by F. P. Spirit
Glo noted that Lloyd was flushed. He obviously had little love for Dunwynn. From the sounds of it, the duchy held sway over most of northeastern Thac. Based on Lloyd’s reaction, it was not a far stretch to think they were trying to extend their reach beyond that. Glo’s previous thoughts rapidly crystallized into a very alarming possibility. The Lady Andrella’s coming of age was not just a big deal for the town of Ravenford. In fact, it would affect the entire region. If the Black Adders had been headed here now, their purpose might have been directly related to the young lady’s coming of age. They might have been planning to kidnap her, or worse. Thankfully, they had stopped them, but from what Martan had said, the Black Adders were part of a much larger organization—the Serpent Cult. If wind of their failure reached that group, they might just send someone else to do his job. The Lady Andrella could still be in serious danger.
Glo did his best to remain impassive. He would have to warn the others, but this was neither the time nor place. He would wait until later when they were alone with the Baron. Gryswold should be told of the possible danger to his daughter. Perhaps between the Ravenford forces and themselves, they could keep the young lady safe from any attempts to either take her or harm her.
While Glo mulled this over, the conversation had drifted back to the party. Elladan was speaking. “...so I take it with all these double shifts, the baron is concerned about security?”
Francis stifled another yawn. “Yeah, having the duke here is a big deal, and with all these strangers in town”—he nodded towards the wagons once again—“the baron doesn’t want to take any chances.”
“Hmmm,” Elladan murmured, “I do know a lot of those folks. Maybe I can lend a hand.”
Francis smiled at the bard. “That would be great. Maybe you can even get him to lighten up on these double shifts?”
Elladan gave the guard a half smile. “I’ll do my best.”
Glo nearly bit his tongue. Once he told the baron what he had surmised, the poor guards might actually be pulling triple shifts.
Captain Gelpas waited for them in the main hall. He led the companions down the back corridor through the throne room and into a side chamber. This was the very same room they had met the baron in after routing the bandits from the Bendenwoods. Gryswold, Gracelynn, and Andrella were already there.
Gryswold Avernos was a powerfully-built man. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, with piercing blue eyes, darkish brown hair, and a beard and mustache that same deep color. He wore simple finery of a military cut with a small herald of Ravenford emblazoned on the upper left corner. It had a background of red, white, and blue overlaid by a large black figure representing the dragon that he had slain to save the seaport town nearly twenty years ago. Gryswold stood as they entered, his expression grim. “Welcome, friends. It appears we have much to discuss since your return.”
The Lady Gracelynn Avernos stood as well. She was a tall, slender woman with porcelain skin, long chestnut hair, and bright amber eyes. A small silver circlet adorned her brow. She wore a pale blue gown emblazoned with the symbol of the God of Light, Arenor—a golden circle with six rays spreading outward. Her regal carriage gave her the appearance of one from a much larger court than a mere barony. She waved her hand towards the long wooden table that practically filled the room. “Please be seated.”
The table was surrounded by twelve chairs. All were currently unoccupied except for the one at the other end of the table. In that chair sat the Lady Andrella Avernos, a lovely young woman with strawberry blonde hair, cream-colored skin—her most prominent feature her electric blue eyes. While perhaps not quite as tall as the baroness, she carried herself with the same regal air. The young lady was garbed in an elegant green gown which set off her already dazzling eyes. Rising, she addressed them. “Welcome, good Heroes of Ravenford. Please do be seated.”
She motioned to the empty chairs on either side of her. She smiled warmly at all of them, but her eyes ultimately came to rest on Lloyd. Elladan stood beside the tall warrior. There was a twinkle in his eye as he reached up and placed a hand on Lloyd’s shoulders. “You heard the lady.”
Elladan guided Lloyd forward, making certain the young man took a seat next to the Lady Andrella. Lloyd appeared somewhat embarrassed as he sat down, his complexion turning a light shade of red. The Lady Andrella smiled demurely at him then seated herself as well. Elladan took the seat next to Lloyd. Once seated, his eyes sought out Glo and he winked. Glo could not help but smile.
Gryswold sent Gelpas to fetch Martan. In the meantime, they discussed the encounter with the Black Adders in the Dead Forest. When Martan finally arrived, Gryswold bade him to sit down next to him. The baron then addressed Aksel. “Cleric Aksel, I understand you have a proposal for speeding up this investigation.”
Aksel rose from his seat. “I do, your Lordship. There’s a spell I can cast which will cause all parties present to speak only the truth.”
Gracelynn smiled with approval. “Oh, yes. I know of that spell. I should have thought of it myself. Very clever, Cleric Aksel.”
“Thank you, Lady.” Aksel nodded politely.
Gryswold gave him a curt smile. “Very well, please proceed.”
Aksel’s face took on an expression of deep concentration. His hands moved in a complex circular pattern in front of him. When he finally released the magic, a golden circle emanated outward, encompassing the entire room.
Glo had never seen this spell before. Interestingly, he did not feel any different. “How does the spell work?”
Aksel’s tone was grim. “It stops you from speaking any intentional lies. Go ahead. Try it.”
Glo tried to lie. “I am a hu... I am a hum...” His mouth froze each time he tried to tell the lie. Interesting.
“Well then, that seems to be working,” Gryswold noted. He turned to face Martan. “Now then, Master Martan, tell us your story.”
The archer proceeded to relate his tale once more. He repeated it exactly the way he had told the companions, and later Captain Gelpas. When he was done, there was no doubt of his sincerity. Gryswold addressed the archer, his tone apologetic. “Well then, Master Martan, you were obviously an unwilling participant in all this. You have also told us much we would not have otherwise known. You have the gratitude of Ravenford.”
Martan stared at the baron and the baroness with clear disbelief. “That’s it then? I’m free to go?”
The baron nodded. “Yes, Master Martan, you are free.”
Elladan stood and strode across to where the archer sat, at the same time reaching into a pouch at his belt. He pulled out some coins and set them down on the table in front of Martan. “Here, as the baron said, you gave us a lot of information. This is for your time and trouble.”
Martan eyed the proffered coins and then peered up at Elladan, mixed emotions playing across his face.
“Are you sure?”
The baron gazed at Elladan with clear respect. “Wish I had thought of that myself. Go ahead,” he urged the archer, “You’ve earned them.”
Martan’s eyes glistened. His voice was choked with emotion. “That is... the first act of kindness... anyone has shown me in a long time.” He picked up the coins, stood and gazed around the table. “Thank you. Thank all of you.”
“Very good,” Gryswold pronounced. “Gelpas, please have our friend Martan here escorted out of the castle—and have that body brought in as well.”
Gelpas bid Martan to follow him and the two of them left the room. Once they were gone, Gryswold turned to face the others. The smile faded from his lips. “Well now, we know a lot, but there is still a lot we don’t know. If you are up to it, Cleric Aksel, perhaps we can see what this dark wizard was up to.”
Aksel rose from his seat once more. “I’ll try my best, your Lordship.”
Séance
The disembodied head spun around the r
oom, glaring at everyone there
Aksel spent the next few minutes in prayer. It wasn’t long before Gelpas returned. He opened the door and let two guards in. They were carrying an object wrapped in cloth—the dead mage’s body. They carefully placed it in the center of the table. As they stepped back, the Lady Andrella leaned over and whispered to Lloyd. Glo heard the entire conversation with his keen elven ears.
“This is a bit gruesome.”
“Don’t worry, my lady. I would never let anything happen to you.”
Andrella gazed up at the tall young man, her expression softening. “Why, thank you.”
The guards left the room. Gelpas closed the door behind them and rejoined the others. Aksel now stood quietly at the center of the table, facing the body. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in deep concentration as he prepared the spell that would allow him to speak to the dead.
Glo had spoken to Aksel about it the night before. It would appear as if Voltark’s spirit had returned to speak with them. That would not be the case though. The spell would actually be tapping into the memories of the body. According to Aksel, the body retained an imprint of the soul, even after death. With this spell, one could gain access to those memories. The mechanics of the spell were quite complex, and thus it would take a number of minutes to cast.
Aksel was well into the process now. The entire room did their best to remain silent while the little cleric stood over the body. Glo, used to channeling magic, could feel the buildup of mana radiating from Aksel. The cleric drew in divine power bit by bit, creating a slow, massive buildup. After ten full minutes of preparation, Aksel was finally ready. He placed his hands over the corpse and let the divine magic flow out of his fingertips and into the body. He finished the spell with the words, “Mortuus Loquere.”
The corpse glowed with a golden-white hue for a few moments, and then the effect faded. Aksel stood back and took a deep breath. As he did so, rays of golden white light began to radiate from the body. They intersected at a point about three feet above the corpse. A moment later, a black spot appeared in the air at that point. It slowly expanded outward until it was a hole about three feet in diameter. Waves of darkness emanated from the void, and an eerie, icy feeling crept across the room. Glo shuddered involuntarily.
A semi-transparent, light grey cloud appeared in the center of that empty space. The cloud coalesced and in a few moments formed into the image of a head. The visage floated there in the middle of the black hole three feet above the dark wizard’s corpse. It had the features of the mage, Voltark. The disembodied head spun around the room, glaring at everyone there. Glo was impressed. This memory of Voltark was quite vivid, right down to the scowl on the mage’s face. His eyes swept across the table to see the others’ reactions.
The baron stared back at it grimly, looking as if he was ready to wrestle with the dark mage single-handedly. Gracelynn, in contrast, appeared cool and calm, merely fixing the image with an icy stare. Gelpas stood at the baron’s side, his posture defensive, ready to protect his liege if need be. Lloyd had a look of fascination on his face. In contrast, poor Andrella seemed quite unnerved. When the head turned toward her, she grabbed Lloyd’s arm and buried her face in his shoulder. A tender expression crossed the young man’s face. He whispered to the young lady, “Don’t let it frighten you. It isn’t real.”
Lloyd glared back at the visage. The disembodied face laughed noiselessly, then turned away. Elladan appeared completely unimpressed by the floating head. As the head spun toward Seth, a wicked smile crossed the halfling’s face. He drew his dagger and raised it in front of him. He pointed to the dagger and then toward Voltark. He repeated the motion a couple of times until the face scowled at him. Abruptly it turned away.
The reaction elicited a number of grins from around the table. They soon faded as Aksel cleared his throat. He spoke to the visage in a commanding tone, “You who were known as Voltark in this life, we have called you here to answer our questions.”
The head slowly turned toward Aksel. It floated there, regarding him disdainfully, but remained silent. Aksel tried again. “Why were you headed to Ravenford?”
Voltark’s visage continued to glare at him. Aksel’s expression remained stern, his brow still furrowed with concentration. He tried once more in that same commanding tone. “What was your mission here?”
The bodiless apparition refused to respond. It continued to glower at him. Aksel turned toward the baron, exasperation clearly written across his face. “I’m sorry, your Lordship. I can’t seem to control him.”
Gryswold’s disappointment was also quite apparent. He let out a deep sigh. “Very well, end this.”
Aksel waved his hands in front of the disembodied head and the image slowly dissolved. As it faded away, a few chilling words escaped its incorporeal lips. “You’ll be sorry... they’ll enthrall... you all...”
A chill ran up Glo’s spine. What did Voltark mean by that? And why specifically use the word enthrall?
Glo gazed at Aksel, but the little cleric’s eyes were firmly locked on to the image of the mage. Finally, the visage faded. The glow from the body dissipated and the corpse returned to normal. The oppressiveness in the room lifted, and Andrella noticeably relaxed. She suddenly realized that she was holding onto Lloyd’s arm and let go, blushing.
“Are you alright, my lady?” Lloyd asked.
“I’m... fine. Thank you,” she responded, though color continued to bloom over her face.
Voltark’s departing words still haunted Glo. He tried to catch Elladan’s attention, but the bard was too busy staring at Lloyd and Andrella. Glo sighed, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself. Voltark’s visage had obviously unsettled Andrella, and he did not want to add to her discomfort. It was bad enough that she might be the Serpent Cult’s target.
Aksel apologized once again to the baron. “Sorry, your Lordship, he was an evil man, and thus difficult to control. If you want to hold the body, I can try again a week from now.”
Gryswold opened his mouth to reply when Gracelynn interjected. “Although it would be good to try this again, we have Andrella’s party coming up. With all the planned festivities, I think it would put a damper on things knowing this dark creature’s vessel still resides in the keep.”
The baron exchanged a brief glance with his wife then nodded his head in agreement. “You are very wise, my dear. Glolindir, as Maltar’s apprentice, do you think you could take the body to him and ask if he could keep it under wraps until we are ready to try again?”
Glo needed to report to Maltar anyway. He had not seen him since he got back, and he owed the wizard a visit. “I most certainly can, your Lordship.”
Gryswold’s relief was quite plain. “Very good. Captain Gelpas, please have the body removed and prepared for transport.”
“Yes, my lord.” Gelpas went to the door and motioned the two guards who had brought the body back inside. They hauled the corpse out of the room. Gelpas addressed Glo. “If you wait by the front gate, I’ll have the body brought to you.” The captain then left to follow the guards.
Gryswold took his wife’s hand, and they rose together. “Now that that’s settled, we can concentrate on Andrella’s birthday party. Thank you for coming, everyone.”
The companions stood and shuffled toward the door. Glo tarried behind, waiting for the baron and baroness. He hoped to pull them aside to discuss his concerns about Voltark’s mission and the safety of their daughter. Andrella was still seated at the other end of the table. Her eyes were fixed on Lloyd as the young man headed for the door.
Elladan halted at the doorway, Lloyd stopping just behind him. The bard turned toward the baron and baroness. “Your Lordship?”
“Yes, Elladan?”
“I understand there are some concerns about security with all these strangers in town.”
The baron glanced at
Gracelynn, and they both nodded. “Yes, that has been on our minds.”
“I might be able to help with that. I am very familiar with the entertainers’ community. I could keep an eye on them quite easily without them knowing the wiser.”
Gryswold and Gracelynn held a brief whispered conversation. When they were done, the baron turned back to Elladan, a broad smile spreading across his face. “Thank you, Elladan. We accept your generous offer. In fact, we would like to put you in charge of the entertainment for our daughter’s party.”
“Would you be so kind as to emcee for us and handle the arrangement of performances?” Gracelynn added.
Elladan appeared genuinely touched. He replied with a bow and a flourish. “Why, I would be honored, your lord and Ladyship.” He stood back up and gave them a half smile. “I’ll head down and check out the performers’ camp in a few minutes—but first, let’s start with the guest of honor.”
The bard turned around and grabbed Lloyd by the arm, dragging him back toward the Lady Andrella. Lloyd had a puzzled expression on his face, but let Elladan lead him. They stopped in front of Andrella. “Lady Andrella, my drummer and I would love to play all your favorite songs. I need to go down and check out the camp, but maybe you could sit here with him and make a list?”
Lloyd gazed at Elladan, wide-eyed. His skin flushed, but otherwise he remained silent. Andrella began to blush as well. Abruptly she realized that all eyes in the room were on her. The young lady composed herself and responded graciously, “Why, thank you, good bard. I would be happy to provide your drummer with such a list.”
“Thank you,” Elladan said. He pushed Lloyd down into the seat next to Andrella. The young man did not resist, although he was quite red in the face.
Elladan headed back toward the door, a mirthful glint in his eye. Meanwhile, Andrella began dictating her list. “Now, let’s start with the classics...”
