room as each column was carved into the visage of beyond beautiful human men and women standing in heroic or suggestive possess. And on the far side of the chamber, sitting upon a dais that rose nearly twenty feet from the main floor, were a set of seven chairs, evenly spaced from one another. No doubt a throne, but for seven chairs…and despite most being little more than piles of rubble, each was just as extravagant as the last. No more, no less. And below the main dais, spaced out amongst the pillars on lower platform, were thirty-three other seats that, while less extravagant than the ones one the highest dais, were still of high quality.

'I suppose what I read was true, ' Nox thought as he took a single stepping into what he assumed was once the massive throne room of the Valyrian Freehold. 'Valyria wasn't rule by a single ruler. But rather by a set of Archons that oversaw the other dragonlords. Impressively forward of them. Almost like Volanits. '

Another step and Nox felt it. The unmistakable Force presence that he, and he alone, was uniquely qualified to deal with. " Stop, " he commanded, holding out his hand and stopping the rest of the expedition from entering the hall. " Whatever you hear or see, none of you will take a single step into this hall until I say otherwise. Understood? "

There was mumbling from the expedition, but none dared question him. Especially after he sent a small bolt of lightning that struck the floor right near where Jon Snow had been about to step. " That means you as well, Jon, " he said and then took his attention off the expedition and onto the hall before him. " You are not ready yet to deal with what is to come. And the rest of you, honestly, you'd just get in my way. "

Walking into the middle of the room alone, Nox waited as he felt the familiar Force presence start to gather itself at what it felt to be an intruder. A loud cracking cut through the silence of Valyria, giving Nox more than ample opportunity to sidestep as one of the columns behind and off to his side broke loose from the floor and ceiling and flew towards him like a spear. Letting the projectile fly uselessly past him, he traced the ambient Force signature until he found what he was looking for.

" Oh, no, you don't, " he grinned, holding his right hand out, his fingers curled inwards as if grasping onto something. " Time to reveal yourself, apparition. "

A low moaning howl reverberated through Nox's very bones as light and dark mist materialized atop the tallest dais in front of the center chair. Within a heartbeat, where there was once nothing, a semi-translucent being appeared and immediately fell forward onto its hands and knees as it gasped desperately. " Impressive, " Nox noted, lowering his hand having completed the first aspect of the Force Walking technique. " I did not realize that the Force sensitivity in this land had developed to the point where one could reject joining the Force after shedding their mortal coil…or did you? "

Watching curiously, Nox kept himself ready to act as the spirit rose to its knees and stared down dumbly at its hands. For a time, the spirit said nothing and did nothing as it just sat there, staring at itself as if trying to understand just what had happened. " How long? "

The question was simple, yet full of anguish. " Four hundred years, give or take a decade or two. "

The apparition disappeared, only to reappear less than a few paces before Nox. " You…I know not what you did, yet for the first time since my death, my mind is clear, " the ghost stated. " Yet I know not from where you hail. You are not Valyrian. Nor are you from any region of Essos. Sothoryos, perhaps? But your magic, Asshai? "

" Neither, " Nox countered. " I am a wanderer with a particular set of skills that is far, far away from anywhere I would consider home. "

The spirit seemed to accept that. " Then, perhaps, you would tell me…Did any of the dragon lords make it out? "

" No. All those that were within the city or even the peninsula died during what has now been called the Doom of Valyria, " he answered, seeing no reason to beat around the bush with the spirit. In his experience, telling anything but the explicit truth to a spirit never really ended all that well for any party involved.

" Then our failure is complete, " the spirit mourned, turning away sorrowfully. " I am Archon Dracequitem, leader of the Archons of the Valyrian Empire…or at least I was. Not much of an Empire now, is it? I would know the name of the man who gave me peace after so long, and his companions as well. They have no need to fear my losing control. "

" Darth Nox, " he introduced himself while motioning for the rest of the expedition to enter, which they did with no small amount of trepidation. After all, it wasn't every day that one has an encounter with an actual spirit of the dead, let alone one that belonged to a long lost dragonlord of Valyria. To be on the safer side of things, however, Nox carefully wove a barrier around Jon to protect his identity. The last thing he needed right now was for the spirit to recognize the ancestry in Jon and say something about it. " The 'Northern Sorcerer', as some have decided to call me. Currently in service to Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North. "

" Stark? " the Archon stated, its attention shifting off Nox and onto the rest of the expedition that dared to approach, namely the Lords and Ladies that were with him, before settling on Jon. His attention focused on the pendant Jon wore on his chest that Ned had given him for his last name day. " You, boy. You wear the sigil of the Kings of Winter. Be you a son of the Starks? "

Jon, not expecting to suddenly be called upon, started. " Um, aye, " he muttered. " I – I mean, I'm…I'm Lord Stark's bastard son. "

" Bastard means nothing, " the Archon replied dismissively. " You are a son of the Kings of Winter. That is all that—wait. You said, 'Lord Stark', not 'King Stark'. And you, sorcerer, referred to him as the 'Warden of the North'. Not the 'King of the North'. Why? "

" Fucking Targaryens, that's why, " Small Jon spat, drawing the attention of the specter.

" The Targaryens? Why would those upstarts have anything to do with why the Kings of Winter no longer have their title? " the Archon asked, clearly curious.

" Because a hundred years after the fall of Valyria, Aegon Targaryen and his sister-wives took their dragons and conquered Westeros one kingdom at a time, " Nox answered.

The spirit of the Archon stayed silent as he absorbed the information. " Ha. We must have greatly overestimated the strength of Westeros then if that pathetic House was able to conquer the whole continent with but three dragons. But how did the Targaryens managed to get the Kings of Winter to kneel? Did the next generation marry to solidify the alliance? Or did those idiotic fools continue their ill-advised practice of fucking within the family to keep their blood 'pure'? "

" No, " Jon answered, his eyes downcast much like the rest of the northerners. " The King of the North at the time knelt to prevent his men from being bathed in dragon fire. "

Deciding to head off more questions, Nox launched into an abridge history of the Seven Kingdoms from the time of Aegon the Conqueror to the fall of the Targaryen Dynasty. By the time he'd finished, the Archon's spirit had noticeably dimmed. " So, those fools not only failed in the one task they were given before setting out for Westeros, over the course of three hundred years they managed to lose their magic and their dragons. And now the last ember of Valyria now resides in two children on the run and alone in Essos. Pathetic. " The Archon growled.

" What was the one task that was given to House Targaryen? " Nox asked as he started to struggle to keep the spirit solidified. They would have to make this quick. " As far as history states, House Targaryen left Valyria of their own accord after Daenys the Dreamer predicted the fall of Valyria to her family. "

" And your history is only partially true, " the Archon sighed. " This was not common knowledge, but with our Empire nothing more than dust on the pages of history, I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. But the dragon lords were losing their magic. Each subsequent generator being born progressively weaker in terms of magic. And because of this weakening, our holds on our dragons, our greatest strength, was weakening. Where normally a rider could last their lifetime before the mind of the dragon overtook their own, now a rider could only bind for a decade, maybe two, before the link had to be forcibly severed and transferred to a new rider. "

Pausing, the Archon turned his back on the group and walked a few paces towards the dais before continuing. " Valyria grew strong not because we decimated or subdued our enemies but rather, we grew strong because we took what made our enemies strong and incorporated it into ourselves. Usually through marriage. A lesson the Targaryens failed to realize. As our powers began to decay, we recognized the need to bring new, powerful magic blood into the line of the dragon lords. And there was only one line that was considered that would be beneficial to us. The one line that kept an invasion of the Western continent from happening; the Kings of Winter, the Starks. We sent out the Targaryens with the hope that they would negotiate with the Kings of Winter for a bride that would become the wife to my son. And that through that union, we would create a new generation of dragon riders that were hopefully not as susceptible to pull of the dragon's mind. It was hoped that by going through marriage, we could avoid a repeat of the bloodshed that transpired when we tried to bring the Rhoynar under our rule and gain obtain their water magic. "

" Wait, " Prince Oberyn said, stepping forward and catching the attention of the specter. " You mean to say that the reason for the Second Spice War was because you wanted the magic of the Rhoynar? And you wanted to take the women and men as your…breeding stock? "

The specter nodded. " Yes. And for a time, it worked. The water magic of the Rhoynar helped to stabilize the fire that came from binding a dragon to a rider. We still lament that your ancestor, Nymeria, escaped our grasp. What an Archon of Valyria she would've made. But while the war was bloody and almost pointless as the ones who survived barely had any magic talent, it did teach us a valuable lesson. Which was why we decided to try a gentler hand with the Kings of the North. " Sighing, the spirt shook his head. " But there was another idea that was brought forth at the same time by those who were not willing to wait. A blood ritual that would require the sacrifice of thousands to reignite our magic back to its former glory. But the idea was shot down due to the unpredictable and potentially violent nature of the ritual in question. However, it appears that we should have shut the notion down harder than we did. "

Nox immediately connected the dots. " The one who proposed the ritual went ahead with it, anyway, didn't they? "

" Yes, " the Archon nodded. " His plan was perfect. He waited until all the dragon lord families had gathered in the capital, and then he and his acolytes went into a ritual chamber within the Fourteen Flames and performed their sacrifice. The magical backlash from the sacrifices caused all the volcanos to become active and erupt nearly simultaneously. But that was only the first problem. The moment the ritual was completed, and the destruction began, those of us with sufficient power could sense the true purpose behind the ritual. "

" The warlock, or sorcerer, or however you want to title him wanted to absorb the souls of not only those he sacrificed, but all of those in Valyria as well, " Nox stated, surprising the Archon and drawing more than a few sharp looks from those around him.

" You are very knowledgeable, sorcerer, " the archon nodded slowly.

" Amongst my people, I was the head of Ancient Knowledge and charged with the safeguarding of the secrets of my order, " Nox replied. " And my people had a variation of the ritual you described. To our knowledge, it has only been successfully used once. And the effort it took to bring that bastard down is, well, let's just say you cannot imagine just what it took to bring an end to him. "

" Yes, I can only imagine, " the Archon nodded. " When his intent became clear, those of us with the power to do anything were left with a choice. Try and protect the lives of our people, or their souls. "

" The barrier, " Nox deduced. " It wasn't to keep anything out necessarily. It was to ensure that the one who did the ritual would not be able to claim the souls of the dead and thereby exponentially increasing his power. "

The Archon again nodded. " You are correct. We were able to save the souls of our people, but we were not able to save their lives. The ritual… The sorcerer who performed it… It effected more than just the land. It affected our dragons as well. Severing the connections between rider and dragon, our beasts went feral and began attacking anything and everything that moved. Add to the destruction with the eruption of the Fourteen Flames, and it truly was the end of our great Empire. "

Remaining silent, Nox gave the spirit a moment to compose itself. " While this will be of little comfort, I am here for the sole purpose of destroying the one that caused the Doom and brough an end to your people. "

That got the spirit's attention. " I doubt that is your only purpose here, sorcerer, " the Archon countered and sighed. " You seek the secrets of our people. Our steel. Our magic. And our gold. "

" Yes, " Nox nodded, not bothering to hide it. " The lost knowledge of your people can go a long way to advancing the world at large. And I am a sucker for lost knowledge you could say. And as for the gold and Valyrian steel, well, you can consider them payments for getting rid of the being that killed you and continues to haunt this land. "

The spirit appeared to think it over. " Not like I can stop you. And I'd much rather our legacy and knowledge return to the world than rot. " Turning, the Archon pointed towards the dais. " Upon the center chair in the base, there is a hidden chamber. Within is a key that will open the vault in the lower levels of the palace. It may take some work to reach the vault…but, within, you will find all that you seek. Our lost knowledge. Steel. And gold. It is yours…should you swear to me now that you will end the creature that caused our destruction. "

" You have my word, Archon Dracequitem. The one who brought about the Doom shall not exist to torment you or your people any longer. "

" Then I shall see if your word is good soon enough, " the Archon said, accepting his oath. " But if you truly intend to end the one who did this…then you will need aid. For he will call forth his own companion, even from the grave, to fight against you. "

" I'll take all the help I can get, Archon, " Nox agreed. " Let's hear what you have to say. "

Even with the light of nearly a dozen torches to help guide their way, Jon still had to squint into the darkened corridor to have even the slightest of hopes of seeing where they were heading. And he knew the others were having the same problem as he with the darkness. All except Master Nox of course. There were times when Jon truly envied the fact that his Master didn't need to use his eyes to see. Not that Jon would ever want to go without his eyes. But still, to be able to see the world around them as Master Nox did, even for a day, would be an experience.

" Alright, " Small Jon growled, drawing attention to himself as Master Nox continue to lead them down through the lower levels of the palace, pausing only even now and then to clear debris from their path with Jon's help. " Am I the only one who thinks that us talking to a fucking ghost of a gods damned dragon lord was fucking…strange? "

Ahead of them, Master Nox chuckled as he moved yet another pile of debris, this time a section of wall the size of a carriage, out of their path with barely a flick of his wrist. " Finding and talking to the ghost of a four-hundred-year-old dragon lord doesn't even enter the top ten of strange shit that has happened in my life, Lord Umber. "

" Ugh, forget I said anything then, " Small Jon mumbled, holding his torch higher above his head to try and let the light shine farther. " Hells, how deep does this fucking place go? And the fuck is the damn vault that…ghost…thing…was talking about? "

" We haven't even gone that far down, Small Jon, " Nox stated before stopping suddenly. " But to answer your question: right here. "

Turning and facing the direction of his Master, Jon found himself facing a section of wall that was covered with multiple dragons that'd been etched into the black stone wall. Focusing through the Force, Jon could just barely make out the edges of what appeared to be a door and the vast room that lay beyond.

" So, this is the vault, huh? " Prince Oberyn half questioned as he stepped up and began running his fingers along the wall trying to find the edges of the door that was all but invisible. " I trust your judgement, sorcerer, but how do you intend to open this…door, without the key that ghost told us about? "

" This vault has been through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and four hundred years of disuse, Prince Oberyn, " Lord Nox lectured. " Do you really think the locking mechanism still works after all of that? "

" Fair point, " Prince Oberyn agreed, stepping away. " Question still stands, though. How do you plan on opening the door? "

Merely giving a smirk in response, Lord Nox stepped back away from the section of wall and motioned for everyone else to do the same. Once clear, Nox raised his hand, palm towards the wall. Jon could feel the pressure building from the Force as the wall groaned loudly before something snapped and the section of wall jerked away from its holdings only to hover in the air for a moment or two before Nox carelessly tossed the door, its frame, and even sections of the wall off to the side.

It took a moment for Jon's eyes to adjust to the dim light, but as he got a good look within the vault, he felt his jaw just about hit the floor. The vault, although Jon wasn't sure if it truly deserved to be called that, was nearly the size of the great hall in Winterfell! And there were more shelves within the room than the Winterfell's library! And each shelf was full of jewels and books. And interspersed throughout all the shelves were manikins wearing armor that had the same distinctive Valyrian steel coloring. And there were also dozens, maybe even hundreds, of Valyrian steel weapons of just about every type Jon could name! Swords, spears, axes, maces, shields…name it and it was appeared to be in the vault and made of Valyrian steel. And that was just from what he could see from the entrance.

" Holy…Seven's hairy ball sack. "

" Eloquent as always, my large friend. " Prince Oberyn remarked, shooting the Small Jon a look out of the corner of his eye while keeping his attention firmly on the treasure before them. " But your point is well made. "

" Well, " Lord Nox called out, stepping into the vault. " What are you all waiting for? This is why you all came with me on this crazy adventure, is it not? "

The sailors, Lords, and Ladies did not need telling twice as they all rushed into the opened vault with such speed that Jon was sure there were dust clouds forming behind them. He could hear cheers coming from all the men and women as they pulled Valyrian steel weapons off the shelves, lifted Valyrian armor off manikins, and dug their hands through chests full of gold coins. A not so small part of Jon itched to join in with the revelry, but he resisted the impulse and stayed by his Master's side as Lord Nox calmly and slowly made his way between the shelves of the vault, all but ignoring the treasures around him.

" Tell me, acolyte, do you sense anything from within this room that resonates with you? "

The sudden question caught Jon off guard, especially as he had been staring longingly at a Valyrian hand-and-a-half blade that was nearly screaming for him to take it up. Forcing his attention away from the sword, Jon instead focused inwards before letting his senses flow out like ripples in a pond. " There's…There's something in that direction, " he stated, pointing towards and frowning at the strange sensation.

" Very good, " Lord Nox congratulated him as he led the two of them in the direction Jon had sensed the disturbance from.

In the end, it turned out to be a series of shelves twice as tall as Jon and spanning the length of five horses. And on each shelve, situated carefully with a holder, were gems nearly the size of his fist. If Jon thought the wealth that he saw at the entrance to the vault was something, this shelve completely outdid everything he'd seen so far. Granted, the only jewels he'd ever seen were the few gems and that decorated the necklaces and bracelets that were owned by Lady Stark. But none of those were any bigger than this thumb at best!

" Before you get the wrong idea, these are not diamonds, rubies, emeralds, or any other type of valuable stone. These are manmade crystals, forged in the heat of the Fourteen Flames or perhaps with the aid of dragon fire. But their worth is not material…but rather…that they are imbued with the Force. Hmm…I wonder. Just how advanced Force-wise were these Valyrian Dragon Lords? " Lord Nox cut in, raising his hand and using the Force to pull one of the crystals off the shelf so he could examine it.

Jon honestly didn't know what to make of the strange crystals. To him, they looked expensive, but that was about it. Sure, he could feel something…off about them when he focused on them through the Force. But that was it. His Master however, he was holding the crystals as if they were a newborn babe.

" Should have figured that a man of your tastes would forgo all the gold, jewels, and rare steel, and head straight over to the books. Although…considering what is before you…perhaps you do have an eye for valuables, no? "

Jon just barely managed to keep himself from jumping into action as Prince Oberyn came up to them. 'Force, I don't understand just how the Prince can do that! ' Jon cursed at not having sensed the Prince of Dorne's approach. 'Master Nox says that he has some Force sensitivity, not enough to be trained like myself or the others. But he still has some skill. And that even without proper instruction, he'd managed to turn his slight Force-sensitivity to his advantage, which also help make him one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. '

" Not all valuable treasure can be measured in gold and jewels, Oberyn, " Lord Nox said, seemingly not put off in the slightest at the Prince's sudden arrival. " In fact, I would argue that the treasure that cannot be measured in terms of monetary gain is the most valuable of all. "

" Tell that to the others, " Prince Oberyn smirked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. " Small Jon has gone through four damn claymores. Each time he finds a bigger one, he discards the one he has and grabs the next one. I swear he's trying to compensate for something. The she-bear is scrounging through maces trying to find one she likes, and Asha is currently deciding between two different axes, though I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to claim both as her own. "

" And I see that you didn't waste time, either. "

Jon's eyes widened as he finally noticed the spear in the Prince's hand. One that he had not come ashore with. The pole was nearly as tall as the Prince and one end was adorned with a long-curved blade nearly the length of a man's arm with the other was topped with a spike. The blade and spike were both made of Valyrian steel and the pole had, if his eyes weren't deceiving him, Valyrian steel inlaid within the wood. " Yes, " the Prince nodded, holding the spear aloft and admiring the weapon. " I have great plans for this beauty… Great plans, indeed. "

" Plans that do not pertain to our current arrangement and can wait until we are clear of this land. "

The Prince looked affronted as Lord Nox placed the crystal back on the shelf. " My dear sorcerer, revenge is like a sweet wine. One that is to be savored over a long period. Not rushed and gulped down in one go. "

" I cannot argue with you on that point, " Lord Nox shrugged, shocking Jon slightly with just how…sincere he sounded. " But there is a time and a place for such thoughts, and this is neither the time nor the place. We have work to do. All of us. "

" True enough. " Oberyn nodded, looking around the vast darkened room. " Even if we load each of the boats to the point where they nearly submerge themselves, I doubt we will even be able to take a quarter of what is in here. "

" At best, " Lord Nox agreed as Jon moved himself back away from the two men. " I need youto assemble the men into two groups. The first is to start locating chest, trunks, sacks; whatever they can find and begin collecting things from the vault. As tempting as it might sound to them, gold takes the least priority here. There are things far more valuable in this vault and the gold will just weigh us down. The second group will scavenge the docks to try and find anything that might be seaworthy or working to make something seaworthy. We only get one shot at taking as much from here as we can. Once we reach the Sea Wolf, we will not be returning to this land. At least not for some time. "

Prince Oberyn seemed confused, as did Jon if he were being honest. " Two things, sorcerer. Why would we leave such a large amount of treasure behind? It may take some time to transfer all of this to your ship, but surely now that you know the route through the waterway and we are aware of the dangers, such a return trip will not be as difficult as the first? "

Master Nox didn't answer immediately as he held the Prince of Dorne in a sightless stare, one that Jon had been under more than a few times during his tutelage. And just like Jon, it did not take long for even the Prince of Dorne to begin fidgeting uncomfortably. " Tell me, Oberyn, do you remember the first man who died on this expedition? "

Jon swallowed hard as the memory came back to him. " Of course, " the Prince nodded. " He started ranting about hearing some maiden's song and jumped off the boat and got swallowed whole by that massive sea turtle. "

" And since that time, I have been actively shielding your mind, as well as the minds of everyone else that is with us. " Master Nox said, making the Prince of Dorne blink and raise a hand to his head. " The land itself is tainted. That man did not suddenly go mad, nor was he just hearing things. His mind was the weakest of the bunch and therefore the easiest to manipulate, and that led to his death. Since then, I have been shielding all your minds to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. But such a thing is taxing, and none of us are immune, not even Jon nor me. Given enough time in this land, all of us will go mad and attack one another just as has happened to every other expedition that has been launched in the past. Which is another reason why I am so interested in the Lannister we recovered. His mind, despite spending a year in this place, is still relatively intact. Such a phenomenon must be observed carefully and studied. And then there is the dangers we faced coming here. Again, the only reason why we were not attacked more frequently is because of my, and to a lesser extend Jon's, presence. And while you might not have realized it due to the lack of sun, it took us several days of rowing upriver to reach this port. And there were multiple channels and divergent streams that we could easily turn down that would lead us to our doom. So, having said all that Prince Oberyn, is your want of adventure so great that you are ready and willing to risk such a venture multiple time over? "

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