by Rex Hazelton
Poroth, Dandaryll, and the Fane J'Shrym went with Ay'Roan. Bala, Mar’Gul, and the Neflin went with J'Aryl.
"How will we deal with the Hag?" Asking his question on the night the raid would take place, Poroth spoke as he reviewed the plans that had been made. Standing in the dark forest with the others, he looked like a shadowy column of stone erected among others of its kind, columns that moved silently about as they made final preparations.
"My brother and I will deal with the Hag," J'Aryl calmly said. "Both of us are trained in the Candle Makers’ ways and carry swords filled with Vlad'War's Magic. So, tell your people to stay close to us when that dark wizards show up[EH7]."
"And I'm not without power." Mar’Gul's voice was devoid of emotion as she understated her abilities, though her eyes looked like bright green embers glowing in the night.
"We Neflin," Leolynn spoke for the Lorn Elves, "have skills that will enable us to get to the Hag before they have time to use their fire-blasted black candles. We don't need the Magic of Invisibility that Ay'Roan claims the Wisdor Stone he possesses gives him to move about unnoticed." Leolynn was the same Neflin leader who confronted Jeaf Oakenfel when he passed through Lan'Fon on his quest to find Andara's Tears so many winters ago.
"Leolynn, why do you think the Lorn Elves can go undected like you say they can?" Mar’Gul was irritated that Leolynn and his Neflin brothers were so ignorant of the ways that magic worked. It had been her life's work to awaken a longing in the Neflin for the things they had lost- things supernatural.
The Lorn Elves were once free of the limitations that bound other races to the natural warl. The fair folk were like the trees of the forest, though their corporal forms were seen in the visible warl, their roots ran deep into things unseen. "It's precisely because the Enchantment of Concealment that your father's cloaked themselves in has not entirely faded away that you can move about as undetected as you do. It's not because you're so physically gifted or that you're so exceedingly clever. Leolynn, you have inherited more things than your dark eyes and pointed ears."
Mar’Gul's last statement was a rebuke. To her, the Neflin were like birds with wings that Ab'Don's dark magic had clipped. But feathers could be regrown, and the moment she had met Jeaf Oakenfel in the woods outside the village of Skarabasta, she knew that that is what would happen. The Hammer of Power would see to that- the magical talisman they were attempting to free from the Sorcerer's control.
"What if the Ab’Don’s is in the keep?" Poroth ran a hand through his curly, dark hair as he spoke.
"Then more of us will perish." Vlad'Aeroth's pale skin looked luminous in the silvery moonlight, his dark eyes were black holes. "Maybe we’ll all die. But at least we won't be running from the fire-blasted monster."
"If Ab'Don's there," Mar’Gul explained with a voice all could hear, "it's imperative we free the Hammer Bearer no matter the cost. With his help, even if it has been weakened by all the Hag have made him endure, some of us may survive the meeting. If luck is with us, maybe more will live than should be expected."
"Be that as it may," Vlad'Aeroth stoically replied. "We'll move on the keep once the moon has fully risen."
****
Later that night, the Neflin slipped out of the forest's protective covering and swept into the buildings that sat near Chylgroyd's Keep's western door. Not thinking anyone was foolish enough to attack the Sorcerer's stronghold, the warriors housed there were lax, even though none of the Hag were stationed with them.
As it turned out, the Neflin entered the barracks and swiftly killed all of the Orskovyt horsemen that slept there. This freed up more horses for the eventual retreat. The men that stood guard outside the keep's entrance were taken with arrows that were timed to arrive at their targets at the exact same moment the barracks were attacked. As confident as they were in their hold on the keep, the Hag had neglected to set up any wards at either of the huge crevices that were used to gain entrance into the stronghold.
Once the first phase of the assault was accomplished, Vlad'Aeroth and his horsemen were given the job of guarding the entrance to make certain it remained open for the raiders once they returned with Hammer Bearer in tow. Since the eastern entrance had a cavalry of equal size positioned there, if an alarm was sounded, Vlad'Aeroth and his men would have their hands full keeping the way of escape open.
Moving into the labrynth-like keep, Ay'Roan and J'Aryl separated as they began to search for their father. Strangely enough, the keep's walkways were arranged like multi-layered, three-dimensional spider webbing. There was always more than a single way to get to any place in particular. This was an alteration the Hag had made to Chylgroyd's Keep's original design. Addicted to clandestine meetings of every kind, the dark wizards had the tunnels modified so that they could move about unobserved.
What did Ab'Don care about the meetings, since his magic gave him the ability to spy on them all? Not only did the scheme-filled trysts provide enertainment for his long, sleep-deprived nights, they engendered the kind of intrigue his dark powers fed on. Let his puppets jostle about like they were in control of their lives, when the truth was, all the strings were held firmly in his hands.
Having had Chylgroyd's Keep's design described to them from the first day they met Horbyn until the moment he left them to go on a quest to apprehend Crooked Finger, AyRoan and J'Aryl were condident they would be able to find one another after they parted. So, they went their separate ways to increase the chances that they would find their father sooner rather than later.
Horbyn's descriptions explained how the keep's core was populated by Malamor and Orskovyt warriors who served as the resident guards. The Hag lived in the structures built on top of the pillars of stone where Horbyn had last seen the Hammer Bearer in a place called the Hall of the Moon, a hall that was the heart of the Hag activety in the keep. It was the place where their magic was the strongest; where human sacrifices were made as regularly as their daily meals were served. And, no doubt, the number of slayings increased as the Hag called on the dark powers they used to break Jeaf Oaknefel down as they tried to solve the mystery of how to unlock the Hammer of Power's magic.
At the keep's roots, dug deep into the surrounding rock, lay dungeons where the sacrificial victims were held. Fell men and the creatures who served them dwelt here. Some were Archan, a race of men who were related to the Malamor though they shared few physical similarities. Having lived as long as they had in the dark tunnels boring their way through the Mountains of Sorrow that sit on the Isle of Regret, the Archan’s height had been stunted, though their girth was increased to make up for their shorter stature. Their eyes, having grown larger as they learned to see in the perpetual darkness they lived in, had changed from Malamor blue to the charcoal black ones they now possessed.
The Archan were forced to work in the dungeons after their master, Koyer, failed to conquer Nyeg Warl in a war Ab'Don was loath to admit had ever happened. Other men worked in the dungeons alongside the Archan. These evil men were sent to guard a place where their perverse appitites could be easily fed with the unending flow of victims that were sent there.
The things that happened to those who would be scarificed prior to their unholy executions mattered to the Hag. They wanted their victims properly tenderized by the hammer of humiliation the twisted men wielded before they offered them up to the hungry entity who supplied Ab'Don and his minions with the magic they were addicted to. Besides, the cesspool of depravity that swirled about in the dark dungeons below filled the keep with the scent of suffering the Hag and their master found pleasing.
Shadows moved among the Archan and their degenerate partners, cast by creatures that slunk about in the dark. Things the dungeon guards were forbidden to talk about were found in the keep's lower regions. Some said giants were there the likes of which the light of day has not yet seen. Others, who were brave enough or foolish enough to talk, reported that smaller things just as dangerous as the giants were present too. But more than this was never said.
Maybe because those who told the tales knew the limits of what could be divulged. Aware that fear of the unknown that had some basis in reality was a valuable commodity to the one who wanted to control the fearful, Ab’Don allowed a measure of controlled whispering to take place.
Both Ay'Roan's group and the one with J'Aryl in it took a circuitous route that skirted the more centrally located rooms. Though it would take longer to reach the Hall of the Moon, avoiding Hag entanglements for as long as possible was paramount. With both their swords and unlit Candle Maker candles in hand, the Oakenfel brothers led the raiders through the dimly lit corridors and over the sturdy stone bridges. Thankfully, a good number of lanterns that were esconced on the tunnels' walls were still lit.
Not only were the raiders divided into two groups to increase the odds that the Hammer Bearer was found as quickly as possible, they were separated so that if one company was discovered and fighting ensued, the other company could advance in the safety that the unwanted diversion created.
Carrying Wisdor Stones on a ring that the Bjork had given him on the day he was accepted as one of their own, Ay'Roan used the Magic of Invisibility the gems possessed to help the Fane J'Shrym cross the bridges unnoticed. The same kind of ring had been given to Jeaf Oakenfel many summers before when the Bjork embraced him as an adopted son. This honor was afforded to Ay'Roan because of the time he spent in Thundyrkynd, learning the Bjorkian way of living and winning over the hearts of those who shared their wisdom with him. The impact of his lengthy stay was seen in the seafarers' blue tattoos that werre inked onto his neck, as well as the long thin braids that fell alongside his temples, in front of his ears, and down upon his well-muscled chest.
To activate the Magic of Invisibility, Ay'Roan had to divide the ring he wore into its two component parts that a skilled artisan fit snuggley together to form the piece of jewelry. Once separated, the two small gems created a Field of Invisibility in the space that lay between them. The extent of this field was determined by the size of the stones that were being employed. How the red-colored gems were able to do this, no one knew.
Once part of a larger rock the Bjork saw fall out of the heavens and onto a mountain that was not far from the newly built Thundyrkynd, the magical property of the gems that were calved from the mother stone was one of the main reasons the seafarers escaped the Sorcerer's ferverent attempts to erradicate their kind. Giving credit to Wygean, the hammer wielding god they worshipped, the Bjork were mindful not to waste their god's gift. From the day they discoved the stone's supernatural properties, the seafarers had used the magic when raiding Ar'Warl's coasts to exact revenge on their hated enemy. Since much of the original Wisdor Stone had been lost in the depths of the sea as the Bjork fought the dreaded crocodon and Ab'Don's fleet over hundreds of winters that had passed since the talisman first appeared, being given a portion of the gem was an inestimable treasure.
While keeping one half of the interlocking ring himself, Ay'Roan gave the other half to Poroth before he crossed one of the keep's bridges. As he moved forward, a Field of Invisbilty was created between him and the Fane J'Shrym who waited behind, a field that stretched out to obscure most of the bridge that was usually no more than five paces wide.
When crossing the longer spans, the Field of Invisiblity was placed in such a way that it hid the men as they stepped onto the bridge. This left only a platform-like extension, sticking out over the crevice at the place where the tunnel continued on. Here a raider would only be visible for a moment as they passed across.
To a casual observer- and the overly confident inhabitants of Chylgroyd's Keep did many things casually- the movement would illicit a feeling of uncertainty like one gets when they catch unexpected movement in the corner of their eye. The astute, on the other hand, would have their suspicions aroused by the missing bridge and the tunnels that inexplicably opened into empty space. If they were to focus their attention on the platform-like extensions, trouble would quickly find the raiders.
While travelling through the tunnels themselves, the Magic of Invisibility was used to take out the guards who were on watch. Finding no more than two of them together in one place, the raiders silenced the guards before they had time to sound an alarm. But the numbers of guards were sure to increase the closer they came to the Hall of the Moon.
Since J'Aryl had no such ring and the Magic of Invisibility that came with it, the company of raiders he led would have been more vulnerable if it wasn't comprised of Neflin, and if Mar'Gul wasn't numbered among them.
Gifted with magic she received when Andara made her eat one of his tears he shaped into a sheet of wafer-like paper, Mar'Gul's abilities perplexed the Hag who couldn't understand a power source based on selflessness, nor could they easily sense its use. The fragrance of goodness, that accompanied Andara's magic when activated, came across as a sickeningly sweet, but barely detectable, smell to purveyors of dark enchantments, a smell they would dismiss from their minds in the moment of relief that followed the fragrance's disappearance. This was easy for the Hag to do since Andara's magic lacked any hint of the compelling pull that power-laden things had on the despicable wizards. The nuance of Healing Magic was too subtle for the Hag to care about.
As a result, Mar'Gul could use a measure of her power without fearing she would be discovered. Conjuring up a magical amber light, she was able to brighten the darkest of places. She could send barely discernable filaments of illumination to scout out ahead, since where the threads of magic went, Mar’Gul could see. Best of all, since Andara was a Master of the Healing Arts that included magic used to anesthetize his patients when the need for surgery arose, Mar’Gul used this expression of Andara's Magic to put many of the Orskovyt guards they met to sleep. To her surprise, she was able to subdue the lone Hag she stumbled across in the same way.
Unfortunately, the smell of sewage permiated the air inside Chylgroyd's Keep. Since the lower dungeons lacked an adequate disposal system, refuse had to be carried out by bucket and dumped into channels cut into the stone higher up in the keep. Periodic infusions of water flushed the dung out of the keep and into ditches that carried the waste into a nearby river. Since the dungeon guards had gotten used to the offensive smell, and the distance they had to carry the waste was considerable, discarding the excrement was never a priority.
The cool air that filled the stone fortress kept much of the foul smell confined to the dungeons. Still, enough of the offensive odor was able to worm its way past the barrier to defile the whole keep with its foul taint.
Every so often, as J'Aryl crossed a bridge, the light from the dungeons' constantly burning fires could be seen far below as the groanings of victims, who were attempting to asuage the pain of their suffering with their cries, were heard. Thankfully, most of the bridges didn't offer a view of the dungeons' light that wound its way about the keep's stone pillars, looking like disease inflamed gums were clinging to a mouth full of huge, octangle-shaped teeth.
After traveling for some time through the maze of stone, J'Aryl nudged Mar’Gul, lifted his sword, and said, "Look."
Nodding her head as she saw the faint blue light eminating from the blade, she replied, "We're getting closer." Then looking about Mar’Gul added,"If it gets any brighter, you'll have to sheathe it."
"Even if I do," J'Aryl frowned, "won't the Hag sense its presence?"
"Probably. But if they can't see the light, maybe they'll be confused about what they're sensing and blame the Hammer of Power for their feelings."
A moment after speaking, the tendrils of thread-thin light Mar’Gul had sent out came rushing back to the hand that had sent them forth. Having Andara's Magic residing in her the way it did, the magi didn't need a talisman to release its power. Bacchanor told her that was because she was the talisman the wizard had made.
"The guards are coming." Her whispering voice was filled with urgency. "A whole host of them."
A sound like a heart was furiously beating in the stone's depths was heard, so deep and resona
nt that the throbbing noise made the ground underfoot vibrate. It was the keep's alarm.
Whether the raiders continued to move forward or decided to retreat didn't matter anymore. They had a fight on their hands regardless of the choice that was made. So the raiders moved forward.
Hurrying ahead, Leolynn crossed the nearest bridge with five other Neflin. Three carried bows.
After ordering the bowman to send their arrows flying into the dimly lit tunnel the guards were rushing through to reach them, Leolynn shouted, "Up there!"
Two other Neflin loosened coils of rope they were carrying hooked to their belts and threw them at the bridge Leolynn had indicated. With one end held in the Neflin's hands, the ropes flew through the air until they found purchase on the bridge by slithering around the abbreviated railing that stood near an opening to another tunnel like they were climbing vines latching onto a a garden trellis.
In no time, the Neflin were scrambling up the rope that held tight to the railing. With only two ropes deployed, and one hundred and fifty elves waiting their turn to climb them, the transition to a level that was free of guards was bound to take time the bowmen were determined to give them.
Once the arrows were depleted, Leolynn and the Neflin swordsman he had brought with him stepped up to confront the Orskovyt warriors who were pushing their way past the bodies of their fallen brothers. Elf blades moved as fast as claws in a cat fight as the Neflin cut at the guards.
With their top notches bouncing up and down, the Orskovyt warriors raced into battle with an enthusiasm that was undiminished by the obvious risks they were taking.
Eventually, Leolynn and his companion were scrambling up the ropes too. As they climbed, the ropes' slack coiled about the Leolynn's right arm like it had a mind of its own, leaving nothing for the Orskovyt to use to follow the Neflin. Six guards lay sprawled across the bridge below in the helter-skelter way the dead did.
