Chronicles of Den'dra: A Land Torn: Ancient Powers Awaken

by Spencer Johnson

  “No friend of yours is going to change anything. Now I think that a hundred gold coin would be enough to convince me to overlook your indiscretion.”

  “What indiscretion might that be?” Rorale stopped mid-sentence as he looked at the lieutenant lounging at the table

  “This matter doesn’t involve you lieutenant.” Rorale turned back to Fenar.

  “Actually my friend as key to our discussion. Allow me to introduce Ildroth of house Inarack. It was my understanding that house Inarack was the authority in the Garoche regions.” At Fenar’s introduction Rorale choked for a second. Before Illiad had united the warring clans, clan Inarack had been the one that held the majority of the Garoche regions. They had been allied with Illiad’s father and had united with Illiad during the wars. As a reward they had retained a small degree of autonomy in the Garoche. The crown was still the final authority but for local matters house Inarack held authority. Reigns had managed to nullify most of this autonomy with his appointment of land masters loyal to himself. As such there was a degree of animosity between the land masters and the nobles.

  “Lieutenant Ildroth.” Rorale seemed to take courage from the fact that he was not confronted with a senior member of the house but only one of the younger sons.

  “I will leave you two to settle the details.” Fenar nodded to Ildroth and made her exit. Across the room she slipped into a servant’s door and watched the conversation. Ildroth had been asked to sponsor the Golden Thistle shortly before construction began. The rash young noble had at first thought it beneath his dignity but had eventually been convinced that it was in everyone's best interests if the Golden Thistle fell under his name’s protection.

  The initially civil conversation grew rapidly heated. Rorale had thought to hide behind his title of land master in order to maintain his claim on the Golden Thistle. He felt that Fenar should work the inn and that he should get a portion of the profits simply because he was land master. Ildroth countered that house Inarack held jurisdiction and that if he were to bypass the land master it was entirely within his right to do so.

  Fenar watched with an amused expression on her face as the two men argued. Ildroth was a young noble from an old house with an ego to accompany his name while the land master was a stubborn fool without the intuition to realize that his squabble over a few gold coin was forever losing any chance he had of ingratiating himself with house Inarack. He thought that his appointment by the Chancellor was of such a high standard that even the nobles in his fiefdom should recognize his authority. Ildroth whose family had held the Garoche for generations was not about to recognize any authority from a land master appointed by the Chancellor who shouldn’t have had the right in the first place according to the agreements signed during the onset of the clan wars. To say as much out loud would call down the chancellor's wrath so the argument was reduced to stations.

  Ildroth’s as a noble by birth and Rorale’s by appointment. The claim based on time or the one based on the claims of a parchment. Neither was willing to concede that the other had a better claim. Ildroth was doing his little cold indifference routine and Rorale was turning red. It was clear who had the upper hand. Ildroth after a few minutes of trying to convince the pig headed land master was getting annoyed. Finally after the pointless argument was carried on for several minutes with no sign of the land master giving up on his intended gains Ildroth had taken all he was willing to.

  The lieutenant had acquired a glazed expression by the time Rorale had finished a lengthy explanation. Instead of responding Ildroth reached inside his uniform and pulled out a talisman. When he placed it on the desk Rorale sat back with a surprised expression. Ildroth said something that scared the burgomeister who gathered his hat and cloak and left without saying a single word.

  “How did you convince him?” Fenar asked after watching Rorale stomp out the door.

  “He recognized this.” Ildroth moved his hand and uncovered the talisman. Fenar involuntarily stepped back as soon as she recognized the oak and signet ring talisman given to Reign’s agents.

  “Playing both sides now?” Fenar glanced back to Ildroth who was sipping his glass of Garoche Red.

  “You have to admit that it does have certain benefits doesn’t it. Reigns gave me the talisman a week ago. Seems a person in my position is useful to him.”

  “You should have told us as soon as you got it.” Fenar took a seat opposite the table.

  “I heard that the Asgare and the Chancellor were not on very good terms with each other and didn’t want get involved in a blood feud.” Ildroth glanced up at Fenar with a slightly worried expression. He had acquired a healthy respect for the Asgare’s organization since his first encounter

  “Nonsense. You do seem to like burning the candle at multiple ends but as long as you remember who your friends are. We don’t hold grudges.”

  “I should hope not. It would be nice to be able to leave off taking this antidote every few days though. When can I speak with the Asgare? I have been waiting for weeks now without being told anything.” Ildroth glared warily. Fenar may not be holding a grudge but Ildroth had and ego with a mortal wound that had received little in the way of treatment from the assassin's organization. On top of that he lived in fear of the slow poison that Tusul had forced him to ingest during that first fateful encounter.

  “I already told you that he can’t meet with you right now. It really isn’t up to me whether or not Tusul gives you the final antidote.” Fenar smiled sweetly much to Ildroth’s annoyance.

  “I need to speak with him. It is urgent.” Ildroth had a look that indicated that he was resolved.

  “How do you know that the Asgare is a man?” Fenar laughed as Ildroth realized his mouth was hanging open.

  “Are you...?” Ildroth trailed off as he stared at Fenar.

  “Now now darling, I'm not the Asgare.”

  “Perhaps then I should speak to the big man with the mask.” Ildroth raised an eyebrow at Fenar.

  “Send Danryn to see Tusul and I'm sure another meeting can be arranged.” Fenar saw that she had hit her mark as Ildroth twitched.

  “That won’t be necessary. Can you tell me when I might be able to speak with the Asgare?”

  “I really can’t say. What I do know is that he isn’t in this region. When he returns is anyone’s guess.” Fenar left Ildroth to brood over his glass of wine in peace. Leaving the room she went to the cellar and opened the hidden door. A minute later she was knocking on the door at Brounn’s establishment. When he opened the door she stepped into his cellar.

  “So how did it go?” Brounn took his habitual position at his table.

  “More or less as expected. Rorale appeared and demanded a bribe. He was so brazen as to name an amount.” Fenar took a seat opposite Brounn and pulled a fan from a sleeve.

  “Really? How much did he want?” Brounn and Fenar had been opposed over whether or not it was more prudent to anger the burgomeister. Brounn was of the mind that it would be safer to simply give over the bribes to the man. Fenar had won out with the argument that she wanted the Golden Thistle to acquire a reputation of being honest and on the level.

  “He wanted a hundred gold coin to make him forget not having gotten asked permission for starting construction. He was about to start explaining what else he wanted when Ildroth interrupted him.” Fenar was fanning herself absently as she spoke.

  “We could have afforded that. It wouldn’t have been much compared to what you have already spent.

  “Oh don’t be silly. He would have come back again and again with demands for ever increasing sums. Tusul really is a genius. He rigged up some sort of system for pulling cool air out of the cellar and out the roof. Sometimes a bit moist and musty but so much more comfortable.” Fenar slipped back a strand of loose hair.

  “I like my establishment the way it is. Tusul is always trying to change it. So how did Ildroth manage to convince Rorale to leave you alone?” Brounn swatted at a fly that had managed to find its way in
to the back room.

  “Ildroth argued with him for several minutes. I hadn’t realized that the man was so pig headed. Ildroth actually had to pull on one of his new connections in order to shut the man up.”

  “New connections?” Brounn raised an eyebrow this time.

  “It seems that he has managed to get himself a medallion from Reigns. He is a double agent.” Fenar smashed the fly with a flick of her wrist.

  “Is it going to be a problem?” Brounn asked apprehensively.

  “I don’t know yet. He is afraid of you so I don’t know if he is because he is playing us or if he wouldn’t risk it.”

  “It might be a good idea to keep an eye on him. Until we are sure we will have to verify everything he says.”

  “Ah, my motto. Trust but verify.” Fenar laughed.

  “So what are you going to be having Ildroth doing now?” Brounn changed the subject.

  “I think that he will be staying in one of my rooms for the time being. He hasn’t said much but he did say that he is the Inarack representative keeping an eye on Warton. He is probably going to be in the area a lot.”

  “Hmm, that’s good. It will be easier to keep an eye on him. He doesn’t know about the inn does he?” Brounn was referring to the alterations to the building.

  “No but he suspects. He refuses to meet anyone in the inn but always leaves. I will have my agents keep me updated as to his actions when he leaves the inn. By the way, he is asking about the Asgare. Do you have any updates about him?” Fenar eyed another fly that buzzed nearby.

  “I'm actually a little worried. Emeck hasn’t made contact in over two weeks. Either he is too far south or else...” Brounn offhandedly gave the information. Fenar knew that he was worried. Rakyr used to be the same way.

  “By south how far do you mean?” Fenar inquired pointedly.

  “Well, if Emeck is near as strong as I think he is then the Asgare is at least as far as the Draeld. Otherwise Emeck and or both of them met an untimely demise.”

  “The Draeld. That is a long ways south. His son must be resourceful.” Fenar nodded thoughtfully.

  “His adopted son and yes. Skeln managed to elude him within two days even though the Asgare was only two hours behind.” Brounn snorted.

  “Adopted? He didn’t ever strike me as the family type but adopting?”

  “He said it started as part of his cover but the kid grew on him and now Reigns is after the lad. The Asgare is probably trying to save Skeln as much to spite Reigns as any other reason.” Brounn chuckled as Fenar threw him a black look.

  “Or he could just be worried about what Reigns might do to his son.” Fenar gathered her dress and stood up.

  “Could be. Whatever the reason. Be careful Valkyrie.” Brounn went back to his work as Fenar returned through the hidden passage.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Urake, are you there?” Urake sat up in his cell. It was early in the morning. He had not had any visitors in the last few days accept for the meals handed through the bars by silent guards. Not even the enigmatic elven woman had visited in the last couple days. Now he was sure the isolation had begun to get to him.

  “Essdra said that this shouldn’t be so hard. URAKE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” Urake realized that he wasn’t imagining things. Emeck had developed an additional telepathic ability. Lowering his guards Urake formed a response.

  “You don’t need to scream. How are you doing and what is this about Essdra?” Urake sensed a disturbance in his thoughts that he was only able to equate with jubilance. He guessed that Emeck’s emotions were spilling over through the link.

  “I'm fine. Essdra is worried that I might accidentally kill someone else so she is trying to force me to control my abilities. How about you?” Emeck sounded alright if not a little excited about his new breakthrough.

  “I'm alright. The food is alright but the company is not much on conversation.” Urake made light of his isolation.

  “I'm sorry. I have to go.” Emeck abruptly broke contact leaving Urake alone again.

  “Did he hear you?” Essdra was standing on the other side of the bars from Emeck with her traditional scowl.

  “It took a few tries before he heard me then he told me to stop screaming.” Emeck watched as Essdra flinched.

  “He responded?” The elven woman pursed her lips and thought for a minute.

  “He said that the food is good but that his guards don’t talk.”

  “The Asgare is more skilled than I had thought. UnGifted humans are rarely able to form coherent thoughts and convey communication.” Essdra sneered.

  “You don’t like humans do you.” Emeck watched Essdra tense.

  “Stay out of my head.” Emeck stepped back as Essdra snarled at him.

  “I didn’t have to get in your head. Every time you mention humans you sneer or scowl.” Urake received another scowl.

  “Some insight. The elves are at war with humans. How do you think I like humans.”

  “If you hate humans so much why are you being nice to me?” Emeck queried inquisitively.

  “I'm not being nice. I'm just trying to make sure that you don’t kill anyone.”

  “You are training me and I'm getting stronger. How do you know that I can’t intentionally hurt someone now?” Emeck stepped back up to the bars and looked Essdra in the eyes.

  “I... I have my reasons. Elves are naturally able to block lower level telepaths so you shouldn’t have been able to hurt any of us.” Essdra turned to leave.

  “I guess I will see you later.” Emeck leaned against the bars.

  “Probably not.”

  “I'm sorry if I said something to offend you. Please don’t be angry.” Emeck was afraid he had offended his only visitor.

  “You are doing well. Better than expected for a human. Watch your friend’s mind and be careful.” Essdra left with her cryptic warning hanging in the air. Urake had just finished his food when Essdra appeared outside his cell.

  “So you have been training Emeck?” Essdra simply pursed her lips and scowled.

  “I have my reasons for training him.” Essdra glanced at the two guards and motioned towards the door. They obeyed promptly leaving the two of them alone.

  “What might these reason be? I thought that you were worried about him being dangerous?” Urake waited as Essdra appeared conflicted.

  “The council is split three ways. Some of them think that you should be executed for your crimes. Among them the crime of corrupting Skeln’den’hal. Another group thinks that you might be recruited to fight for us. Without the sword that is. Personally I support this group not that I like you but that brings me to the third group. By far the minority group but the group my superior belongs to. They think that this son that you are searching for is the one referred to in prophecy. They also believe that you should be freed to continue your search. Unfortunately they also believe that if your son is a Dragon Lord then Skeln’den’hal is required for your task.” Essdra had taken to pacing back and forth as she talked.

  “I don’t see how training Emeck fits into this story.” Urake received one of Essdra’s glares.

  “I'm getting to that. Unfortunately Skeln’den’hal is resisting any efforts to move it so we will have to skip that part of the plan. I was training Emeck so that the two of you can have a chance of escaping.”

  “What are you saying?” Urake was confused by Essdra’s actions.

  “Humans can be so simple minded sometimes. It’s a wonder they haven’t gone extinct already.” Essdra rolled her eyes after insulting the human race.

  “And elves are so stuck up that it isn’t the least bit surprising that Reigns was able to convince humanity that you mean to destroy us all. Funny when you think that he is half elf himself.” Essdra bristled at Urake’s jibe.

  “That creature is no elf.”

  “I don’t know about that. He is a lot older than any living human.” Urake prodded Essdra for more information. He was suspicious that she was trying to lure him
into a trap.

  “He is half dark elf. Their miserable race has been all but wiped from Den'dra.” Essdra clearly hated these dark elves more than she hated humans.

  “Why would you want to help me escape?” Urake scrutinized Essdra. Her face was conflicted for a moment before she answered.

  “I have my orders. Emeck is monitoring your mind. Tell him to say morningstar out loud twice.” Essdra gave the cryptic order and waited for Urake to comply.

  “Does your honor prevent you from killing an unarmed man? Is it better if I die in an escape attempt?” Urake wasn’t about to give any of the elves an excuse to execute him.

  “Fool! I'm trying to help you escape. If you don’t do as I say, you will rot in this cell forever while the council argues about your fate. Every minute you waste is a minute that will cost you dearly to recover.”

  “I am only trying to make sure that this isn’t a trap. What will happen when he says morningstar twice?”

  “His guards are under orders like myself. They will escort him to an agreed upon meeting place.” Essdra was getting impatient over Urake’s reluctance.

  “Why do I have to send the message?” Urake wondered why Essdra wasn’t the one making sending the commands if she was in charge.

  “You have a death wish. I'm under suspicion because of who I'm loyal to. They are monitoring me. If I sent the message to the guards that it was time then our plan would be given away. The people monitoring me are afraid of Emeck so they won’t risk monitoring him. Send the message now before it is too late.”

  “He says that he is being moved. How are we supposed to be escaping? Are you just going to take us out of the city and dump us in the forest?” Urake stepped back as Essdra unlocked the door of the cell and handed him a long cloak like those the guards wore. From a distance he appeared elven to any observers.

  “More or less.” Essdra checked the hallway before stepping out.

  “I'm defenseless. I would prefer my weapons back.” Essdra scowled at him before pulling her cloak back and revealing Urake’s arsenal minus Ice Heart.