by Eric Vall
“While it is important that we get to the palace as soon as possible, I still think it unwise to use the Dragnasí when we still don’t fully understand how it works,” I explained to the petite alchemist as I loaded our supplies onto the backs of the sand sleds.
“He is right,” Morrigan said flatly. “There could be side effects or consequences that we are unaware of.”
“Don’t worry,” I said to the feline. “We’ll make good time if we really push. We leave as soon as everything is packed up.”
Part of me wanted to go along with what Carmedy had suggested. Part of me wanted to take the risk and descend upon Alistair’s palace on the backs of dragons and lay waste to his stronghold. I couldn’t risk the others’ safety though. We’d get there as quickly as our lizards could carry us and save Annalíse. Then I’d rip Alistair’s soul from his worthless body, and I’d savor every minute of it.
Before long, we had packed up all of our belongings, and I tied Xerxes’ reigns to my saddle so that the lizard would walk beside mine.
“Alright, everyone,” I said as we set out for the palace, “Let’s go get back our princess.”
Chapter 20
Rana and I led our party through the moonlit desert as we journeyed to the king’s palace. The night air was frigid, and the relentless icy winds cut into any exposed skin. We had wrapped ourselves in our woolen blankets before we had started out, but the air still managed to break through whenever a fearsome gust blew across the sand. Carmedy and Morrigan shivered as they swayed in their saddles and sat in hunched over positions with their blankets clutched to their chins. Rana was the only one who was totally unbothered by the elements.
While the cold was fearsome, we had no choice but to press on. We couldn’t afford to dawdle or stop. We had to get to Annalíse before she was sent back to Tamarisch, or before someone came to retrieve her.
“Carmedy, were you able to figure out something to use for our siege against the palace?” I called over my shoulder to the feline alchemist. “Remember, the reaction time must be delayed until we infiltrate the barrier.”
“Yes, I managed to work something out just before those worms attacked the camp,” Carmedy replied.
“Will it be a big enough explosion to catch the guards’ attention?” I asked.
“They couldn’t miss it even if they tried,” the black-tailed cat said with a grin.
“Good.” I nodded. “You’ll set that up on the east side of the palace wall. I’ll send my illusions to the north wall.
“That’s pretty sneaky, sending the fakes in for a frontal attack,” Rana said with a devilish smile.
“We’ll draw more attention that way,” I explained. “Rana, I want you to go with Carmedy just in case she needs some backup while she’s working. Morrigan, you’ll join me at the west wall while I determine the barrier’s weak spot. Send one of your ravens with Rana and Carmedy so that we can keep each other informed.”
“Understood,” the tattooed elf said calmly.
I nodded grimly. “The fact that our assault is taking place at night should work to our advantage, but still, don’t assume that your presence will be completely undetectable simply because it’s night time. Stick to the shadows and stay close to the wall as you move around.”
“Hey, I’m a thief, remember?” Rana chuckled. “You don’t have to explain the finer points of stealth to me.”
“I know,” I said to the fox woman. “I’m just making sure we’re all on the same page. Now, as soon as your explosions are set up, Carmedy, you and Rana hurry back to join Morrigan and me. I should have determined the barrier’s vulnerability by then.”
“Then we bust in, kick some royal behind, and get Annalíse back,” the curly-haired thief said as a sudden gust of wind sent her curls into a frenzy.
“Precisely.” I nodded. “I want you all to stay sharp and follow the plan exactly unless I say otherwise. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Master,” Carmedy and Morrigan said simultaneously.
“You got it, oh dark one.” Rana raised her paw to her forehead in a salute.
We continued to ride through the night and were silent throughout the duration of most of the journey. My mind raced with the tantalizing possibilities of how I could end Alistair’s life. There were so many delightful choices, I couldn’t decide on only one.
There had been very few times that I had unleashed the amount of power I planned to use on mere mortals. For the most part, I saved my particularly gruesome tricks for the dungeon deities. This day, however, I would make an exception. Soon, my dark power would consume the worthless man, and his last desperate shrieks of terror would be added to my collection.
After hours of travel, the king’s palace finally came into view. The massive structure stretched out before us, and its imposing stature sent hulking shadows across the sand. A great wall surrounded the palace preventing us from getting a full view, but we were able to see the top halves of the buildings within. At the center was an enormous dome crafted from a material whose color resembled ivory. Several towers of the same shade of white reached up around the sides of the main building, and at the top of each one was a dome with a small golden point erupting from its top. As we drew closer, I glanced at the top of the wall and took note of the guards that strolled back and forth with spears and bows in hand.
“We’ll stop here.” I raised a hand to bring our party to a halt. One by one, we dismounted and began to talk over our plan.
“I count twenty guards at the north wall, and those are just the ones I can see,” Rana said as she studied the fortress.
“Alright then, I’ll send my illusions to the front. You two wait until the enemy is engaged to move to the east wall,” I said to Rana and Carmedy. The two women nodded in agreement, so I slowly raised my hand in front of me and got to work crafting my illusions.
I would have to use a good amount of my energy if I was going to make enough magic copies to keep the guards occupied, but I had plenty of energy to spare. I had already decided on what my illusions would look like, and what I had in mind would assuredly cause a disturbance.
My minions watched silently as an immense cloud of gray dust began to materialize in the air in front of me and separated into fifty fragments. Each piece then began to swirl and stretch. The fragments twisted round and round as human figures started to take shape. First pairs of sandaled feet, tanned limbs, dark robes and head coverings, and thick black facial hair. Each of the men was dressed identically except for the one at the front who wore a red head covering.
“Hey, that one looks like Makar,” Carmedy pointed to the man with the red kefficha. “And the other ones all look like Tal, Kala, Rashi, and uh, the other guys.”
“What better to draw the guards’ attention than the rebel army,” I said after the last illusion had formed. “Is everyone ready? You all understand your roles?”
“Yep,” Rana said as she and the other minions nodded. “Operation Princess Snatch Slash King Eradication is a go!”
“Good,” I replied. Without another word, I commanded my rebel copies to arrange themselves into a battle formation. The black cloaked men marched into their places and formed a large rectangular formation ten men wide and five long. Each of them stood at attention with spears, swords, and bows in their hands.
I made a quick gesture and dispatched my army of illusions. Without hesitation, the men sprinted into the night toward the king’s palace.
“Morrigan, send one of your ravens to fly above them so that we have a better eye on things,” I instructed the pale elf.
The white-haired woman whispered something to Macha, and the black feathered bird leapt from Morrigan’s shoulders. The raven sailed into the sky and over the heads of the army that sped toward the immense structure. Morrigan’s eyes became consumed with darkness as her sight became one with Macha’s.
“The army is swift,” the tattooed woman said with a note of surprise. “They shall reach the palace within minutes.
“What else do you expect of illusions crafted by, what did you call me earlier, a dark lord?” I said with a raised eyebrow. “Naturally they’d be swift.”
“Naturally.” Rana grinned.
Our group was quiet for a little while as we waited for Morrigan to update us.
“The illusions have reached their destination,” Morrigan finally said. “Some of the guards have spotted them and have alerted the others.”
“Looks like they’re causing quite a ruckus,” Carmedy giggled as she looked toward the palace wall. While we didn’t have the close up view that Morrigan did, from where we stood, we were still able to make out some of the frenzy that had ensued upon the arrival of the fake rebel army. The guards rushed around and shouted to one another as they spread out to take up their defensive positions along the wall. The magically crafted rebels spread out their ranks as well as they approached the wall with battle cries.
The attack had begun.
The king’s guards hurled spears at the men below and sent arrows whizzing past them, and my copies returned their fire with arrows of their own. I gathered that a few of my army’s arrows had managed to hit their marks as I watched a few guards’ bodies topple from the wall and plummet to the ground. My rebels may have been fakes, but they were quite capable of dealing real damage.
“We have managed to eliminate five guards thus far,” Morrigan updated us.
“That’s great and all but, they’re not really making much of a dent,” Rana said as we continued to watch the fray. “Only the illusions with the arrows have a chance of nailing one of those guys, the ones with swords and spears can’t really do anything.”
“Oh? I hadn’t thought of that,” I raised an eyebrow in amusement. As I spoke, I crafted one more illusion, one that unbeknownst to the others, I had already planned for.
“You have spoken prematurely Rana,” Morrigan said as a small smile came to her lips. “Several ladders have appeared at the base of the wall.”
“Several what?” Rana and Carmedy said in unison and craned their necks to see. Just as I’d planned, the replicas started to clamber their way up the side of the wall. The soldiers leaned over the sides and attempted to knock the ladders down but those that tried were met with swarms of arrows from the assailants below and were either disposed of or backed away before they tried again. Some of my rebels managed to make it over the wall and once they had, the manic energy on top of the wall only grew worse.
“Well I’ll be,” Rana breathed.
“It wouldn’t be much of a rebel attack if they were stuck fighting on the ground now would it?” I said to the fox woman with a sly grin.
“I should have known,” the red-headed thief chuckled as she shook her head.
“The soldiers are losing control of the wall,” Morrigan calmly informed us. “The rebels have managed to diminish their forces, the soldiers are calling for reinforcements.”
“Then now is the time to make our move,” I nodded. “Morrigan, keep Macha where she is for now. I want to have eyes on the situation for as long as we can. Once Rana and Carmedy get closer to the palace wall, then you can send Macha over to them.”
“Understood,” the white-haired elf replied.
“You all know what to do,” I said to my minions, and they shook their heads in affirmation with eagerness in their eyes. “Good. I want you to destroy every soldier that you see, but leave Alistair, he’s mine.”
Chapter 21
The four of us split up and raced off into the night toward the king’s palace. Carmedy and Rana broke off toward the east and Morrigan and I to the west. As the elf and I sprinted past the sand dunes and drew closer to the towering fortress, the sounds of the soldiers’ cries grew louder. Frantic orders and the clanging of sword against sword rang in the air as my shadow rebel army continued to fight.
“Some of the rebels have been eliminated,” Morrigan reported as we sped through the night. “I count six so far, but even their casualties have aided in their defense. When the soldiers struck down some rebels, they were in shock when the illusions turned into clouds of ash. The other members of our army used this to their advantage and extinguished even more of our adversaries.”
“I expected that would happen,” I said as we continued our sprint across the glittering sands. We were nearly fifty yards away from the palace wall, and so far, everything was going according to plan.
Suddenly, the sandy terrain before us started to quake. I raised a hand to signal Morrigan to stop, and together, we skidded to a halt. A deep rumbling joined the raging sounds of battle that filled the air, in time with the tremoring ground beneath us.
“Sandworms,” Morrigan hissed as she narrowed her eyes.
No sooner had the elf spoken did a semi-circle of four geysers of sand erupt from the land before us. The familiar high-pitched screeching struck the air as enormous eyeless sandworms issued forth from the spewing fountains of sand. Their brown bodies swayed as they hissed and gnashed their rows of sinister jagged teeth. Just as before, riders were saddled to the monsters, and the silver faces of their spears flashed in the moonlight. Rana’s intel hadn’t included a frontline of Valasarian sandworms, but I expected no less from a palace that was fabled to be so impenetrable.
“Why do they show themselves now?” Morrigan whispered to me as she eyed the enemies before us. “Why did they not attack the illusions?”
“I suspect that our enemies were unable to detect them,” I said to the tattooed woman as I drew the God Slayer from my void pocket. “Most likely they lie in wait beneath the sand. The worms must be sensitive to vibrations on the surface, and when they sense something, that’s when they attack. My illusions created no such vibrations, so they were able to sneak past without notice. Our plan may have failed otherwise.”
As I spoke, I tapped my weapon in the sand, and the deadly blades sprang to life from the pole. The flawless intricately carved faces of the jagged blades that jutted out from either side shone with a menacing glow, and I gripped the pole firmly as I glared at the men atop the worms.
One of the mercenaries narrowed his eyes at us from his seat atop his monstrous steed. “I recognize this woman,” he said as he turned his spear to point at Morrigan. “The abduction mission that took place hours ago, she was one of the princess’s companions.”
“Is that so?” the mercenary on the far left said bitterly as his worm hissed at us. “Two of our comrades didn’t come back from that mission.”
“Indeed, they did not,” I said without a shred of remorse. “They died by my hand, quite painfully I might add. I tore the flesh from their very bones and left their skeletons and those of their worms scattered across the sand.” A dark smile came to my lips as I recalled the sight of my victims’ carcasses.
The men gaped at me in surprise but then quickly regained their aggressive demeanor.
“You’ll pay for their deaths with your own blood,” one of the mercenaries shouted furiously as he raised his spear to the air. The four massive worms reared back their heads and sounded a series of high-pitched screeches.
Then the eyeless creatures curled in the air and dove into the sand.
“How can we fight them if we cannot detect their presence?” Morrigan growled. She whirled her head around in every direction to look at the sand that surrounded us. “They have the upper hand.”
“They think they do,” I said calmly, and I started to spin the God Slayer over my head. “They don’t know all of what I’m capable of.” As my weapon turned faster and faster, sinister red light trailed from the blades to form a disc around the arc of the halberd’s spin.
“Remarkable,” Morrigan breathed as she gazed up in awe as the blinding blood-colored light as it stretched around us to form a protective dome. She cautiously raised a pale finger to touch the light and blinked in surprise when she realized it was solid.
> In anticipation of the worms’ underground attack, I continued to stretch the light beneath our feet so that we were completely sealed inside. The barrier was complete within moments, just before three of the gigantic creatures burst from the sand. The elf woman flinched slightly as the beasts screeched ferociously and hurled their heads toward us with their malicious jaws stretched wide. They attempted to bite through the dome before they bashed their heads against its sides, but none of their feeble attempts could damage my impregnable defense. My dome wouldn’t be shattered by mere brute force, if they wanted even a chance at vanquishing us, our enemies would have to resort to more creative methods. Not that they would succeed.
Seeing that my magic infused barrier couldn’t be penetrated, Morrigan relaxed her shoulders for a second before she tensed once more when something slammed against the underside of the dome. We looked down to see the fourth sandworm beneath our feet. The vile creature snarled in protest and opened its jaws to reveal its rows of jagged teeth. It attempted to crush the dome and us inside it with its mighty jowls just as the others had, but to no avail.
“We cannot remain here,” Morrigan said as she clenched her tattooed fists. “We must move ahead with our plan.” The dome crackled with dark energy as the worms continued attacked us from all sides.
“Have Rana and Carmedy been intercepted by mercenaries and sandworms as we have?” I whispered to the elf.
“No, they continue to make their way to their destination without issue,” the white-haired woman replied.
“Good,” I said as I continued to twirl the God Slayer over my head. “I have a plan to get us out of our current situation. I want you to use Death Fog. Most likely the mercenaries will deflect it with their magic, but I only need you to keep them busy. Keep their attention on us.”
“Alright,” Morrigan said as she raised a tattooed hand to the air, “but what do you intend to do in the meantime?”
“Don’t worry about that,” I said quickly. “Just focus on keeping their attention.” I had a new ability that I wanted to test out, and these men were the perfect victims to unleash it on. I would just need a little time to set it in motion as I ensured to keep sufficient power to maintain our defenses as I worked.
