by Jason Kenyon
‘Please, do not throw out threats yet,’ the knight said. ‘There is evil at work. Lord Bartell saw it coming and has been working to undo it. Bringing down the Dusk Alliance was the first precaution. In retrieving the magical artefacts they sought to use, he has stymied the plans of the Grand Mover behind all these events. There have been whispers of demons for a while now. You surely know of this?’
‘Indeed I do, Velris!’ Grand replied. ‘My soldiers have been killing the vast majority, excepting the last, which I understand someone else got to first. I was calling a meeting to decide what was to be done now it is becoming regular when Auber decided to go crazy on us. I do not believe it is coincidence!’
‘It is unlucky,’ Velris said. ‘But as I have told you, none of this destruction was planned.’
‘I do not believe you,’ Grand said.
Back behind the bush, Valia gave her companion an encouraging smile. ‘Neurion, this is incredible,’ Valia whispered. ‘You actually know something useful.’
‘When I remember the spells,’ Neurion said. ‘I think Master Archimegadon was right, I tried to learn too many.’
Valia turned her attention back to the conversation between Grand and his besiegers.
‘So you have told me many times!’ Grand was saying. ‘Yet one question remains, Captain – why bring an army to surround me when you purport to be my ally?’
‘Precaution,’ Velris replied, perhaps a little too swiftly.
‘Nonsense,’ Grand said. ‘If you wish to engage in further talks with me, you will withdraw this ridiculous camp. Until such a time I will not give you an ear at all, favourable or otherwise.’ He was just turning to go when he froze. ‘Oh, wait. I believe one of my scouts has returned.’
He strode past Velris and out of the camp, yelling quite clearly in the direction of Valia and Neurion’s hiding place. ‘Come on out, they’re not a threat! For now,’ he muttered, but Neurion’s spell picked up even that.
Valia felt the spell release its grip and watched Neurion step out from cover, blushing a little. After a moment’s consideration Valia opted to follow, seeing this as their easiest way to get an audience with Grand. Bartell’s soldiers and Velris looked affronted, but Grand was quite clearly ignoring them.
‘Well now,’ he said to Neurion, ‘been waiting for a while for you.’
‘Uh…’ Neurion managed.
Neurion was seized about the shoulders by Grand, who was grinning in a friendly way that seemed most uncharacteristic. Valia blinked. Was it possible that Neurion had more connections than any of them had realised? Grand steered them both through Velris’s camp, taking care to ignore the captain’s protests. Valia followed in his wake, not really sure what else to do.
‘You’ll find our cathedral a little less comfortable these days,’ Grand was saying to Neurion, ‘but I daresay you’ve found that in most places!’
‘Yes,’ Neurion said in a small voice.
They reached the edge of the camp and started up neatly-laid steps that led to the cathedral doors. ‘Farewell, Captain. Remember my conditions,’ the Commander called back.
‘So, uh… you two know each other?’ Valia asked after they made it halfway, but Grand went silent, his demeanour once again grim.
Indeed, it was a rather unnerving entry into Verrinion Cathedral. The great towering building had clearly either been designed or altered to make it into a fearsome statement of the power of the Paladin Order, mixing the holy reverence of the Light and more vengeful aspects of the true warlike purpose of the holy knights. Not at all like the bumbling Neurion, these paladins gave out an aura of competence and deadliness that surprised Valia, who had always regarded them as rather stupid. Grand and his personal entourage all seemed very capable and to be frank a touch dour and inhuman.
Whether deliberate or not, the destruction wrought by Bartell’s magical border had certainly left its mark. Clearly, by the rather provocative military display outside, no matter what Captain Velris might claim, Bartell considered the paladins enemies and had quickly moved to thwart any plans Commander Grand might have had in mind.
The inside of the cathedral was curiously like a market place, with stands and stalls taking up the majority of the great halls. Even so, there were many, many pews and benches all the way up to a ridiculously overdone altar, behind which was a display that had been built so high it brushed the ceiling, which in turn was so high it was largely lost in shadow, barring the odd handy lantern or chandelier that had been thrown in for effect.
After seeing various young people and the odd family Valia began to realise that the reason for the stands was that the Verrinion Cathedral was not simply a fortress of the knights but a self-contained town. While the main hall had escaped the destruction, it seemed that the cathedral had been cut off from a second hall, as they passed part of the demolished section where another altar sat rather lonely before a congregation of rubble.
Finally they were swept into a room that was pretty non-descript. Before Valia could even begin to take in more than that her attention was distracted by the swords that were swiftly placed at her and Neurion’s throats.
‘Now then,’ Grand said, not sparing them a glance as he strode past, ‘I want to know who you are and why you dared have the affront to attempt such disastrously inept sorceries on me. You feel the Light is a joke?’
‘No!’ Neurion replied. ‘I hold the Light highest in my thoughts, every minute of every day!’
‘I thought you knew each other,’ Valia said, swallowing hard as speaking caused her throat to press against the point of the blade.
‘Nonsense,’ Grand said. ‘I recognised your attempt at subterfuge and thought I’d put you on the spot. Now then. Your names.’
‘Sira Valia Relassis, to give myself my title,’ Valia said. ‘Knight of the Order of Endless Skies. Or former by now, I guess, since I have probably been struck off the order - his Lordship has turned it into his personal band of enforcers.’
‘Why would you be disowned?’ Grand asked.
‘I am known to have accompanied a certain Mage for Hire and his companions, who defied Bartell on that night and were exiled,’ Valia replied. ‘And if Bartell’s wrath does not fall on me for that, then certainly for having the gall to come here.’
‘I see, well, let’s stop there,’ Grand said. He pointed at Neurion. ‘You. Speak.’
‘I'm Neurion,’ he replied. ‘I was there when Lord Bartell created that dome thing.’
‘Right,’ Grand said, making no show of whether he believed this or not. ‘You know something of the Light?’
‘I trained at one of the schools,’ Neurion replied. ‘For a month.’
Grand’s mouth quirked into a smile. ‘Slightly better than Alhamis's Mage Schools. Still, it turns out rubbish.’
‘Hey!’ Neurion said.
‘It’s true, boy, your spell was so obvious I noticed it right away,’ Grand said. ‘But at least it was so bad I was not inclined to treat you as a genuine spy and kill you there and then. So you want to be a paladin, then?’
‘But I am…’
‘No, you are most certainly not,’ Grand said. ‘Sorry to break it to you, but I have seen just how incompetent you are without needing a further display. You have a vague link to the Light, but to be frank the Light is wary of granting its powers to the untrained.’
‘But they said…’
‘They are not true paladins,’ Grand said. ‘Usually the worst ones I kicked out of this cathedral train people in that one. We can teach you some decent tricks, as I see you have grounding at least. But that comes later. You claim to have been at the sentencing?’
‘Master Archimegadon,’ Neurion said, his expression growing dark.
‘Hardly a master,’ Grand said. ‘However, that at least makes me trust your words more. He was indeed the mage disciplined on that awful night. Bartell has blamed much villainy and treachery on the charlatan as a way of making himself look better. Your fame-seeking friend is more fa
mous than he ever imagined.’ He settled down behind his desk and steepled his hands. ‘Hmm. I need a reason to trust you both.’
‘We have come to ask you for help to stop Bartell and Delarian,’ Valia said. ‘They are using magical items connected with Vortagenses.’
‘But they’re not really artefacts created by Vortagenses,’ Neurion said with touches of pride and smugness.
‘Is that right?’ Grand motioned for his swordsmen to move to a slight distance, and Valia rubbed her sore neck gratefully.
‘You see, they were using dark magic,’ Neurion replied. ‘Not mage magic. So I think the items must be relics of Tel Ariel… or maybe another necromancer altogether.’
‘They were definitely using dark powers?’ Grand asked.
‘Aye.’ Neurion sat forwards in an enthusiastic manner. ‘I think they have more in mind than just this dome.’
‘It surely would not take long for the Order of Mages to find a way through the barrier,’ Grand said. ‘On the other hand, we have thus far had no success. Whatever they did was expertly devised and conjured.’
‘I think Sen Delarian was behind the actual spell,’ Neurion said. ‘Whether he created it or found out about it.’
‘It is very suspicious to me that three former heroes should turn out to be this crazed,’ Grand said. ‘Bonds of friendship account for some of it, but that doesn’t explain Akarith’s little plan. Perhaps unfortunate chance. You are aware of the growing infestation around Gale?’
‘We’ve heard of it,’ Valia replied. ‘Demons and the undead. Perhaps another necromancer.’
‘I want to find out what is going on there,’ Grand said. ‘You might have heard that for a while now we have been dealing with unexplained appearances of demons. Something very odd has been coming out of the Forest of Gale. What needs to be found is whether Bartell and Delarian are behind this, or if we have a separate enemy. If things are even so simple as that.’
Grand sifted through some papers in a shallow attempt to look official. ‘I have decided for the time being to trust you. The reasons for this are my own. Thing is, I need all the information on Bartell I can get, not to mention getting any allies I can. If Lord Bartell’s little display out there is anything to go by, then he is not short of troops.’
‘Well, glad that’s settled,’ Valia said, a little put out. ‘Look, I’m not really sure why I’m stuck here, but I took a bad job and now here I am. I didn’t ask to get caught in all of this, especially since I nearly got blown up by Bartell when he destroyed the Dusk Alliance…’
‘Eh?’ Grand interrupted. ‘How?’
‘Lord Bartell has been collecting magical relics not only to create the barrier,’ Neurion replied. ‘He also did it to give himself powers equal to or greater than most mages.’
‘How interesting,’ Grand said. ‘I did not know that. Well, well. Go on.’
‘Yes, well circumstances in the destruction meant that I was parted from Archimegadon and those others,’ Valia went on. ‘Nevertheless, my association with him has ensured that everything I ever worked for is ruined. While I cannot really have revenge on the mage, I can at least work to help defeat Lord Bartell. I think you paladins may be capable of doing it.’
‘I feel flattered,’ Grand said. ‘Still, I am glad we were the first you thought of, although your friend is supposed to be a paladin after all. You will be relieved to know that I intend to do everything in my power to stop this new Lord Protector and his henchman Delarian. What of your other companions? Or companion, I don’t know how many there were with you.’
‘There were three who decided to raid Castle Aldrack and kill Bartell themselves,’ Valia said. She sighed. ‘I guess they have not succeeded.’
‘Let us hope they called it off,’ Grand said.
‘Then there was that little squirt Obdo, and of course the old mage,’ Valia said. ‘Sen was supposed to have cast some weird spell on Ardon which made him all morose and depressed.’
‘Ardon?’
‘Archimegadon is his fake name for attracting customers, apparently,’ Valia replied. ‘His real name is Ardon Forseld.’
‘Very well, go on.’
‘Right. So Ardon was being pretty quiet and Obdo decided he’d had enough of these adventures and chose to go on a pub crawl before returning to his old farm, and he took Ardon with him. Thank goodness.’
‘And where is this farm?’ Grand asked.
‘Somewhere in Gale, I think,’ Valia replied without really thinking about it. Then her words came back to her. ‘Oh dear.’
‘Oh dear indeed,’ Grand said. ‘Still, they may hear of it long before they get close. I imagine they will stay clear, if they have any sense.’
‘They don’t,’ Valia said, frowning.
‘I knew it!’ Neurion said. ‘I knew that Obdo was no good!’
‘Excuse me, what?’ Grand asked.
‘Master Archimegadon said Obdo was a necromancer!’ Neurion replied. ‘That’s what this is all about! Obdo is our true enemy. The power behind the scenes!’
‘Obdo is nothing more than a spiteful farmhand,’ Valia said. ‘The necromancer thing was, as far as I could tell, an invention of Ardon’s to press Obdo into carrying the demon head for him.’
‘Which would give the farmhand reason to be bitter,’ Grand said. ‘It is in the shadows that true darkness is found, Sira Valia. Look behind the scenes, below the floorboards, under the covers. Necromancers do not draw attention to themselves while rising to power. Why, even Tel Ariel started out as Perrick the serving boy.’
Valia struggled to control herself. ‘But you don’t know Obdo. He’s just stupid, he doesn’t have the wits…’
‘That is why his disguise would work,’ Grand said. ‘Because he appears to be less than he is. I would like you to stay here overnight after journeying all this way. However, I am interested to hear of this suspicious farmhand with the shadow of necromancy attached to his name, and who even now is heading for his home at the heart of the whispers of evil. Whatever his true name may be, or his adopted one that he considers true, I think this may be a very good lead.’
‘I really don’t think it is Obdo,’ Valia said.
‘So it would seem,’ Grand said. ‘For this reason I will send only one of my paladins with you. It is only a scouting trip. No confronting him! But the immediate threat is Captain Velris and his army outside anyway. I may need all available sword-arms soon enough.’
‘As you wish,’ Valia said, a little put out at being given orders.
‘I will introduce you to Anjilo Dawnfield tomorrow,’ Grand said. ‘For now, we will find you some quarters and perhaps some dinner will be in order. Tomorrow you will have rather less fun, I wager.’
Chapter Twenty-Six: Verrinion Cathedral
Valia leant on the balcony of her room atop one of the highest towers of the cathedral. To the right the shattered ruins of the holy chapel lay lifeless and rimmed the ominous barrier that continued to cast its bloody glare across the land. To the left Velris’s forces sat in a grim shadow like some dark snake ready to ensnare and throttle the paladin order. It made her eyes funny going from the normally-lit interiors to the thick sanguine glow of the outside world, and it still felt very disorienting in general. Perhaps that was the idea, although Valia was not certain that Bartell’s soldiers and citizens would approve of it overmuch.
She did not really know what to make of Grand and Neurion’s theory that Obdo was the necromancer behind the demon and undead rumours. He’d never seemed anything more than the bumbling oaf Archimegadon had treated him as, although perhaps this was the way he had always been treated – and thus the prompting to seek out greater, dark powers for revenge.
It was similar to the way in which Lord Bartell had collected the amulets, rings and whatever else that now made him a near-unassailable foe. Bitter because the world hadn’t turned out perfect after the battle with Tel Ariel… Valia agreed that things had not been going great, but this takeover would only sprea
d more dissent! And the use of these dark powers made Valia question the truth of his words.
Bleh, who knew? This was a matter for Grand now. It had become clear over dinner that the Commander had his sights set on being the one to dethrone and destroy Bartell. Valia supposed it was only right, as the paladin, representative of the Light, would be quite an apt opponent for the villainous lord with his dark powers. Indeed, it would be most poetic for it to end that way.
Valia didn’t really have any high aspiration. While she was hoping to provide some good help to the cause, she had no intention of leading it or getting a name for herself. She felt in this sense she was certainly far ahead of the ex-mage Archimegadon, whose participation she was delighted not to have. Had he been involved, he would have annoyed Grand into executing them. Although with no money up for grabs the mage would likely never have come here.
No, the world was better off without Archimegadon.
*
Grand had swiped a very nice picture from the great hall, and was working on fixing it to his wall. His current office was rather sparse, as his usual one lay across the border along with most of his possessions and useful documents. The latter mattered little as the everyday running of the kingdom was no longer what it had been. Much of what Grand had overseen and governed was still free out in the kingdom of Valanthas, while this poxy area of New Valanthas had largely been under the jealous Lord Bartell’s control. Probably why it was such a disaster.
As for his possessions, perhaps his magical seals would serve to prevent any unruly types from thieving. On the plus side, as he had been leading a late military parade when the dome had come down, he had had his full set of armour on and the holy blade that had served him in more than one battle.
There was a knock at the door. Grand waved a hand and it swung open, and after a moment he heard it lightly closed by his visitor.
‘Commander Grand.’
‘Evening,’ Grand said, without turning. ‘Marzus, I am going to send you to Aldrack to investigate the Lord Protector. I know it is a rather easy task for one such as you, but it is unfortunately necessary, and Bartell apparently possesses a great many new talents. You will need to be on your guard.’
