The Chronicles of Hissfon Volume 2 - The Black Knight

by Remy Lecornec

  From the weapons room, while the regent of the Pirite Kingdom contemplated the map of the Mandrarian Lands, a guard knocked on the door and summoned the magician and the counselor. Both appeared before him, the flag of the Kingdom of Fahl near the Magician Tohn-Ma put a questionable sense, the young Harnam always considered these countries as a potential enemy, but the approaching war caused the regent to hold his grudge.

  Guerzei started the discussion:

  - Sir, the magician and protector of the city of Moprem came according to your request.

  "Master," said the regent, who looked at the Wizard with an almost obvious disdain.

  - Young Regent Harnam, the old man continued, - I stand before you at your request, but let me first express the will of King Berum, ruler of Galnor the great city of arms and of the Kingdom of Fahl, to count on your help before the arrival imminent of the blacks.

  - It does not concern us! - the young man replied, - your kingdom can defend itself without us.-

  - The city of Galnor suffered immeasurable losses during the last assault of Count Nerrum, our protective priests have excellent faculties, but we could not defend ourselves against a new offensive. We have been informed that the Necromancer has given birth to something that even the name can only predict destruction and annihilation!

  Young Harnam stiffened at the announcement, turned his head to the map, then returned with the two men in front of the office entrance and continued:

  - I found out about this abomination without a name, but ... but I was always denied that it could happen one day, many stories are told about this citadel ...

  - You know exactly why we are here, sir, - said the Magician

  - Your help will be very valuable to us, you have control over the legendary arenas and have a role to play in this war, in which, like it or not, you are involved.

  - "Well," said the young regent, who looked around the room, as if confused, because he was confronted for the first time with such an announcement. "Without the power of Mage Veihlun, I doubt we can help you in this war," Harnam said, sitting down on one of the cracked wooden chairs next to him.

  - Certainly, our powers have diminished after the capture of my colleagues, but the magician Donnhum and I are still willing to fight against the plague that definitely advances towards us. Come strengthen this fragile alliance between our kingdoms, my lord, - replied the magician - I implore you! -

  - What do you think Guerzei advises? - The Regent asked.

  - In fact, it would be convenient to confirm our alliance with the Kingdom of Fahl, Lord. Our city is indestructible, but if the war comes from West, we run the risk of being overwhelmed by attacks from solitary islands or outer seas ...

  - "If I can, we know well the kingdom of Shôl-Garâa", - replied the white magician, "we know that the sovereign Hara will ask his troops to come to our aid and counteract the Necromancer.

  - The king's fleet is as powerful as ours, - said the adviser - some believe it will benefit him to ally with the necromancer and strengthen their ranks ... The outer seas run along our coast, it would be easy for him to get away from your first goal!

  - "Never King Hara overthrew our sovereign," replied the Magician, "he has not been perverted by the dark thoughts of Count Nerrum, as Vice-King Thann-Hon has been.

  - Enough is enough! - Shouted the great regent, who jumped up - We must ask the council to investigate the matter, I will give my answer shortly, Master of Magic.

  - "Well, Majesty," said the wizard with a long hite bearded beard.

  - "Guards, please take our guest to their rooms," Harnam ordered, "the road has been long and painful, I'm sure," he said, looking at the wizard with disdain.

  One of the men stood to the right of the Magician, touched him with a hand, turned his head and hesitated a few seconds before moving on with the royal escort. A strange sensation invaded the magician, but had to comply with the codes of the Yellow City, which did not respect them could be taken prisoner and be locked in horrible dungeons, ramshackle and smelly.

  Chapter Five

  The unknown

  The magnificent Golden Citadel of Volnum was full of magic, its power was such that an immense ray of violet light arose from the largest dome in the center of the city and exploded in the sky until it crossed the clouds. This inexplicable magic was terribly difficult to manipulate, so that great magicians had suffered a horrible death and full of suffering due to the difficulties in handling this magic source.

  The wizard Tohn-Ma was beginning to get impatient in his small room, far from the pretensions of the regent who boasted of possessing the greatest castle of all the kingdoms of Hissfon. A place so small that not even the wizard's luggage fit comfortably, furniture that was too large for the place stacked on top of each other, and a smell of mold disturbed the magician. As she walked on a half-faded cotton rug, so worn that it looked as if a legion had trampled her, they knocked on the door of the room. Only the magician had asked him to enter, when a man entered the small room whose light made appear black symbols on his forehead and arms:

  - Who are you? - Asked magician Tohn-Ma with some impatience.

  - Master, my name is Locklhan, I am a former champion of the late King Gan-Trê ...

  - Old paladin, you say? - Asked the old magician.

  - Yes, Master, I have little time to explain everything", - added the paladin, - "you are not sure in these places" .-

  - Why should not I be sure? There are more guards behind this door than the citadel of Moprem ...

  - Do not you think all these guards are strangers?" Asked the paladin, "the city is too calm, what was once the jewel of the desert of Pirien, today it falls apart, and you were escorted to this room too quickly." .

  - Certainly, I do not have the habit of being guided in this way, but I have great affection for the regent.

  - Maybe you have too much- Reflected the ombr moving his cloak, something is happening in this Kingdom, something diffuse acts in silence in these places ..

  - You say you're an old champion of the late King Gan-Tre? He was a great friend of the Donnhum Mage, but I do not see your hammer or your grimoire, it's strange.

  - You know as well as I do that in the city of Volnum weapons are not allowed inside the castle grounds, especially in times of war.

  - Certainly I had to leave my team to the Counselor Guerzei, but he assured me that I would be safe from any evil.

  - They do not want to arouse your suspicions, I saw things that I can not describe.

  - You've been wandering too long, my friend- said the magician, who went to sit on the bed, barely covered with a suspicious cloth.

  - My wandering has allowed me to understand many things of the different kingdoms, and even of the distant lands of the confines of our world, and for that reason I know that they are not what they used to be. I must gather yet another information about the city and I will depart at dawn.

  - And where will you go? -

  - In the lands, west of here, as long as the snow does not completely cover the roads, there is something I have to do from the cycles, but I never had the courage necessary. Tell him ...-

  - To say that ? Who? - The magician quickly asked when a loud noise came to interrupt the conversation, and the door opened with a loud crash.

  - I must leave you my Master- said the paladin.

  A guard stood in front of the entrance to the room, raised his hand in warning and then said:

  - The Regent is calling you, my lord.-

  - Well, in a moment I'll go-, added the white magician.

  - I must insist my lord, you must accompany me on the spot-, ordered the guard,

  - Follow me please, your immediate presence is required.-

  Without blinking, Mage Tohn-Mâ took a step toward the exit and his gaze met the paladin's.

  - Cities are falling, wars are being waged, but Pirien's sand no longer flows as before- Locklhan said before leaving the room, leaving behind a few guards.

  The wiza
rd followed the escort that led him to the castle's weapons room. Unlike Galnor, this room was dark, there was no torch to illuminate the place, a permanent magic, barely illuminated the walls and let the shadows become as tall as two men. The magician Tohn-Ma entered and found himself in front of the regent:

  - Thank you for agreeing to join me, Master of Magic- said Harnam, with his hands on a huge desk in which maps of the Mandrarian Lands and some miniature wooden utensils in the shape of boats and men were seen in disarray.

  - It is difficult to refuse your invitation, sir- replied the Magician, anxious to know why they were escorting him in this way.

  - You're a friend of King Bérum if I'm not mistaken.

  - Certainly sir, I've known him since he was born, before that, his late father, King Gan-Trê, and I were very close.

  - Is it enough to know what your king thinks about the actions of the Necromancer? Asked the young regent.

  - I never talk about strategies with my lord, I let the great general of the kingdom take care of this.

  -Certainly, we all have a role to play in this war- said Harnam, who approached the wizard.

  -The war of the Fourth Kingdom has not yet reached that far, it seems to me- replied the wizard.

  - Acts like a poison in the Mandrarian Lands and beyond, if we do not act quickly, our lands will be reduced to dust, and we are the antidote against this scourge.

  - That's why the Donnhum Mage sent birds of Dartohn through the kingdoms, to seek help to face the Necromancer Thar! - replied the white magician.

  - "And I responded to that request by bringing you to my city," Regent Harnam admitted, "but apparently you are not willing to give me more information about your king's actions ..."

  - Why should I advise you about the strategies undertaken by King Bérum? - exclaimed the magician.

  - The Mandrarian Lands are not what they were - said the young man - all countries are in perdition except the Fourth Kingdom.

  - The fourth kingdom? - Tohn-Ma wizard protested - you seem to feel predilection for the lands of the west my lord. Do you know what happens to the cities that are taken by the hordes of Nevrigiens? They burn and are plundered or enslaved!

  - "There are always casualties in a war, maybe you are not feeling well Master?

  - How can you say that? - Shouted the magician, who took a step back.

  - Guards! Take this man to his quarters and make sure he stays there. "He ordered Regent Harnam," maybe that will make you change your mind? "

  The magician saw that the troop was moving around him, looked at the regent who immediately returned his gaze. The young man's eyes shone slightly with a penetrating red color. Everything became clear to the magician as they led him to his small rooms. A turn of events that he had not expected, but before thinking about the future of Fahl's Kingdom he was able to recover his baton which had previously been removed.

  Chapter Six

  The worst enemy

  The Black Citadel Shâltara was booming, while magical Tehala made his putrid abominations and bring to light morbid new ghouls, Count Nerrum welcomes the splendor of his army, which is formed little by little.

  Count Nerrum was one of the masterpieces of the Thar Necromancer, with his great gray hair, a pale face and tiny red eyes, had been enslaved dozens of cycles before. When he led with an iron hand the flourishing kingdom of the Four Lands, which later became the Fourth Dominion, this ancient bastions content was admired for its values and authority, which was one of the most beautiful artéliens, he was also the effigy of the whole kingdom. After the failure of the Necromancer in his attempt to steal the powers of the Sacred Mountain of Merhidios, Count Nerrum was perverted by the macabre ideas of the master of black magic and was forced to accept death. He lived like this to serve the necromancer and to respond to his will to enslave the peoples of the other kingdoms. Whoever found himself on Comte's way was perishing with unbearable pain.

  A permanent tumult resounded from the side of the great black city when suddenly a roar shook the earth, forcing all the disciples to stop quickly. Everyone looked at the main courtyard, then the tremors became more and more intense, the rocks fell to the ground to the point of crushing two or three stray. From the sky already darkened by the pernicious magic of the place, an intense light illuminated the black citadel, then everything was silent. A shrill noise then rises from the depths of the earth revealing a colossal form, as tall as three men. The Necromancer present at that moment near the rubble exclaimed:

  - "Contemplate my creation! Here is your new Dark Seneschal, The Dark Knight of Krinhom! An awesome scream was heard from miles away, fear finally had a name and was ready to fall on the Mandrarian Lands like a tornado destroying everything in its path.

  The Dark Lord advanced towards his new disciple and said:

  - You are my creation, your only goal is to serve me! On the other side of the Fourth Kingdom there are cities that face my power, I order you to annihilate them for me!

  - Well ... Master ... said the Black Knight in his hoarse and thunderous voice.

  - There is also something that you have to do for me, the Relic of Faln-Lannar, it is said that you can not take it but, I want it! You understand me?

  - Yes ... My Master ... the darkness felt under his armor made of black steel like ebony, only the red eyes of the colossus read through his imposing helmet.

  The Black Knight approached an adult Bar-Herth dragon, whom he hurried to mount, and looked proudly around admiring the new army that from now on would follow him in this quest for destruction.

  From Moprem

  All the healing priests of the Kingdom of Fahl passed one after the other continually in Artemion's chamber and all agreed to describe the fate of the young warrior as uncertain. Everything seemed useless in the eyes of his friends, but one of the high priests, who had not yet left the city of Moprem ordered to send a bird Dartohn the Varnum citadel to seek a much needed help. These birds had the advantage of being very fast and this allowed them to send messages to the borders of the Mandrarian lands in a short time. The answer from the northeast was not long in coming, the sorcerer Shâari was no longer present and no advice could help the high priest:

  - Explain why Ohnaha could not answer you? - Kenthaë asked, worried about the fate of his friend.

  - "The Shararis are not very expressive in their messages", - said the priest, - "only warns that they have not heard from Ohnaha from about a moon".

  - A moon? This seems to be an unusually long time to be away from your community, - replied Carhaa, -the Sharis are known to inhabit Varnum and not get away from those lands.-

  - "Certainly", - said the healer, - "but do not rush to draw conclusions."

  The door of the room opened in a frantic uproar giving way to Doltha, who approached his friends and said:

  - I have found her ! I found a cure in one of the books in Mage Tohn-Ma's library!

  - Doltha speaking, I beg you! - Begged the young woman.

  - You know my passion for books, Mage's are full of information and I think I know how to get Artémion out of this state. There is a rare plant, the Maléha, in the Calomnum Glaciers, in the Kingdom of the North Shore.

  - North Shore? - Kenthaë exclaimed - the last time someone set foot in the glaciers never returned!

  - I know the fame of these lands, - explained the paladin - on the other hand, here we are only waiting for the return of the Dartohn birds and with them the answer of whether the kingdom will join our offensive. I think if we want to help our friend, this is a possibility ...

  - In this case we go to North Shore on the spot, - announced the Lancero who went to take his sword perched near the bedside table.

  - Gerioh and I accompany you! - Doltha exclaimed, who proudly took her hammer.

  - Certainly not! - Carhaa said seriously –

  - Gerioh still does not handle his sword well enough and could be dying or being a victim of some danger in the north ... –

  - I will not separ
ate from my friend in these difficult times, we need each other! -

  - "Gerioh will stay near Artemonion so he can warn us, if he wakes up before our return, it's an order" - cried Kenthae before leaving the room.

  The young paladin looked worried at his friend, he knew that the road was long to reach the Kingdom of North Shore, a destination full of traps could be presented to the small group. Therefore, Gerioh stayed close to Artemonion, watching over his long sleep. Sometimes there were moments of clarity that suggested an imminent awakening, but they were only vain hopes and everything remained the same. Carhaa followed Kenthaë and Doltha, who prepared the horses for the trip, since it was no longer possible to use a tap to approach the Port of Sänma in the Northwest.

  Chapter Seven

  At dawn

  The first rays of sun of these new dark mornings were reflected in the huge domes of the yellow city of Volnum, it was the winter that was gradually settling in the various arid regions of the desert of Pirien. The morning breeze was running down the cheeks of Mage Tohn-Ma, who was staring bitterly at the roofs of the houses from his room, where he was forced to wait.

  The great, once conquering Volnum was no more than a memory to the magician. The time had passed and something uncertain had settled in the castle that dominated the city.

  The magician was lost his thoughts when a noise interrupted his meditation, he looked around but saw nothing. It was then when to move away from the window in which he was moments before, he saw, suddenly that a figure was shown, the magician approached and saw a great layer under which the old champion was hiding paradofrente to him. Surprised to find him there, the magician exclaimed:

  - Locklhan? What are you doing here ?-