Jundag

by Chris A. Jackson

  Avari sidled eagerly up to Shay as he withdrew the two swathed gems from his robes, and held out her hand. The half-elf gave her one, then said "Stand next to me, Avari. Remove the gem from the bag, then sweep it in an arc."

  "I remember how," she snapped as she pulled the enchanted emerald out of its bag, annoyed with his didactic air, as if he were the only one who knew anything about the cornerstones.

  The two stood side by side, emerald and diamond both pointed in the same direction. Slowly, they moved the gems in concert, tracing a horizontal arc that extended into a full circle until they once again faced their original direction. They stopped and stared quizzically at one another.

  "Did you see anything?" Avari asked.

  "If you mean, did I see the intensity of either gem change, the answer is no." Shay's forehead furrowed in thought. "Let us try it again, Avari. This time, more slowly."

  "Fine."

  And they did, but with the same result; the gems' illumination remained constant. DoHurley, DoHeney and Lynthalsea looked worried, but the rest of the company just looked on expectantly.

  "This can't be right!" Avari cursed, pointing her gem independently this way and that. "Ah! Here we go." She turned a quick circle and the emerald flashed brightly, but she groaned in frustration when she realized she was pointing directly toward Shay and the diamond.

  "Amazing!" Shay murmured, quickly trying the same, and ending up facing Avari. "They are only indicating one another!"

  "What in the Nine Hells?" protested DoHurley. "That's impossible! Ye’ve seen it yerselves! A cornerstone always brightens when it’s pointed at another cornerstone. It’s the earth magic that binds ‘em."

  “Maybe it’s the angle!” Avari suggested as she moved the emerald up and down while spinning anxiously in a circle.

  “Shouldn’t matter, shouldn’t matter,” muttered DoHurley as he shook his head.

  “Could they have been destroyed?” Prael asked.

  "Anythin's possible, I suppose," DoHurley admitted. "But I don't know how ye’d destroy one of ‘em. O’ course,” the old dwarf scratched his beard in thought, “them dark-god-worshipin' scum’ve got two o’ the gems. If they let 'em touch...”

  The unfinished thought hung over them for a moment until Borgland hesitantly raised his hand and said, “If they let them touch, then...what?”

  DoHeney clapped his hands together loudly then spread them wide, pantomiming an explosion. Borgland gasped, and DoHurley glared at his nephew.

  “It’s no jokin’ matter, boyo!” he barked. “Ye seen what happened when one person touched two o’ the gems. There’s so much earth magic channelin' through them little rocks, who knows what’d happen if they touched each other! However,” DoHurley calmed a bit, “I don’t think that’s the case. We’d likely’ve felt the shock waves if the gems’d been destroyed."

  "What if they were taken far away?" Shay asked, pocketing the diamond once again and accepting the emerald from Avari.

  "Nay, lad," DoHurley grumbled, shaking his head and tugging his beard worriedly. "Distance ain't no matter. The magic between ‘em is so strong, they should point to one another anywhere in the world.”

  Lynthalsea finally voiced the question that was on all their minds. “So where in the world could they be?”

  “Not in this world.”

  “What?” Avari asked, looking toward Shay, who stood quietly by, his head bowed, hands tucked deep within his robes.

  “Not in this world, but there are other planes. Interplanar travel is complex, but not impossible. We know that Iveron Darkmist was a highly skilled mage. His sisters obviously also have some magical talents; we saw them disappear into a mist! I would conjecture that they have taken the gems to another plane.

  “So,” he said as he spun on his heel and started back toward the bridge, “we must return to Refuge and attempt another scrying to locate the gems and—“

  "Return to Refuge?" Avari said incredulously. "We've already spent two days putting together this expedition! If you think I'm going to just abandon Jundag now to go off and chase your magical gems, you're crazy!"

  "We have to reassess the situation, Avari," Shay explained. "We have no idea where Jundag is at this point, and the gems were our only way of finding him. We must—"

  "We know exactly where Jundag is!" Avari objected angrily, slamming her fist into her palm. "He's in the middle of that damn city we saw in the mirror! I'm going to get him. If anyone wants to come with me, then let’s go."

  Avari whirled to leave, taking long strides toward the closest tunnel entrance. The only one to follow her unquestioningly was Hufferrrerrr, but even he looked back at the group imploringly.

  "Avari! Wait! Please." Shay darted in front of the advancing woman and raised his hands to stop her. Stop she did, though she almost trod on his feet. "You must realize that your chance of succeeding alone is miniscule. Our only choice is—"

  "A miniscule chance is better than none!" she snapped, starting to step around him.

  "No, it is not, Avari!" he snapped back. "We are all in this together, and our best chance is to try another scrying. We will first locate the gems, then determine where Jundag is. If they are still together, we can—"

  Hot tears of frustration blurred Avari’s vision. Never would she have believed that Shay would betray her this way. Time and again, he’d tried to stop her from rescuing Jundag. Well, that was about to end.

  "All you care about are those damned gems!" she accused. "They’re the only reason you’re here. You never cared about Jundag! You're nothing but a power-greedy magician, Shay, trying to learn new tricks! Let me show you what I think of your magic, you—"

  She snatched at the front of Shay’s robes, not really knowing what she was going to do, but needing to vent her rage in action. Perhaps if she shook some feeling back into his callous soul... But as her fingers closed on the fabric, a blow of stunning force knocked her arms up and away. Catching her balance, she glared at Shay, but he looked just as startled as she felt. Then a faint swirl of vapors, a bare hint of movement caught her eye. Squinting, she perceived a presence looming over Shay. Her instincts, which had stood her so well in previous battles, raised the hair on the back of her neck.

  As she reached for Gaulengil, the air before her stirred and a massive weight crashed into her. It seemed to take hours to fall through the air, and Avari distinctly heard a loud crack before blessed darkness blotted out the sudden pain in her head.

  Shay looked into Avari’s astonished eyes as she abruptly fell back from him. Then he saw her gaze shift over his shoulder...and he remembered the drakoll.

  “No!!” he cried out as he saw her reach for Gaulengil. “Avari, don’t—"

  Shay's robes ruffled as the unseen beast lunged past him. Sulfurous vapors swirled, revealing its presence as it smashed into Avari. A roar erupted from his left, and Hufferrrerrr slammed into the drakoll, plunging a long obsidian dagger into the creature while slashing with his claws. An unearthly shriek rent the air as the two combatants rolled away from where Avari lay, the leotaur's packs disgorging their contents in a clattering, sprawling mess. Then Hufferrrerrr howled in pain as great holes pierced his chest and back. He thrashed and clawed, gouging the creature that no one else could see. His crimson blood coated the drakoll's six-inch fangs, which opened wide to strike again, screeching an unearthly cry of agony and rage.

  "STOP!" Shay screamed, suddenly released from his shock-induced immobility . "Drakoll, stop at once!"

  In an instant, the beast had disentangled itself from Hufferrrerrr's slashing claws and returned to Shay’s side. Hufferrrerrr rolled to his feet; his left arm flopped useless by his side, his shoulder a mangled mass of torn meat. Blood ran steadily from the gaping holes in his upper chest and back, but his right hand gripped his sword, and he advanced grimly toward the drakoll, which was visible only from the blood smeared on its maw and torso.

  "Hufferrrerrr, stop!" Shay warned, rushing forward to prevent further bloodshed. "
It was a mistake!"

  The half-elf stopped short however, when Hufferrrerrr snarled at him, fangs bared. Behind him, the drakoll growled, and he sensed it tensing for another spring. Shay’s desperation escalated to panic. How could he stop Hufferrrerrr’s advance without the drakoll misinterpreting the leotaur’s resistance as an attack? Nearby, he heard Brok’s deep voice chanting, and recognized the invocation of banishment. Suddenly he realized; there was only one way to end this confrontation. He spun around to confront the blood-painted drakoll.

  "Drakoll, I free you from your service. Return from whence you came!"

  And it was gone.

  Shay paused to catch his breath, then looked up. Hufferrrerrr stalked stiff-legged toward where the drakoll had been, sniffing as if to catch its scent. Then, casting Shay a scathing look of betrayal, he raced to Avari's side. Brok was already moving toward the wounded companions, with Lynthalsea and DoHeney at his heels. Shay looked toward the rest of the group. For a moment, all eyes were on him, then most looked awkwardly away, as if embarrassed to meet his gaze. Shay’s cheeks burned.

  “It was a mistake,” he said to whoever was listening.

  Brok leaned in to inspect Hufferrrerrr’s wounds. The leotaur pushed him away, though the movement seemed to cause him great pain, and motioned toward Avari.

  "I am being fine! Please to be helping the Mistress Avari first. She is not of the awakeness, and may be gravely in injuredness."

  "I will attend Avari," Shay said as he quickly approached. "Please, Hufferrrerrr, you are bleeding. Let Brok heal you."

  Hufferrrerrr growled and positioned himself between Shay and Avari. "I am not being so fragile as you two-legs! And I would rather Master Brok be healing my friend."

  "I am your friend, Hufferrrerrr, and hers! Let me help her," Shay pleaded. "This was all a mistake! The drakoll was only protecting me from harm. If Avari had not become threatening, it would never have attacked her."

  “Ach, lad!” DoHeney rebuked as he poked Shay in the chest with an accusing finger. “Ye know the girl’s temperament, and ye know she’s been under a bit of pressure lately. If this was a mistake, it was jist waitin’ ta happen! Ye can’t be blamin’ her because ya let loose a beastie on her!”

  "We can discuss this later!" Lynthalsea's words were forced between clenched teeth. She looked furious, yet tears welled in her eyes, and the look she gave Shay was both daunting and heartbreaking. She took his arm and pulled him away from their injured friends. "Let Brok heal Avari and Hufferrrerrr."

  Brok's brow furrowed with concentration as he pressed the golden icon of Thotris to Avari's brow. His lips moved in a silent prayer, and a faint glow lightened his face, the power of the goddess of beauty flowing through him and into Avari. Her eyes fluttered and opened immediately, and just as quickly clouded over with panic.

  "What the...oh, Brok. What the hells? I—"

  She looked beyond the priest and saw Hufferrrerrr and the terrible wounds gouged in his chest and shoulder, and her mien changed from confusion to horror. "Good Gods, Huffer! What in the name of Eloss happened to you?"

  "I was somewhat of becoming injured, Mistress Avari," he explained. He grinned, but the expression turned out as more of a grimace. "I was being fool enough to attack Master Shay's conjured guardian beast. It was quite in the formidableness, and managed to be biting me before he could send it back to its homing land."

  "Guardian beast?" Avari asked. She scrambled to her feet to examine the leotaur's wounds more closely. "My God, Huffer, this goes all the way through! You shouldn't even be able to breathe with your lung punctured like that!"

  "If the bite had been being here," the leotaur interrupted, pointing to his feline torso, "it might have indeed injured a lung, Mistress. Fortunately, there is only meat and bone in this upper part of my person. It does hurt more than a little amount, but I am far from dying. Though, seeing you in the wellness, I would much be appreciating the healings of Master Brok."

  "Of course," the priest agreed, moving around Avari to tend the leotaur's wounds.

  "I am very sorry you were injured, Avari," Shay apologized as he approached her. He stopped his advance as she whirled on him, but made himself look into her wrathful face. "I did not realize my guardian would misinterpret your intentions. You must be more careful about your temper. I am not without protections, and not all of them are always under my control."

  She gasped. “You’re sorry? Apologize to Huffer! Look at him! He’s been mauled by your...your guardian beast. What in the Nine Hells are you doing with something like that, Shay? Was that something you conjured up with those terrific gems of yours? If this is how you treat friends, then maybe you need some new friends.”

  Her taunt struck to his heart; Avari was one of his dearest friends, and he had no wish to lose her as such. He swallowed his defensive retort and sought words to mollify her.

  “Avari, I apologize to both you and Hufferrrerrr, but as I said, it was a mistake. Please, listen to me: I truly believe that our best chance for finding Jundag is to conduct another scrying at Refuge. It—"

  “You want to give up!” Avari set her feet, ready to argue.

  “Lass.” DoHeney shouldered Shay aside and stood in front of Avari. “As much as I hate ta admit it, Shay’s got a couple o’ points. Now, jist listen. One,” he counted off on his fingers, “we know Jundag’s with that slimy Darkmist's sister. Two, we know she’s got one o’ the cornerstones. Three, we know the gems’ll show if they’re on this world, plane, whatever, an’ they’re not showin’. Soooo,” he wiggled his fourth finger, “they’re like as not gone from the city we spied in the mirror, so there’s no sense headin’ right off there ‘til we make sure. An’ five,” he jerked his thumb to where Brok was still healing Hufferrrerrr, “I’m thinkin’ that cat could use a good night’s sleep after that li'l tussle.”

  “And you could stand a little rest and cleaning up, too, Avari,” Lynthalsea said as she gently touched her friend’s blood-matted hair. “Trust me, we’re not abandoning the search for Jundag, but if we want to get him out alive, and survive ourselves, then we need the best information we can get.”

  "Please, Mistress Avari," Hufferrrerrr said as he came over, gingerly probing the stiff new flesh of his shoulder and pointedly ignoring Shay. "This way, we are having at the least some sort of chances to be succeeding."

  "All right," Avari finally relented. "I'll go along, but only until we find a way to get to Jundag. Then I'm going after him, with or without your help, Shay."

  "Very well, Avari," the half-elf agreed, relieved that she had finally acquiesced. He turned and followed as DoHurley led the way back up to the keep.

  CHAPTER 20

  Jundag stood shock-still, staring at the immense structure—the citadel—that towered before him, its spires reaching to an ebon-black sky. Casting his eyes down, he reeled with vertigo as he realized that the citadel was not on any world that he could comprehend, but enclosed within a bubble that seemingly floated among the clouds. By comparison, the dragons flying outside the shimmering bubble were a comforting familiarity; he'd seen dragons before.

  “Welcome to hell, Jundag!” Calmarel said as she tugged on the leash to move him out of the way of the crowds entering and exiting the portal. “At least, we’ve got two of the Nine Hells represented here. That’s Pytt, realm of the dragon god, Draco, outside the barrier that shields the citadel; hence the dragons. And that,” she said, pointing toward the darkness overhead, “is The Void. Nothing lives there. Nothing can live there. And that’s the whole point of all this.”

  Jundag’s confusion grew; the whole point of what?

  “Cal! ” Lysethra called as she hurried toward them. “I was afraid you might not make it. The portals will close while the purge is initiated.”

  “Not make it? How could I miss this most wondrous event?” Calmarel looked around at the crowd and wrinkled her nose. “I thought the company might be a little more exclusive, though.”

  Lysethra waved her ha
nd in dismissal and tugged on Calmarel’s arm. “Unfortunately, we have to use the same portal as the workers. We’ll watch from the mediator’s balcony on the spire. Come on.”

  Lysethra stopped and turned as Jundag fell into step behind them; he lowered his eyes. “Why did you bring that?” she asked, her apparent distaste quickly turning to alarm. “And why is he holding your baby?”

  “Relax, Seth,” Calmarel said. “He’s under compulsion, so he’s harmless...to us. I told you about Grimlord Gorgoneye spying on me. I just want to make sure any little plots he might have fail. Jundag is the perfect bodyguard; he's deadly, he obeys only my commands, and the Grimlord is terrified of him. And besides,” Calmarel ran her finger along an evil-looking scar on Jundag’s jaw, “Jundag’s one of my favorite distractions.”

  Lysethra looked dubious, but shrugged. "As long as you clean up after yourself; we’ve no torture chambers here. Hurry! We've got quite a walk up to the mediator’s suite, and purge initiation starts in just over an hour."

  As they walked, Lysethra delighted in pointing out the details of the citadel. Jundag didn't miss a word. Little by little, the function of the citadel and the reason for its location here in the hells became clearer, although the overall plan, which seemed to delight the sisters, still evaded him.

  “And this,” Lysethra said as she spun in a circle, her hands indicating the structure around them, “is the focus—where it will all happen.”

  They stood in the open center of the citadel, at the bottom of an immense pit, its black stone walls inlaid with gold runes. Evenly spaced around the walls were seven portals, similar to the one they had used to travel here, but no one passed through these. High above the pit soared the spires, their smooth surfaces interrupted by balconies that overlooked the core. Far overhead, green fire wreathed the perimeter of the interface where the spires met The Void. Hundreds of mages—some flying, some afoot—hurried about with last-minute preparations.