by Tom Rogal
“I don’t know what to think about them.”
Thamalos’ sneakiness still got Eraddor even though he had known him for years. He often joked how he would get the elf prince a bell so he could hear him coming.
Eraddor replied, “It’s encouraging to see them, you must admit. There is an innocence to the boy.”
“There is also mystery. The Great Tree let him keep that amulet for a reason. It is one I witnessed before we even left for Myyril. Encouraging as this is, I still need more time to evaluate the boy. I have known Divi since she was born. She is not under question. I must find out if he is related to Jared Sintar. Divi warned me he is elusive when asked about him, so we must speak strategically.”
While all eyes in their group were on Divi and Levus, another pair of eyes also peered from behind a small alcove before hiding once again. It was getting late and the hour was coming. They would all be sleeping soon. Then they would strike.
Levus rolled over the next morning, expecting to feel the warm skin of Divi next to him. Instead, all he felt was the cold ground and a few stones. The surprise was enough to have him open his eyes. It was early morning, but going off the cloudy skies, seeing the sun was not in their immediate future. As he became more awake, he looked around the camp. Tasi was there, sleeping toward the east. Eraddor had a hat over most of his face with his head propped on a log as a pillow. Thamalos was meditating on a rock not far away. No Divi.
Levus weakly shouted, “Divi!”
His gruff voice felt like the rest of him. It was enough to cause Tasi and Eraddor to stir. Levus scanned the surrounding area. Something wasn’t right.
“Divi!”
Tasi asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you yelling her name?”
“She’s not here. Divi’s gone.”
That woke the mage up. “Gone! What do you mean, gone?”
By now Thamalos had joined them. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was happening. He could count and they were one short. Thamalos began searching the area, trying with his exceptional sight to find her.
Levus continued, “When I woke up she wasn’t there. Her bag is still here, see! She wouldn’t have left without food, materials, or her horse!”
Thamalos added, “And I don’t see her. But I do see something else. Look at the ground over there.”
As they looked where the elf pointed, they spotted footprints, and least three different types. They surrounded around where Divi should have been before leaving toward the rockier west.
Eraddor asked, “How can this be? It’s as if they had walked right by us and took her without a sound. Divi is a fighter, from what I hear of her.”
Tasi’s attention was on a good-sized stone before he uttered, “Damn.”
They checked the stone and saw a painting of a red hand with an eye at the center. The red pigment worried the group. Could Thamalos not see her because she had bled out? Elves could find things living more easily than they could things already dead.
The elf analyzed the red stain before saying, “It's animal blood. Which is a relief. Who did this?”
Tasi replied, “Ferigor’s Hand. They are a rebellious group that live out in these lands. They keep trying to overthrow the current Myyrilian government. Although they are a unified organization, they operate out of splinter groups. If one fails, it doesn’t mean the whole movement dies with it. I should have been warier of this!”
Levus asked, “How could they have just snuck by us? We have an elf, by the gods sakes!”
Tasi explained, “Some groups have members that can cast Dark Magic. That makes it possible. Not much is known about what Dark Magic can and can’t do, but it has been told that it is so powerful it can hide itself from even an elf’s hearing or sight.”
This is not good. How were they supposed to get her back if this magic was as powerful as he said it was? Sure, they had an elf and a mage still, but what if that wasn’t enough? Still, they had to try. Levus promised her that he wouldn’t leave her. That was a promise he intended on keeping.
Tasi exclaimed, “We must get her back! If they discover who they have taken, they will kill her sooner than planned. Even though she can’t cast magic, she still is of Neeza’s royal blood. Sacred-bloods are their main targets.”
“Yes, we must," Thamalos agreed. "Divi is part of the reason I was being summoned by the Wood Elves. We will follow the tracks until they lead us to their lair. Dark Magic might be able to hide certain things, but it can’t account for ineptness. We must hurry!”
“Let me go!”
Divi didn’t know what happened. She was asleep, having a pleasant dream for once. Next thing she knew, she couldn’t move her arms and legs and no matter how loud she shouted, no noise seemed to come out. She tried using her telekinesis, but not even that would seem to work.
How long she’d been here before waking? That she didn’t know because she had blacked out when they neared a cave. It had been night at that point. She began to wonder if it still was since there was no window. Her arms were bound to a chain attached to a wall. Her feet had a ball and chain attached at her ankles. Both items glowed a dull blue. Magic was cast on them, whatever it was blocking her limited abilities. She couldn’t even lift the ball from the ground. She saw her staff on an opposite wall, but was out of reach.
From behind the door she heard voices, both male and female. Sometimes she even thought she heard children laughing. They spoke the common tongue, but because of the door’s thickness, she couldn’t hear much of it.
She didn’t know who had taken her prisoner; she just knew she had to get out of here. The magic being used here was like none she had ever seen. Would her friends be able to find her? Her thoughts went to Levus. He would find her. If those feelings she felt in her bedroom in Myyril a couple nights ago were true, then he would come for her.
The door suddenly opened and two men stepped in. The first she recognized as one of the men who had apprehended her. The other she didn’t remember, but she didn’t get a good look at all her abductors and there had been at least five.
The other new man was not tall. Divi thought she was even taller than him. His beard was long and he carried a staff with a reddish jewel. So, he graduated from the School of Black Magic, Divi silently analyzed. His robe was of an older design, meaning he must not have lived in a village or city for years. What made her fearful was the recognition of the mark dried on the front of his robe and on his sleeves: a hand with an eye in the middle surrounded by light. This is not good.
The man asked, “So, this is the one you say you found last night?”
Her abductor said, “Yes. We felt a strong magical presence with her. Stronger than we had ever felt before. When they slept, we used our training well.”
“They? There were others?”
“Indeed. Escaped we did without a trace. They will never find us.”
Divi didn’t like the sound of that. If this was the group she thought it was, she might have to get very lucky. At least they didn’t realize who she was. If they did, she was a dead woman. The leader seemed impressed that his men abducted her without waking up her companions. He sat down, grabbing Divi’s staff.
“Hello. Do you know who we are?”
Divi replied, “Ferigor’s Hand, I presume.”
“Hmm, then you definitely came from within the Rim. Out here we are known as the Myyrilian Freedom Fighters. You can call me Zulfaris. To whom do I owe the pleasure?”
Divi hesitated before answering, “Telfara.”
Zulfaris remained silent, just staring at her. She didn’t know what was going on. With her powers being worthless in these chains, she had to give answers just satisfying enough to get left alone again. Then she could find a way out.
Zulfaris finally said, “You’re lying. Just like I know how my men lied to me when they said you had all this power when I can sense very little. Besides, if this is your staff, your jewel isn’t even exposed, meaning you are still an apprentice. Though it is cur
ious how a young lady like yourself has reached your age and not finished your training. You are either not very bright . . . or there is another possibility. Something about a rumor I heard about a woman who refused to learn magic. No, that can’t be true. My source told me she was killed.”
Divi couldn’t believe how well-informed he was. At least he believed her real identity was dead. The troubling thought was that Ferigor’s Hand had so much influence in Myyril that someone was selling them information. Who could it be? Who would stand to benefit from the demise of the current system?
Zulfaris asked, “Do I speak truth? Do you not fully know magic?”
Divi needed to answer confidently if she was going to get by this man. He was highly attuned to his abilities, which allowed him to catch a lie better than most. Not that one usually needed to with a mage. They were not natural born liars.
Divi replied, “That is correct. I was having a hard time in the schools, so my teacher thought it best for me to try field training. We met with some travelers and that is when your men caught me.”
Zulfaris seemed satisfied with her answer. If she could have given a sigh of relief, she would have. His focus turned to the other man, who was now absent of his friends.
“So, since we are talking truth here, Marixis, why not tell me more about our friend’s companions? I do find it odd that you took prisoners. Our aim is to kill, capturing only when we need funds to continue our effort. We are all well and good on the money front. So, why?”
Divi could see the fear in Marixis' eyes from her lower angle. Based off his reaction, she found herself lucky she was even kept alive this long. He finally looked up to face his leader.
“Because of the power we felt . . . that is, also because of her companions, sir. One was a human, maybe two. And there was another mage. The last . . . may have been an elf.”
Zulfaris’ gaze became cold. “An elf? You kidnapped someone from an elf’s group? Are you dense? What is the first rule of the Myyrilian Freedom Fighters?”
Marixis slowly answered, “To ensure attacks do not involve any other race, as their involvement might jeopardize the struggle.”
“And what did you and your group do? You kidnapped from the nearly every possible race! Hell, the other human could have been a half-elf for all I know! Whoever the elf is, he will not take this slight and permit it to go unpunished. Double the defenses and take the younglings and the still fertile women into the safe rooms and lock them until we can confirm it safe. If they come to rescue her, they must be killed. We cannot allow them to escape. Just know that any deaths of your brothers and sisters will be on your hands!”
Divi was a little surprised by Zulfaris’ reaction. Ferigor’s Hand had been known to assault entire mage villages, yet one elf caused them to react so strongly? She hadn't thought they would get that easily rattled.
Zulfaris turned to Divi again. “For now we will keep you alive. Since they went through the trouble of bringing you here, might as well try and make some coin off you. Know this. If your ‘friends’ try to take you by force, we will kill them . . . and then you.”
As he began to leave, Divi stopped him. “One more question. What kind of magic are you using? I know you are mages.”
Zulfaris turned his head slightly and replied, “From the shadows was born a power that is greater than that of the spells of light. From within lies the greater power as we are stronger than all around us. That is our practice’s motto. If you are a mage from the capital, you’ll know what it means.”
He departed the room, followed by Marixis, leaving Divi alone again. She had to get out of here. She knew full well what he meant. They did practice Dark Magic. By the gods, she hadn't even believed it existed anymore. It was eradicated from the capital hundreds of years ago. The few teachers who knew it were killed in the school’s last stand, but apparently at least one survived. One was all they needed.
Divi struggled with the chains, even though she knew it was futile. The chains were embedded with Dark Magic. It was why her telekinesis wouldn’t work. Most spells in this forbidden magic class could engulf, negate, or break through normal mage magic. It was this that caused the previous ruler of Myyril to forbid it. Because the records of that time were lost, not many knew what spells were weak or strong against each other.
It also gave her more incentive to find a way to escape on her own. Her friends would be coming soon to save her. Thamalos alone was one of the most resourceful persons she knew. Yet she also knew that rescue attempt would be by force, which was a death sentence for her as well as for them. She had to get out. She had to find a way.
***
Levus, Eraddor, Thamalos, and Tasi looked at the cave entrance. This was the spot. The footprints led straight to it. Every now and then they saw a light coming from the hole. Since they arrived, three more guards had joined the one already there. That was going to make matters harder. To get past one person who knew Dark Magic was hard. If all four did, it complicated things.
Tasi finally said, “It’s only the four. Who knows how many are inside, though. Most groups have anywhere between thirty and a hundred members. Can you see inside, Thamalos?”
The elf answered, “No. Dark Magic seems to have the same effect on Elf Sight as the Ettuiis darkness does. We’d be going in blind.”
Eraddor added, “Getting in would be an accomplishment in itself. We need to get past these four first.”
It was going to take some finesse to get in. One thing Tasi knew was that they had to kill these four and do it as quietly as possible. If the guards raised an alarm, they would be in trouble. He had some ideas, but all of them were risky. He just had to face it. There was no easy way to do this and there was a chance not all of them would survive.
Against his better judgement, Tasi suggested, “I have a plan to catch them off guard, but I'm not sure if it will work. Lend me yours ears.”
Tasi whispered the plan as they all listened. He was right. It was a plan which assumed a lot of things went right. Then again, Levus was prepared to do anything to rescue Divi. She was very important to him. Plus, he made her a promise. He was not going to let anything happen to her. And if they did hurt her, it would be the biggest mistake of their lives.
As the other three moved to take their positions, Levus removed the elvish amulet for the moment. It wouldn’t hurt to take it off here. He could retrieve it when they saved Divi. That and he didn’t want to end up having a seizure during this fight. It was going to be all right. So long as Thamalos didn’t know, it wouldn’t hurt him.
Kukkora . . .
The guards stayed silent, as Zulfaris had ordered. He didn’t explain why he doubled the guards for the time being, but they weren’t too worried. They knew not many things could defeat Dark Magic. They might not have been masters like their leader was, but they were efficient enough. Slow and steady was the proper way to learn the forbidden arts. The main mistakes students made when learning was that they practiced constantly, using their inner life particles too fast. Zulfaris was smart. He had them practice in their heads until they were ready to try for real. It extended lifespans dramatically.
The silence was disrupted when a voice screamed from behind one of the large rocks ahead of them. “Help! Midenbeasts!”
Levus came into view, huddling against the rock. The guards looked at the boy, curious as to what he feared. They certainly couldn’t feel a Midenbeast coming. Within seconds, however, one of the largest Midenbeasts they had ever seen leapt onto the rocks. They could deal with the boy later. This creature, usually not a threat to them, had to be dealt with since the boy brought it to them.
The lead guard yelled, “You three take it out! I’ll get Grand Marshall Zulfaris!”
The three other guards charged toward the Midenbeast. Their leader turned to enter the cave, but a sudden shock hit him in the chest just under his heart. He fell dead, unnoticed by his companions, who were getting ready to attack the creature.
One of the guards cha
nted while a blue ball formed in his hand, “Sollintripolo Hermonni Centuria Juipora!”
The Dark Magic fireball was ejected from his hand, aimed right at the Midenbeast. It must have been an Alpha. Those showed no fear normally. It would once it got hit with the spell. To their surprise, the Midenbeast disappeared as soon as the fireball struck.
From behind the rock, Tasi readied his staff. He may have graduated from the School of Black Magic, but he was thankful he took some basic courses in the School of Illusions.
While the guards looked, around confused, Thamalos yelled, “Now!”
He fired another arrow after successfully killing the first guard, hitting the closest to him. Eraddor emerged from hiding to drive his sword into the lung of another. The last guard saw what was going on but seemed more interested in the mage who emerged from behind the stone. He was getting ready to cast a shield spell when he felt a sharp pain in his side. Levus had reached him, stabbing him through his ribs with the Moonsaber.
Of the four guards, three were dead and the one Eraddor got was clinging to life as he tried to crawl his way toward the cave. Blood poured from the fresh wound. I have to warn the others. With his lung pierced, it made breathing hard. He couldn’t get enough air to shout.
Eraddor flipped him onto his back. He was already losing color in his skin. He wasn’t going to last long.
Eraddor asked, calmly, but forcefully, “Your people took a girl who traveled with us. Where is she?”
The guard laughed as a drip of blood came from his mouth. “Kremmos, take my soul and make my brothers and sisters stronger with it.”
As soon as he finished saying this, he grabbed a hidden knife and stabbed himself in the heart. It was so fast that Eraddor wasn’t quick enough to stop him. The guard died instantly as Eraddor stepped off of his body. The other three joined him.
Levus commented, “So far, so good. Looks like they don’t know we’re here yet.”
