by Jon Bender
“We do not want these, they will take us to whoever leads them,” he said.
The men led Cribble away with the two friends following at a distance that would protect them from discovery. Using only alleys and dark streets they walked for half an hour before finally stopping at a large building looking to be an empty warehouse. The men who had taken the captain had dragged him through a door in the side. Not wanting to alert them to their presence, Jerup led them around to a large set of doors meant to allow wagons access inside. The wood of the barn like doors was rotted with several boards missing allowing them to slip through without making any noise. Once inside they were surrounded by large empty crates that looked to have held fabrics and dyes at one time, now empty the containers provided cover for them to approach.
Hearing men speaking towards the center of building they crept along into the dark gloom. The light of a lantern sitting on a table came into view casting a harsh yellow glow into the area where the four men stood. Cribble was sitting on an old wooden chair, and Da’san could see the dagger sheath at his waist hung empty. Just outside of the light stood a dark robed figure speaking to the Captain. Risking discovery they moved closer to better hear the conversation and be in a position to help their friend when the time came.
“You have a choice here Master Redfield. You can swear now to serve the great god Or’Keer in everything, or we can leave your corpse in the sewers for the rats to feast on,” the robed figure said.
Cribble leaned back considering the other man’s words. “Sarinsha will protect me from this god of yours,” he replied.
“The goddess does not have the power in this world that my lord does. She can do nothing for you here, but if you give yourself over to the god of the dark, he will grant you great power and his protection. All he asks in return is your unquestioning loyalty,” the dark figure said.
“How do I know Or’Keer is what you say he is? I have never heard of him before, for all I know he is some weakling with only handful of followers. How can I know that he is everything you promise he is?” Cribble said.
“We number in the tens of hundreds in this city alone,” the figure said in anger. “And soon the whole of this city will either convert or die, just as you will now,” the man said.
“You say that…”
“Enough,” the man yelled. “This conversation has no point, you will either accept Or’Keer now or you will die… decide.”
That was it, time had run out and they had to act. Jerup drew his dagger and began creeping closer to one of the men near them. Da’san started to pray, they would need a distraction so Cribble could break away and try to arm himself. He whispered his prayer to Sarinsha asking for her to imbue him with her power, feeling her respond as energy quickly filled him. Seeing that Jerup was as close as he could get Da’san released the building energy, the last word coming out in a shout of power. The wave of energy that left him ripped through the air throwing crates into the circle of light, knocking over both Cribble and the table holding the lantern. The oil spilled to the ground catching fire instantly spreading the light even further and finally showing the dark figure. He was a common looking man in black robes, someone Da’san would never have given a second thought to if he passed him on the street.
Jerup had not been idle after Da’san’s prayer manifested, jumping behind one of the four men who had taken Cribble and driving his dagger into his back. Before the man had fallen to the ground Jerup had drawn the dagger from his belt to send it sliding across the ground to Cribble. Grabbing up the blade Cribble rushed forward to another of the four who was still stunned. The tip of the blade leading he slammed full force into his target embedding the dagger in the man’s ribs. Da’san heard a chanting coming from the dark priest and realized he was praying. The final word left his lips and the shadow around him coalesced into four tentacles which lashed out at the friends. Two tentacles struck Jerup who had been charging the dark priest, throwing him back to smash into a pile of empty crates. The third appendage swept at Cribble trying to take the Captain’s feet from underneath him. Diving to the right, Cribble tucked his shoulder rolling to avoid the attack coming back up facing one of the two remaining thugs who carried a large cudgel.
With Jerup down for the moment and Cribble engaged with the cudgel wielder, the priest focused his attention on Da’san sending the tentacles his way. With no chance to avoid them he shouted again with the energy still within him. The prayer only served to throw the darkness back and stagger the other priest who was now ready for it. Switching tactics, Da’san prayed again and two large blue glowing hands appeared to either side of him. Flying forward each gripped a tentacle ripping it away from the priest, snapping their connection with the darkness causing them to dissipate into the air. The two remaining wrapped around the manifested hands trying to crush them. Not wasting time Da’san continued his prayer calling for another gift from his goddess, he shouted again this time it was not aimed at the dark priest’s body but his mind. His opponent cringed holding his head as a terror he had never felt before gripped him.
The tentacles he controlled loosened their hold allowing the blue hands to gain a grasp on them. With the dark priest momentarily distracted, Da’san looked to how his friends were faring. Cribble was holding his own ducking and dodging the swings of the other man’s club, the reach of the weapon far greater than the captain’s. Jerup was worse off, as the other man now fully recovered from the initial attack stalked towards him. Brandishing a short sword as his friend tried to untangle himself from the crates. Putting the dark priest from his mind for the moment, Da’san reached out to the attacker and the man was lifted from the ground his arms pinned to his side. Now free of the crates with blood smeared across one side of his head, Jerup walked purposefully to the helpless Or’Keer servant driving his dagger into the man’s heart killing him instantly. Da’san released the corpse allowing it to fall, the short sword clattering to the ground. Switching his dagger hand Jerup scooped up the fallen blade and moved to help Cribble who now cradled his left arm close to his body.
Returning his attention to the dark priest, Da’san found the other man had recovered from his fear and was deep in chant. Even as their two manifestations battled the darkness seemed to thicken in the warehouse as the small light of the burning oil seemed to be absorbed. It was now difficult to see his opponent and Da’san realized that soon he would be at a severe disadvantage. He needed to strike back quickly and with enough force to end the fight. Once more he called to his goddess chanting a fast as he could, not for the first time envying how quickly a mage could call on power with a thought. He did have an advantage, the versatility of prayer far outreached what a mage could accomplish. When the prayer was finished he released the power in a great ball of light above their heads that pushed back the darkness. The dark priest increased the volume and speed of his own prayer and the darkness resurged from the corners attempting to smother the glowing orb.
Da’san closed his eyes to further his concentration, placing his will against that of the other man. They struggled against each other, the light and darkness ebbing back and forth as one would gain the advantage then the other. Suddenly the resistance of the dark priest was gone and the light of his orb flooded the entire building as if the sun had risen inside. Opening his eyes Da’san saw the remaining hand floating in the air before him. Dismissing the manifestation, he then found both his friends standing over the dark priest who laid face down on the ground.
Cribble looked up to meet Da’san’s eyes. “Next time you get to be the bait, and we will do the praying,’ he said with a laugh.
Chapter 21
Shadows passed over Jaxom’s head and he looked up to see the durgen flying overhead towards his tent. It was only a little after midday, so they must have found the enemy if they were returning already. Moving through the camp it took him only a few minutes to reach them, arriving in time to see Adriana and Brenin dismounting. Seeing him the huntress greeted him with a
big smile, running over to plant a kiss on his lips. Brenin followed behind offering his hand which Jaxom took up.
“We have a problem,” the archer said. “We should speak to the king immediately.”
“Why? What did you find?” Jaxom asked looking from one to the other.
“The southerners are already moving this way. They will be here by tomorrow afternoon at the latest,” Adriana said. “And that is not all, we saw around five hundred cavalry moving towards us being pursued by almost twice their number.”
“Celia and General Blackburn,” Jaxom said. They had started out with a thousand men, which meant they had lost half harassing the enemy to slow the advance.
“Yes it would seem so. We tried to get a better look at the group chasing them, but as soon as we got close we were attacked by magic,” Adriana said.
“I was nearly taken down by a bolt of ice. Luckily the durgen are not living otherwise I would be dead,” Brenin said.
Jaxom looked over to the risen mount and could see a large hole buried into the beast’s chest exposing the internal organs. The wound would surely have killed any breathing animal, but the risen did not require air to function. “If they are as close as you say there is no time to waste.”
His two friends followed him back to Corin’s tent to tell the King what they had discovered. On the way Jaxom thought on what could be done to help Celia and Nelix. If there were mages among those chasing them, he would need the help of other casters as well as a sizable force to repel them. Guards stood at the entrance to the large tent but did not hinder their entrance. The larger area was empty of people and Jaxom was concerned they would have to search the camp to give Corin the news. The flap to the back area moved aside Corin having heard them come in stepped out from his private area.
“From the look on your faces, I assume you have bad news,” Corin said indicating that they should join him at the map table. When they had all gathered around the table he looked expectantly to the two scouts.
“Your Majesty, the southerners are moving north against us right now. They will likely reach our camp sometime in the early afternoon tomorrow,” Brenin said.
“Where you able to get an accurate count of their numbers?” Corin asked.
“We counted around seventy thousand your majesty,” Adriana said. “And they are not coming at us as one force.”
“Show me,” Corin said clearing the some of the smaller maps away to reveal a larger one depicting all of southern Ale’adaria. He placed ten red blocks in a circle where their army currently sat, each block representing five thousand men indicating their own numbers. The position they held was centered between a large river to the west and dense forest to the east. If the invaders wished to go any further they would have to come straight to them, or cross the river over one of two bridges that could support an army of that size. If they did choose to cross, they risked an attack from the rear that could leave half their forces stranded on the western side.
Adriana began taking black blocks and placing them into four groups in a half moon shape with more blocks in the leading two groups. When she was finished it was clear even to Jaxom that the enemy intended to surround them. With their superior numbers the plan was sound. If Corin allowed this to happen any break in his line would insure his defeat. Once the invaders got to the center of his forces everything would collapse around them.
Corin looked over the positioning of the black blocks shaking his head realizing that they were in trouble. “I knew they had the advantage in numbers but this puts us in a bad position. You are sure of your count?” Corin asked.
“Yes, if not more your majesty. We had a good view from above and they are positioned just as Adriana placed them,” Brenin said.
“We can punch through their center, but that would only allow the rest to flow around us like water around a stone. If that happens they could simply push north and we will be chasing them all the way to Ale’adar,” Corin said. He began moving the red blocks into a half moon of his own. Placing them so that four blocks made the front line and the remaining six curved back to protect the flanks.
“There is something else Corin,” Jaxom said. “Celia and Nelix are on their way here.”
“Good, we will need the cavalry as a reserve if the southerners break through anywhere,” Corin said looking up.
“They are not alone, Adriana and Brenin saw a force twice the size behind them with mages among them,” Jaxom said, watching his friend’s face for some hint of what he was thinking, as Corin returned to looking at the map. Sending out another force to rescue the first would weaken his position if things went badly. With an unknown number of mages involved he would have to commit his own casters or risk losing the soldiers he sent.
“When do you think they will reach us?” Corin asked.
“If they keep their current pace no later than tonight, if the enemy does not catch them before then your majesty,” Brenin said.
Corin walked to the entrance of the tent leaning out to speak to the guard. Coming back to the table he looked at both Adriana and Brenin. “How well can you shoot from those flying monsters our death mage calls mounts?” he asked.
The two of them looked at each other and shrugged, both being skilled with a bow it was possible. Adriana having hunted in the Teriken since she was a girl had been shooting animals on the run since she could draw a bow, and Brenin was likely the youngest member of the Guard because of his ability with the ranged weapon. As far as Jaxom knew they had yet to attempt archery from the air, and could see the problems of trying to stay seated with both hands engaged in drawing a bow.
“If we could rig a harness to the saddles, I think we would be able to hit our marks,” Adriana said.
“Good, I will be sending a force to aid General Blackburn, and I want you two there to spot enemy mages. Your task will be to kill them from above if possible, or at the very least to keep them distracted,” Corin said.
Brenin smiled at the King, and Jaxom was sure the young man was excited about being involved in the coming fight. “Yes your majesty, with your leave we will go see the leather workers to have the saddles fitted,” he said.
Corin nodded his head. “Tell them to work fast, the men I am sending will be leaving within the hour and you will need to catch up to them.” Both Brenin and Adriana bowed at the waist, the huntress giving Jaxom a wink and a smile before they left the tent. As they left two men walked in to take their place both bowing to the King. Lord Wilbrin the noble who had provided their tent wore his plate armor and sword, while Serin the leader of the mages wore simple blood red robes.
“You bade our presence your majesty?” Wilbrin said.
“Yes, I need seven hundred of our men ready to march as soon as are able. General Blackburn and my cousin are heading to us and they are not alone, you will lead the men and go to their aid,” Corin said. The noble bowed at the waist again and left the way he came without another word. Serin kept his eyes on the king, the smile he held never leaving his face, a smile that reminded Jaxom of a snake. He could feel the tension between the fire mage and his friend almost as if it was a tangible thing. The mage stood patiently waiting but Corin held his words only staring at the other man.
“And what would you have of me your majesty,” Serin said breaking the awkward silence. Making the title sound almost mocking, as if it was simply another word that held no meaning for him.
“Those in pursuit have mages among them, and you will provide some of your own to match them,” Corin said. His words clipped and to the point.
“Your majesty would have me risk so valuable an asset for such a small undertaking?” Serin asked.
“A small undertaking… You think the lives of five hundred of our bravest men whose friends have given their lives, our most experienced leader and my cousin are not worth saving?” Corin said quietly.
“It is obvious that risking so much to save so few makes little sense,” Serin replied.
Corin had placed his fist
s on the table and Jaxom could hear the wood creak as he bared down. His friend was obviously restraining from throttling the man where he stood. His restraint was not from fear of Serin’s magic, as Corin was not concerned with his own personal safety, he needed the mage’s cooperation to counter his enemies. What made the whole matter worse was Serin knew this.
“Since the time of my father you and your mages have been provided for with very little asked in return. It is now time that you earn your keep, and this is what I require,” Corin said. “You will have five of your mages leave with the men I am sending.”
“Yes your majesty’s family has been good over the years, but if I think that you are putting us in unnecessary danger, I will take my mages and we will leave Ale’adaria. This fight is only ours so long as we make it so,” Serin replied. “I will send three of mine with your men when they leave, but I cannot in good consciousness send more.”
Jaxom could see the fury building in his friend, drawing the power of death in, he prepared himself if Corin decided to attack the fire mage. Whatever he decided Jaxom would support him to the end. In a surprising amount of control, Corin nodded and waved his hand dismissing the mage. Serin bent marginally at the waist and Jaxom could swear that his smile had grown ever so slightly. The mage left leaving the two of them alone in the large tent.
“When this is over, there will be a rearrangement of the mages castle or they will no longer be welcome in my kingdom,” Corin said.
Jaxom did not think he had been speaking to him but replied anyway. “Do you think you can trust him until then?”
“Of course I don’t trust him, but what choice do I have?” Corin barked. Standing he gave Jaxom a hard look.
“So what do we do then?” Jaxom asked.
“We win this war and I will deal with Serin then,” Corin replied sharply. Turning he clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing. “I am sorry my friend, I do not mean to take my anger out on you.”
