The Dotard

by Greg Curtis

  She was hopeful. The others said not to be, but she couldn’t help it. They had finally come up with a theory about what had happened to him. Not Mistress Yolande's theory that her grandfather was actually a lich. The theory of the Brothers from the Edgefall Monastery who believed he had been possessed by a demon. They also claimed that they had a way of battling this demon that had taken hold of him.

  It all sounded very confused and unlikely. But the one thing she understood from their theory was that they thought her grandfather was still alive. Possessed by some undead demon, but alive nonetheless. Or perhaps, not dead. They used lots of very confused terms. But not dead was alive as far as she was concerned. And if he was alive he could be saved. That was a million times better than what Mistress Yolande was saying.

  In truth, the Priests had also said that in fighting the demon it was more than likely that her grandfather would be killed. But “more than likely” didn’t mean definitely. It meant there must be some slight hope that he would survive – and Carrie was desperate. He had a chance! It was the best she could ask for. And if they were successful it would also be the end of her grandfather killing people. That had to stop.

  But there was another piece of the puzzle that made her feel better about the battle ahead. If, as the Brothers said, he was possessed by a demon, then it also meant that her grandfather had been and still was suffering. If this worked, whether he lived or died, he would at least be free. They would be helping him. It wasn't much, but those were the straws she had to cling to.

  Who would have thought that the answer to their crisis lay with the Priests? Certainly not her. Nor any of the Guild Wizards either. Edrick was a smart man. Maybe she thought, when this was over, she would thank him as he truly deserved. She knew he wanted her. His eyes followed her too closely for there to be any other explanation even if he was too hesitant to say anything. And she liked him too. Where things might go after that, she didn't know. She wasn't able to think about the future with so much else on her mind. But if he saved her grandfather she promised herself that she would give him everything he wanted.

  It suddenly struck her as she stood there in the rain that this was the first time in ages that she had been able to think about such things again. Even to look forward to them. But she would know more once this was over. When her grandfather was finally returned to her, fit and well. Or if not that, then at least he had been brought some peace.

  She feared however, that things would not be over for quite some time. Not even if everything worked perfectly. Assuming her Grandfather survived – and she clung to that hope tenaciously – she didn't know what would happen next. Would there be a trial? If there was a trial would her grandfather be found guilty, or not guilty by reason of possession? And if was found guilty, what sort of sentence might they pass?

  Ruthlessly Carrie pushed her thoughts aside and concentrated on what was about to happen. An army of the Priests of Golanar were about to make their attack on the demon.

  As before that shocked her. Everything about this was simply so wrong. Priests had become the front line, while the actual soldiers stood back and watched; there to jump in and defend them if it was necessary. Even the wizards had been relegated to defensive roles. And though she knew little of tactics and warfare, the plan of attack was no plan at all. No one was going to march on the town. The battle would be waged from their own camp – a league and a half from Coldwater! And if all went as planned, no one would meet on the field of battle. There would be no battle at all. Had any battle in history ever been fought like this? Carrie couldn't imagine that anything like it had ever been tried before. But then if the Priests were right they'd never had to face a wizard demon before.

  The Priests had had certainly come in numbers. Easily three hundred Priests were standing in formation – a giant semi-circle of them facing the town and the perpetual storm of orange fire and thunder above it. Not one of them however carried a weapon. Not so much as a belt knife. Instead, they stood there facing the town, dressed only in their robes and cassocks. No uniforms and no armour. If the enemy came for them the most they could do was take off their sandals and throw them at him. It was the most ridiculous army she'd ever seen. And yet all of these sombre faced men were their front line against whatever her grandfather threw at them. And they believed they could win!

  Unfortunately, she knew all too well that her grandfather would strike back and she had no idea if they had any protection against what he would throw at them. Certainly the wizards had been demonstrably proven to be outmatched in battles of magic with him. But then if her grandfather actually had a demon or a fallen god working its will through him, they could never have withstood that.

  “Are we ready?” Brother Reginald suddenly spoke up, addressing his fellow Priests and Brothers. It caught Carrie off guard. The men responded with a series of grim faced nods and quiet murmurs of assent. They were ready – but clearly worried. This was new to them too. Their scholars had set out detailed histories on how the Lich had been fought in the past. But these men had never fought them, and no one had ever faced the demon lord when he had taken over the body of a wizard. He had never had magic before.

  This was it, Carrie realised, her mouth suddenly going dry as she stared at them and the distant town.

  “Then let us begin.”

  The Brothers and the Priests bowed their heads and began their chant. These were not spells they were reciting but prayers. Words that they hoped would vanquish this demon. Carrie looked on, praying silently with them, but worried. She could feel no magic flowing. But then she knew, she wouldn't. She was simply so used to casting that she expected it.

  Others watched too, but from a greater distance. Most of the camp was standing around staring at the collection of monks and Priests, all of them probably thinking much the same as her. That this was crazy. But soldiers had manned the lookout towers, the cannons were all set out and loaded, and the rest of the army stood at attention, waiting. They were ready. But ready for what no one knew.

  Lord Baraman was there too, but he wasn't looking at her. In fact, he seemed to be taking care not to look at her. She had caught his eye once or twice, but each time he had turned and hurried away. Embarrassment? Shame? Or had he simply not wanted to have the camp reminded of what he'd done? She didn't know. But as long as he stayed away from her, she was happy.

  The Guild was also present, including around thirty of its most senior wizards. They also looked worried. But then some of them had actually fought her grandfather and bore the scars of battle. They knew first hand how dangerous he was.

  And finally there was Edrick, standing a little off to the side of the other wizards, and looking a little lonesome. She supposed he had reason to be. He was not a Guild wizard, and felt uncomfortable in their presence. She also suspected that his having visited the Priests of Golanar hadn’t been appreciated. Wizards had pride. Guild wizards more so. And while they had been fine with him visiting the monastery, when it had turned out that the Brothers might have an answer where they didn't – they had been unhappy. Naturally they blamed Edrick.

  He was also some distance away from his father. The two of them had not spoken since the night Edrick had rescued her. Not even to acknowledge one another. There was no family reunion in the making.

  If Edrick had been welcomed by anyone there it might have been by the Priests. However, he was choosing to stay away from them too, presumably not wanting to disturb them in their work.

  She probably should not have come at all, but she couldn't help herself. She had to be there. She had to see if it worked. She had to hope. And because Wilberforce was her grandfather and there was still some concern she might try to stop things, several members of the Order of Golanar were standing beside her. Watching her. They were there to make sure she didn't interrupt or try to save her grandfather from whatever happened.

  The Priests continued with their prayer, chanting it over and over again like a child's rhyme. Slowly the chant see
med to fill the air. Carrie wasn't sure how exactly. They weren't raising their voices as far as she could tell, and there was no magic she could sense. But somehow the sonorous chant seemed to be spreading. Echoing a little through the air and drowning out the sound of the rain. Maybe that was what it was supposed to do?

  What she did know was that if this worked, the land would be blessed. That was the weapon the Priests were using. A blessing! They were making Coldwater sacred ground. Though she understood the logic she thought it utter madness. The belief was that if the Priests succeeded no demon would be able to dwell in Coldwater or anywhere near it. He would have to flee. Doing so would be difficult for him however, as he would be surrounded by blessed land. The only place the demon would be able to flee to, was back to his underworld. In the Priests’ eyes this wasn't a battle. It was a cleansing. One that they knew had worked all the other times the Lich had appeared over the millennia. The only worry was that no one had ever faced a wizard lich before. What had worked against lich lords and lich kings might not be effective. That was the Priests' worry too.

  Over and over again the Priests repeated their chant, and the sound grew ever more powerful. In time it wasn't just drowning out the sound of the rain, but rumbling across the land like gentle thunder. This she supposed, was the echo of their Lord Golanar’s will floating through their words.

  In time it became the only sound that could be heard. The rain seemed to die away and the terrible winds that had wracked Coldwater ceased to blow. All conversation stopped. Even the beasts of the field remained silent. Soon there was only the chant. And as she looked across the land to the town and the great storm towering above it, she could see it starting to waver. The fire and the darkness began flickering, as the flame of a candle did when there was a breeze in the room.

  Was it working? Carrie wasn’t sure but she thought it might be as she looked on. So far nothing else had had any impact on the great storm or her grandfather. And yet this simple chant seemed to. That almost seemed like a miracle to her. Still, she kept her excitement to herself. She had to. The Priests had told her repeatedly that they could not afford to be distracted. She had to respect that. So she held her tongue and kept quiet the hope starting to burn brightly in her heart.

  Then the storm hit back!

  At first it was nothing. She wasn't aware that anything had happened. Until she realised that the orange fire that was at the heart of the storm, was burning brighter. Suddenly it seemed to be breaking through the black clouds that lay across Coldwater. Seeing it she realised what had happened, and her heart started beating a little faster. They had been noticed!

  The Priests paid it no mind. They continued their chant, repeating it over and over again, letting it build and flow out over the land. And while the orange fire grew ever brighter, it didn't seem to be able to break free of whatever was holding it. It didn't head toward them as she had feared.

  But the ice golems did!

  Movement caught her eye and she turned to see scores of them suddenly bursting free from the ruins at the edge of town and heading toward them. They had been created in the form of huge ogres made of ice. And they were bearing down on the Priests fast!

  The sight sent chills running down her spine even though they were so far away. They were bigger than anything she had ever seen in her life. They were also utterly deadly. Their feet were the size of tree trunks and would crush a man to death if he was underneath. Their arms were disproportionately long, and hung almost all the way to the ground, giving them frightening reach. They could grab you from anywhere. And instead of hands their arms ended in spear points. Icy spear tips that would puncture a man straight through. But more than that, she knew from the original attack that they never tired. They never felt pain. And they never slowed. They simply attacked and attacked until their target was completely destroyed.

  Carrie had heard endless tales from the people of Coldwater of how there could be no hiding from them. They would break down buildings to get at those inside. Hurl giant pieces of masonry at those who ran. And give chase as nothing else could. The only reason that people had escaped them had been because they had run and the ice golems had not left the confines of the town. Now they had.

  She had never seen so many of them heading toward her at once before. Previously she had only seen them alone or in a pair. Even then the only safety had been in running. She had run from them. Run as fast as her legs could carry her knowing her safety lay in being outside of Coldwater's borders. Now there were scores of them?

  The wizards though had prepared for them, and seeing the creatures leaving the township they immediately rushed and began erecting barriers. They created walls of dirt that the creatures had to scale. It slowed them down and she could see the golems in the distance, desperately trying to clamber over them. It was only a delaying action, but it gave the Priests a bit more time. Hopefully enough time to complete their blessing. And the spell was an excellent one for the wizards to use as it was one of the few that did not need to be spoken. It would not disturb the Priests’ chant.

  Meanwhile she saw that the soldiers who had previously hung back, were suddenly taking up defensive positions. Forming into battlefield lines. Some of them already down on one knee with their rifles aimed The cannoneers were standing ready too, the tools of their trade in hand.

  Carrie watched as one by one the ice golems clambered their way over the distant earth embankments, while the sky above Coldwater started shaking. There was no other word to describe it. Carrie prayed to Sirtis that the Priests would win their battle before the golems reached them. She shook with fear too as the enemy kept coming closer. They were only a league and a half from the town, and once the ice golems had found flat ground, they would pick up their pace. And they could run much faster than a man. Carrie thought her heart would burst in her chest even as she tried to contain her fear. Still she remained silent. She must not make a sound! She told herself that they still had a few minutes. That it would be enough. It had to be.

  Then the drakes came and everything fell apart.

  In a heartbeat they appeared in the skies above them, announcing their presence with their blood curdling cries, and then swooping down, sending rivers of fire among the soldiers standing in their formations. People started screaming and the silence was broken. It was time to fight.

  In a heartbeat weapons began firing; cannons as well as rifles, and balls of ice and flame were sent flying through the air at the beasts. Lightning crashed through the sky, skewering the beasts, while the wind was whipped up to force the drakes off course. Still, fire was streaming down on them, razing the ground and anyone standing where it had touched. Soon the sky was filled with long, sinuous reptilian forms not so much flying as swimming and winding their way through dark, smoke filled air. Carrie watched as many of the troops had to break rank to escape and her ears burnt with the sound of men screaming in pain and terror. A feeling of despair lodged in her heart.

  It was all going wrong!

  But they weren't yet defenceless, and the wizards fought back with every spell they knew. The air above them became filled with fire and lightning. With explosions of green fury, and birds of prey with steel beaks. Smoke from the gunpowder soon also permeated the air. Pieces of drake began falling from the skies like burning rain. Carrie fought too, sending in a school of flying sharks – a spell that her grandfather had taught her long ago. And in doing so she realised that this time they weren't completely defensive against her grandfather's magic. This time they could fight back. That was good. And somehow through it all the Priests kept chanting. They had courage she realised. A lot of it. Maybe that courage stemmed from their faith?

  Carrie's flying sharks, were soon swimming through the sky, tearing pieces out of the drakes and causing even them to roar in pain. It was a devastatingly useful spell in a battle she realised. In fact, if they had been fighting normal sized creatures, her flying sharks would have destroyed them all. Against the drakes all they could d
o was hurt them. But at least that was something.

  The battle grew more intense. Louder and more terrifying, even as visibility decreased. The steadily worsening visibility added to her fear. But when the sound of the cannons firing started to fade away just as the sound of ice shattering began her heart almost stopped beating. The ice golems had reached them!

  She couldn't see them. In fact, the smoke was now so thick by then that she could barely see a few feet in front of her. She couldn't even see the Priests who had been watching her. At that point Carrie stopped using her magic. She had to. The visibility was so poor that she couldn’t be sure whether her target was friend or foe. She was helpless!

  All she knew as the battle raged around her was the fear that a drake or an ice golem would come from out of nowhere, reach down and tear her apart. And there would be no chance to stop it. All she could see through the smoke were vague indistinct forms moving, growing larger and smaller, but never emerging from it to attack her.

  And still the Priests kept chanting. Repeating their simple prayer. She didn’t know how they were doing that. How they hadn't simply broken and run. And she didn't know if it was working though it certainly appeared to be destroying the calm of her grandfather. Though she could neither see nor hear him, she could see the way the orange fire that still glowed through the smoke, was now flickering dangerously. Surely they had a chance!