Library:A Tale of Braemar

This story by royalsexy is part of.

A Tale of Braemar
by royalsexy

“Whiiiiiiizzzzz” is the best word to describe the sound the boy’s sling made as he spun it over his head. He loosed the stone and startled a lizard basking on the side of the mountain, part of the range known as the Bone Spires.

“I’m so bored! Nothing ever happens here!” the boy complained to his friend.

“Well, let’s go explore the beach down South, Damon,” the older boy replied. “If we catch some clams and crabs the inn will pay well for them.”

“That’s a brilliant idea, Alby, I’ll tell my folks and grab a few supplies,” Damon replied. The two boys were as close as brothers, having grown up together in the sleepy forest village of Braemar.

Soon after sunrise they set off, backpacks full of camping supplies, and an optimistic quantity of nets and sacks for their catch. They arrived late the next day and set up their camp at the base of the cliffs. A cold wind was picking up. The sun was setting, so they decided to wait until morning to go hunting for shellfish. Tired from the hike, they slept easily, though a little uncomfortably with the wind rising as night fell.

A booming crack of thunder directly overhead awoke both boys, disoriented and startled, moments before the rain came pelting down, driven straight into their meager shelter by the wind. Both boys scrambled to pack up their gear, as they knew the beach wasn’t a safe place in a heavy storm. Damon stumbled outside first, looking around and seeing that the tide had risen to their left where they had entered the beach. To the right the wet cliffs rose straight up from the sea to the ruin-covered bluffs, and would be impossible to scale.

“Damon, the cave!” shouted Alby over the thunder and screaming wind. Damon, heart pounding, looked to where Alby was pointing and made out the hollow just above them during a bright flash of lightning. They scrambled up the terraced stones into the cave mouth, but were still being pelted by rain. Alby muttered the spell he’d learned from a wandering wizard recently (the only spell a boy of his age was trusted with) and a soft glowing orb appeared over his head. He’d been quietly proud to learn he had a natural talent for summoning magic. They could see that the cave extended deeper under the cliffs and moved further inside. The rock passage gave way to a larger room, and they could see a rectangular shape on the flat floor on the cavern. The boys glanced at each other, and started laughing giddily.

“We’ve been coming to this beach for years and never knew this was here!” exclaimed Damon. Alby nodded and bent to examine the intricately rune-carved surface of the granite block.

“Look, there’s a join here, I bet this is a lid. Maybe some pirate’s treasure stash…” Alby said, running a finger over the strangely warm stone. “Give me a hand.” Both boys pushed hard and managed to shift the lid with a grating of stone on stone. One hand-span, then another it shifted, and an eldritch blue glow started emanating from within. They both jumped as a metal gate slammed shut with a deafening crash, cutting them off from the passage they’d entered through.

Alby’s light spell ran out.

In the dark Damon began to sob raggedly, his heart again pumping fit to burst through his chest. A voice came from the sarcophagus they had unwittingly opened.

“WHO DARES TO DISTURB MY SLUMBER?” The vast voice boomed.

“We’re so sorry, sir!” Alby gabbled, but Damon had had too many frights for one day and took off running deeper under the cliffs, assuming Alby was right behind him, but when he found sunlight he realized he was alone.

Several days later, the townsfolk of Braemar found Damon hiding in a stand of trees halfway back to town. Alby was never seen again, and Damon could never be coaxed to speak of it. In fact, he never spoke much again after that day. On windy summer nights, blue lights can be seen in the distance by someone standing on the southern slopes of the Bone Spires, moving around on the beach and through the ruins of Ravensmoor. No one knows what became of Alby, but strong warriors fear to open the two stone coffins in the cave.

Trivia

 * A Tale of Braemar was the grandprize winner of the Scholars of Novia's "The Sisters Grim" contest.