by Bill Albert
Jakobus was leaning against a portion of the wall not too far away from her. He noticed that she had moved and made eye contact with her. He nodded to indicate that he was okay.
Kavelle was lying face down in the dirt and was unmoving. Quickly Gallif crawled to her and pulled her over on to her back. There was an explosion of dirt as she coughed and Gallif helped brush some of the dust away from Kavelle’s face. Kavelle sat up and steadied herself and then told Gallif nothing was broken.
Mekon also was now sitting up and turned to face them.
“What happened?” Mekon asked quietly.
“The entire floor was a trap,” Gallif said.
Kavelle asked, “Is everyone okay?”
“No,” Brox’s voice echoed through the chamber.
They quickly rose to see Brox kneeling next to the lifeless body of Latiana on the other side of Mekon. As quickly as they could they joined him and examined the body. It was very obvious by the angle he lay that his neck had been broken when he landed.
“Oh, my,” Jakobus said and kneeled down to recite a dwarven prayer.
Mekon did the same and Gallif and Kavelle helped Brox walk away from the body. As they waited silently Gallif caught sight of smoke rising from some of the dirt. As quick as she could she went for the mound and pulled out her flame sword and made several swings through the air to make sure it was intact. Kavelle realized that her weapon was also missing and started searching through the loose dirt for her mace. Luck was on her side and she found it quickly by stumbling over it.
Gallif and Jakobus searched the ground for any items they might have lost in the fall and retrieved a few small items. Mekon, Kavelle, and Brox were discussing their next move when they rejoined them.
“What are we going to do about your companion?” Gallif asked Brox.
“We can’t carry him with us,” Brox said without a sign of emotion. “We will have to leave him here.”
“We can at least do something with the body,” Gallif protested.
“I’ve already taken all of the important items that I need. You can do something with it if you wish.”
They were unsure whether Brox’s careless attitude was false or not. Either way they found it unusual that he would speak so unkindly in front of a giant.
Gallif, Kavelle, and Jakobus went to Latiana’ body to put it in some sort of honorable grave. As they carefully and gently straightened it out his head rolled to one side and his mouth fell open. Gallif felt a very cold shiver as she caught a glance inside and realized the reason Latiana had never spoken was because he had no tongue. All that remained was a lump in the back of the throat where it had been removed. She looked at Brox with eyes wide and shook with rage.
“What is it?” Kavelle asked and tapped her from behind.
No, Gallif warned herself. Do not make suppositions about why he was the way he was, she thought. Remember Rayjen’s teachings about rushing to judgment.
“Are you okay?” Kavelle asked as she put a hand on Gallif’s shoulder.
Gallif didn’t answer as she positioned the body so that the mouth was closed. “It’s a pity. He was so young.”
“A great pity,” Jakobus said.
They quickly covered the body with dirt and stones.
Jakobus watched her carefully and, though he had not known her long he trusted her and had been beginning to understand her. For the first time he sensed that there was something she did not want him to know. He sadly watched her as she walked back to where Mekon was standing.
“Do you have any idea of where we should go?” Gallif asked Brox pointedly. “Was there anything from your partner’s notes?”
“No,” Brox snarled at her. “As I already explained to Mekon,” he said stressing that he was telling this a second time, “I have no information on this. My partner was paid to travel to the entrance and return. He never came in further than the outer area.”
“I’m sorry,” Gallif said to Mekon after a long pause. “I was unaware that you had already spoken to him about this.”
“You and Jakobus saved my life,” Mekon said. “I am very grateful, and I will be lenient to you, but not without limits. You must remember that I am now in charge of this expedition.”
“As I was before,” Brox added with a snide remark.
“As for you,” Mekon said and looked down on the hobgoblin. “If you really were in charge of this group then how is it that you were not one of the people who found me or fought to protect me?”
Brox looked up at the giant and tried to look strong but appeared to shrink even smaller.
“May I ask you something?” Kavelle said looking at Mekon.
“Go ahead.”
“This man you have been following, hunting, believed to be part of a revolution against the Giant Lords. Can you tell us about him?”
“Of course, he can,” a loud and very smooth sounding voice echoed through the chamber. “Go ahead, Mekon, tell them all about me.”
They all looked around the room with their weapons in hand but could not find the person speaking. Finally, there was a shimmer in front of one of the walls that vaguely resembled the shape of a human male. After a few seconds they realized that the shimmer shape came walking towards them. First it appeared as a shadow image, but with each step the figure became more and more complete until, as it reached them, it looked as solid as the wall it had come from.
The man that stood before them was tall and thin, but the way he carried himself gave the impression he was a strong and powerful individual. His clothes were very common. Dressed in a dark blue shirt and black pants he could easily be lost in a crowd. He wore no jewelry except for a necklace holding a gold pendant with a red stone on it.
“I’m the man you are looking for,” Zaslow said spread his hands out before him.
On impulse Gallif tried to swing her flame sword forward to warn him away, but, to her shock, could not move anything other than her eyes. She looked desperately at Kavelle who was far to her right. They made eye contact for a brief second and could tell she was held steady as Gallif was. She could see Mekon to her left, but he was facing Zaslow and she could not make eye contact with him. Jakobus and Brox were somewhere behind her.
“I fought with you,” Zaslow said to Mekon.
Then he looked at Kavelle and said plainly, “I prayed with you.”
He gave a sly smile to Gallif and approached her. He ran his fingers through her red hair and whispered, “I drank with you. You were an innocent bystander, I thought,” he said sadly. “But you turned out to be so much more clever than that. Clever enough to follow a spice trail.” As he spoke, he looked her straight in the eye and toyed with the pendant he was wearing.
She tried to use every ounce of strength she could muster to step away from the man but could not move.
He took a brief glance at Jakobus and Brox and, not knowing them, waved a hand to dismiss them. He walked to face Mekon and studied him closely. He showed a bare palm to the giant and within a blink he had a wand in his hand. He took the wand and used the tip of it to trace a line around Mekon’s lips.
“You may speak now,” Zaslow said.
“You followed one of the pure gods. You were the strongest anyone had ever known. You had everything you wanted,” Mekon said.
“Did I? I had clothes and food and everything the Giant Lords gave us,” he said sarcastically. “But one thing. What would they never give?”
Zaslow looked at Mekon and saw that he did not know the answer. He glanced at Kavelle and saw that she also hadn’t realized what he was alluding to. He looked at Gallif and could tell the way she watched him that she knew what he meant. Zaslow came over and used the same wand to trace a line around her lips as well.
“You may speak now,” Zaslow said. “What would they never give?”
“Power,” Gallif spat at him.
“Yes, very good,” he said and patter her on the shoulder.
“That is it?” Mekon asked almost in sadness. “Th
is is all one pathetic power grab from the Giant Lords.”
“You underestimate me again, Mekon,” Zaslow said. “Power over the Giant Lords is only part of my desires. I have much higher goals than that,” he said and gave Gallif a cold wink as he stressed the word ‘higher.’ “What would power give me?”
He quickly walked to Kavelle and traced a line over her lips with the wand. “You remember our discussion now, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said it as if she’d remembered a bad dream. “You talked about immortality.”
There was a long pause and Mekon said, “You want to be a god.”
“I already am,” he said.
He took several steps backward until he was at a point where they all could see him. He spread his arms wide and spoke in a voice that echoed through the empty space.
“Come to me, children.”
From all of the tunnels leading to the chamber aquilus came running. They streamed in from each direction; hundreds of them, and soon the room was filled. They crushed into each other to fill every spot and Gallif was choking with hatred and anger as they came close to her.
Zaslow stood watching his children as they surrounded him. He was now dressed in ornate black robes with a red trim and collar. Despite their wicked nature it was obvious by the way they looked at him that they would do anything he wanted. It wasn’t love that was in their eyes, they didn’t love anything, but they did worship him.
“Zaslow,” Mekon said with disgust, “one of the invisible gods.”
“A false god,” Gallif yelled. She could barely breathe as the rage filled her entire body.
Zaslow dropped his arms and walked steadily to her. The aquilus mob parted to let him pass and as he approached he pulled several oreg leaves from a pocket and held them out to her. The elves gasped as he waved the spice in front of her.
“A true god,” he said. “An invisible god, as we call it, a dark god, as others call it, but a god none the less.”
“You have no power, no strength,” Gallif argued in a raised voice. “Only smart enough to know the effects the spices have on these animals.”
“How is that different?” he asked matching her tone. “How is that different? Is it a supernatural power or strength that makes you believe in the gods? It’s something that you believe they can do. My children believe I take away pain. They believe I can make them feel good. How is that different?
Gallif could not answer and he took a step closer and stared hard at her. She finally had to look away in confusion.
Zaslow pulled a leaf from the batch in his hand and gently handed it to one of the aquilus near him. The monster elf took the leaf in its shaking hand and buried its face in its palm. It took a deep breath and started inhaling the scent. After several breaths it opened its mouth and exposed its jagged and rotted teeth. It put the leaf on its tongue then fell into a trance as the fiber of the plant began to dissolve and mix with its own fluids.
“I can take away their pain and make them feel good,” Zaslow said. “What can your god do? Can he give you this?” Zaslow took the batch of leaves he had and held them directly under Gallif’s nose. Then he pressed them against her skin and drew a line from her cheek down her throat.
“Leave her alone!” Mekon shouted. “Face me, your former confidant, the one who haunts you now, and do not torture her!”
Zaslow ignored the giant’s challenge and firmly slid the batch of spices down her exposed left arm. One of the aquilus that was close to her shivered with excitement as he did so. Zaslow nodded and the creature started smelling and licking its way up her arm.
Gallif forced herself to look him in the eyes again. He was incredibly close now, only a few inches away. His eyes were dark and cold. With tears of rage she growled pure hatred at him.
“You don’t have a god, do you?” he asked. “But your parents did.”
At the mention of her family Gallif tensed up as her mind whirled in turmoil. What did he know of her parents? How did he know? Very quickly another realization took over her thoughts. She had moved! Ever so slightly, unnoticed by anyone else, but she had shifted the weight on her feet.
“You don’t know,” Zaslow said and there were signs of surprise on his face.
Zaslow turned and quickly walked to the giant. The animals parted as he walked and Gallif glanced at Kavelle. Kavelle’s eyes were open, but even though she was looking at the aquilus in front of her, there was a vacant stare. Her lips were moving and Gallif realized she was casting.
“You don’t know either?” Zaslow said as he reached the giant.
“Don’t let him fool you, Gallif,” Mekon spoke calmly. “He’s playing games to take advantage of you.”
“You better hope I’m playing games,” he said with an honesty that caught Mekon by surprise. “She’s almost a bigger threat to you than to me.”
Gallif’s thoughts were stumbling at what was being said. Was he just playing a game to excite her? To take advantage of her? She realized that her hands were shaking with anger and confusion. She also could feel the weight of the flame sword in her hand coming back and knew she could move the weapon freely even though she had no sensations in her feet. She used all of her will power to remain steady.
Mekon glanced at Gallif and then locked stares with Zaslow. “You’re bluffing.”
Out of the corner of her vision Gallif saw Kavelle stop speaking and ever so slightly tighten her grip on her mace.
“I don’t have to bluff,” Zaslow said. “You are here until I decide what to do with you.”
In response to Zaslow’s bragging Mekon pulled back his sword and swung hard into the man’s side. Zaslow was completely unprepared and screamed in pain as he was cut. They all knew that the simple fact that he wasn’t cut in half meant that he had very powerful defense casting on his side.
Mekon swung again for a killing blow, but Zaslow rolled back and the elves came forward to protect their god. The power of the swing completely cut several of them in half but Zaslow pulled back.
Kavelle made several quick strikes with her mace and downed the monster elves that were closest to her. She pulled her wand from her sleeve and made several quick movements with it as she spoke a command. All of the wooden clubs within twenty feet of her that were held by aquilus shimmered and were replaced by large, very deadly, and very hungry snakes. The elves holding them quickly let go and ran as the panic of the changes spread across the mass. She kept striking with her own mace and started to slowly move towards Zaslow.
The fighting was so close that Brox was unable to use his bow and arrow, so he retrieved a short sword from his side and started attacking. His talents at the sword were limited and his aim was off, so he moved closer to Jakobus for protection. Jakobus was excellent and his axe was strong and steady and he started pushing through the crowd to join Mekon in his combat.
Gallif struck like lighting with her flame sword and anything that moved became a target. She saw nothing, she heard nothing, and in a frenzy, she just kept killing the animals. She knew she was struck on her right side by a blade, but the pain didn’t register in her thoughts. Tears streamed down her face as she kept fighting.
It wasn’t until a sudden change in the temperature and the elven monsters around her started to thin out that she stopped to take a look at her surroundings. She was surprised to find that she had left the cavern and was now in one of the caves that ran through the mountain. The floor was still dirt, but the ceiling and walls were covered in an icy frost.
There were two elves in front of her willing to take her on. They were armed with swords and were alternating their swings at her. She parried one and the momentum of it clashed against the ice wall. The second aquilus jabbed at her side and cut into her, but the healing of the red tinted armor protected her and prevented permanent damage. She struck back at the second elf and it took a few steps back. Its partner took a weak swing at her and then joined it.
She stood trying to protect her injured right side
/> The first elf swung up and down to strike her directly. As its sword was brought forward it caught the ceiling of the tunnel in its arc and the attacker stumbled. She took advantage of its mistake and in a quick advance managed to drive the point of her sword into its chest. It fell back but didn’t go down.
She swung at the second aquilus, but it ducked back, and she missed her target. As she continued the swing, she caught a quick glance of movement behind her. She realized there was an attempt to back stab her and without looking she put all her strength into one backward thrust. She could tell by the resistance and the grunt of pain that she had taken down her opponent.
The wounded elf was bleeding badly and was slowing its pace. She came forward and finished it with a few quick slices.
The remaining elf let out a large howl and then turned and started running. All Gallif could think of was how she would not let the elf survive and she started after it. It moved quickly and she had to push herself to the limits to catch it.
The cave curved slightly and emptied into a larger intersection. At first it appeared as if the entire left-hand wall was made of glass, but she soon realized it was a very clear wall of ice. It was very thick, and it was strong enough to hold back the lake on the other side. They were well below the surface and she could only see a few shadows from above.
It took her a second to check the area as she continued with her hunt. Only a dozen feet ahead of her the path broke up at a four-way intersection. To the right were tunnels leading back into the mountain, ahead the tunnel curved inward and down, to the left was another ice tunnel with stairs leading up.
The elf she had been tracking turned to fight in a slightly larger area and took several well-timed swings at her. She defended herself from the attack but couldn’t advance on it. She spent several minutes in a stalemate as they fought evenly.
There was another howl that echoed through the intersection and she paused briefly to look around. From the tunnel to the right, the one leading into the mountain, she could hear the sounds of a mob approaching.
She swung at and grazed her opponent before taking another glance into the mountain. There were dozens of hate-filled aquilus, along with metallically armored orcs, rushing in her direction.
