CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Impostor
The first reports had reached the palace, stating that the army of Therwold had successfully confronted the raiding barbarian troops invading the duchy. With the leadership of marquis Fonderlic, they managed to chase the enemy away and they initiated a counterattack. The Black Spear legion infiltrated the territory of the East Barbarians to deter them from attempting future raids. The war had officially broken out and now I had to involve as many countries in the conflict as possible in order to establish the turmoil that was so crucial for my race. This would create a situation that was beneficial for us to take control over the world of humans and other races. I was proud of myself to have implemented the plan that I had devised so many years ago. Now I could watch it unfolding it before my very eyes. Duchess Victoria seemed to have calmed down too, she wasn’t shouting at me like she was a few days ago. Although, such a sudden and drastic change of mood was slightly suspicious for me. If she were to give one more sign of suspicion, I would arrange to get her out of the way immediately. I entered the throne room where the Chancellor and the counsellor were waiting for me excitedly.
“Greetings, your Excellency,” the foot lickers said, bowing to me.
“We have been impatiently looking forward to your arrival. There would be certain matters to discuss, sir,” the Chancellor cut to the chase.
“Great, I want to hear the list, Velron.”
“First of all, your majesty approves the food import order?”
“Yes, we are in dire need of filling up the storages to compensate the food shortage.”
“Tomorrow, I will send the merchants with a ducal command to bring the necessary crops into the country before the winter.”
“Are our troops staying at the southern border rested and well trained, counsellor Uliror?” I turned to the rather obese man.
“They are the best, sir, I can assure you. They are fresh and ready to fight.”
“How much time does it take the vassals to mobilize them to be in full military preparedness?”
“At least two weeks, sir. Are you considering getting ready for an attack?”
“I have obtained information that the orcs and the goblins are preparing for a war in Birwulf. I am not going to wait for them to initiate an assault first. I will strike them down with a preventive attack.”
“We have been living at peace with them for nearly a century. What benefit would they derive from attacking us?”
“Counsellor, it is I who makes the decisions. Is our army strong enough to be victorious with an unexpected attack?”
“I believe it is, sir, but this could set the north ablaze!”
“I am willing to make sacrifices if the security of my people is at stake. Chancellor, send it as an order to the nobles of the southern border that they must mobilize all the available soldiers. As soon as the army has gathered, I will lead the assault personally. Notify our allies as well, the duchies of Eregorn and Argviran, as well as the dwarfs of Tarmaria and Irwaldia. If necessary, I expect them to deploy their armies against the mutual enemy for the purposes of our agreement.”
“Yes, your Excellency.”
“Uliror, do you have any news of the East Barbarians?”
“Commander Fonderlic has reported about having ravaged some villages alongside the border as determent. Resistance was minimal. Now he is waiting for your command whether to retreat or not.”
“To retreat? Absolutely not, he should carry on. Those barbarians need a huge slap to come to their senses. He should invade at least a few major settlements.”
“Your Excellency, I wouldn’t suggest enraging them any more than this, they can be dangerous adversaries, not to mention that they have thousands of well trained warriors. This was enough to let them know that raids on the villages at the border will not be tolerated anymore.”
“I don’t share your opinion. We should exude power and not hide in our realm like a snail hides in its shell. Chancellor, deliver the command that they should proceed to the center of the country.”
“Yes, my lord, I will file it among your decrees. We will only need you to sign and stamp it in order to ratify it.”
The door of the throne room opened and Victoria entered hand in hand with Arion, escorted by the guards.
“What winds blow you here, dear wife?” I asked when they arrived to the throne.
“You wished to see your son, so I thought we would visit you for a little while. I do hope we haven’t interrupted anything.”
“I believe we have discussed the most important matters with the gentlemen,” I said, giving the men a firm glare.
“Indeed, all that is left is insignificant,” answered the Chancellor, taking a bow to the Duchess.
“That can wait. Now, I have the possibility to spend some time with my son and wife – you may leave now, we will continue this later,” I said.
“As you wish, your majesty.” They bowed and left.
“How are you, son?” I stood up from the throne and stepped closer to the blonde boy who was still holding his mother’s hand.
“I am good, dad. Where is Brutus? I want to play with him.”
“Unfortunately he has fallen ill. I had to lock him in a cage until he gets better,” I said as I stroked his head. I was feeling sick. I detested humans, especially children. They wanted to know everything, they always just ran around and played, hustling the adults. They were always in the way.
“That dog has never been ill, what happened to him that lay him low so suddenly?” Victoria asked.
“Far be it from me to know. He almost attacked me, he seemed to have raving madness.”
“What could have gotten into that poor animal?”
“I will do my best to help him recover, I wouldn’t take it to heart if something were to happen to him.”
“You are really fond of that animal, my dear husband. Tell me, Orlond, will you be in your bureau this afternoon as well?”
“It is possible, why are you asking?”
“I thought that we could go on an excursion in the mountains, like we used to.”
“Today is not suitable, Victoria, but I promise to find time for you too. Alright?” I winked at the boy who broke into a smile.
“Alright, dear husband. Arion, say goodbye to your father. We shouldn’t take more of his time.”
“Bye, dad!” the little rascal waved to me.
“Goodbye! Won’t you give a kiss to your husband?” I asked the Duchess since it was a habit of hers. A muscle seemed to twitch on her face.
“Of course, my love.”
She leaned to me and kissed my lips but it felt emotionless. It was rigid like a frosty breath. I found it rather strange since she was behaving differently during the first few days when I took the Duke’s place. These seemed like minor changes but they aroused my suspicions that have only grown. They walked out of the throne room and left me alone with my thoughts. Today, I had to give a report to the Council of Elders that I had commenced the preparations to break out the war. Finally, these monkey-descendants will know what it means when the flames of hell hover above their heads! Early in the afternoon, I retreated to my room to get in touch with my brothers. I took my crystal ball and whispered the secret words.
The ball flared up a violet blue color and slowly the silhouettes of one of the wrinkled elders emerged within.
“Master Kurdizam! I wish to give a report about the advancements of the last days.”
“Go ahead, young End’horis, I am listening.”
“Thanks to my actions, wars are beginning to erupt in the north. I deployed an army to the East Barbarians and soon, I will go to war against Birwulf. This way I can drag the ally of the duchies into the conflict, together with the dwarfs and Irwaldia.”
“This are wonderful news, son. Our time might finally arrive to step out of the shadows and take control over the races of the surface. We have also initiated the next phase of the plan and got a hold on new position
s.”
My excellent hearing let me hear shouting and clinking of steel blades from the outside. My guards were combating attackers.
“What is going on there, End’horis?” Kurdizam asked.
“I don’t know, but I must leave now. Tell everyone that everything is happening according to our plan. You can also continue as we had discussed. I will get back to you later. Message over.”
I quickly hid the crystal ball and grabbed the granite statue in case I might need it. There was a huge standing mirror on the wall, I couldn’t do anything else but wait. The only way out was the door because the hall was at the height of about sixty feet.
The door burst open and the giant body of Colossus fell inside, dashing against the wall. His enormous broadsword flew out of his hands, he tried to get back on his feet in his full plate armor, grunting loudly. What could bring about such a force that was capable of simply dashing away such a giant-sized orc warrior in full plate armor? I squeezed the little statue so much that blood bubbled out of my fingers. Whoever was about to enter the hall would face a dreadful surprise. I was gazing ahead forcefully and waited for the intruders. Within a second, a grey-bearded old man appeared in a pitch-black caftan, holding a staff with an open-winged eagle in his right hand. But this was the Arch Mage of the court! I was astonished. He muttered incomprehensible words as he pointed at the orc captain who just managed to stand up. The orc was immediately rendered immobile.
“What is this audacity, Motari? How do you dare attack my guards?” I yelled at him, out of my mind.
“Calm down, your majesty, we will explain everything.”
A bestubbled, middle-aged man of good strength entered the hall, grey locks were hiding amidst his dark brown hair. He seemed familiar from somewhere. His gaze exuded confidence, his features suggested that he was used to giving orders. This was the Inquisitor Master from Tizland. The one who was invited to the same dinner I attended at Bishop Burron’s house. He was wearing plate armor with a tasset, his knight’s sword was colored with blood. What was this about, had they discovered my secret?
The intruders entered the room one by one. There was a goat-bearded, grizzled man wearing a frock who also looked familiar from the dinner. Two younger slit-eyed girls entered too, they were the spitting images of each other. One of them was wearing dark brigandine armor and holding two swords, the other was probably a priestess, based on her garments. A tall man and a shorter man followed them, both in full plate armor. They must have been knights, their armor showed signs of having fought in many battles. At last, a middle-aged man entered who seemed to be a bald monk. I recognized him from the dinner too, these were all Inquisitors.
“What is this all about, Arch Mage, what are these people doing here?” I pointed at the people surrounding me, expecting him to respond.
“I will explain, your majesty! Let me introduce myself, my name is Master Noan Filirio, consecrated paladin of Dermeron, and we have come for you. We will arrest you in the name of the Inquisition. If you resist, we will use armed force.” The grizzled paladin stood in front of me confidently.
There was only one possibility left to me. I must take their time a little longer until the mirror demon would arrive.
“What are you thinking, this is high treason! You cannot just arrest me like a common criminal, I am the lord of Therwold!”
“Silence, usurper! You are anything but Duke Orlond!” Motari smacked his staff on the ground, his voice ringing throughout the hall. “You are not even a human but a bloody shapeshifter! Tell us, how did you manage to exchange bodies with the Duke?”
“Are you out of your mind, Arch Mage? Have all those charms finally driven you to insanity?”
“Enough pretending, we know your secret. We have come here to capture you, let’s not waste our precious time. Funny, Stout, tie his hands. We will leave instantly to the Grand Bastion fortress, we only have to wait for the Duchess,” Noan said to his men.
So, my wife was involved too. I should have known that she was only pretending. That must have been why she had been acting strangely over the last few days. That fight on the day of our son’s birthday must have triggered it all, that’s when our relationship started to deteriorate. Finally, the time had come for what I had been waiting for.
“I don’t think that this will happen, Master Inquisitor,” I could see in the corner of my eyes how Gideur was slowly crawling out of the mirror.
“Kill them all!” I ordered the mirror demon.
Everyone trembled when they saw the creature that appeared from the mirror, the air froze in the hall. The mirror demon’s motionless, sulphur-yellow eyes gazed at the people around me, its frail body might have confused many but I knew what dreadful and grand power it possessed. It raised its clawed hands and pointed at the tall knight who stood the closest. Before anyone could make a move, the enormous broadsword lying on the ground flew to the air, and obeying invisible forces, it stabbed through its victim. The man in the plate armor yelled and dropped dead amidst clattering noises. One was out of the game, I smiled.
“Stout! To the flames of hell, I will disembowel you, you nasty little creep!” Noan shouted at Gideur.
“Watch out, this is a demon. I can sense the darkness in it! Hold it back as long as you can so that I may exorcize it!” Motari yelled, then he started wildly chanting with its staff in his hand.
“Demon or not, I will screw its neck!” the bald monk shouted as he rolled his staff around his body.
The priest and one of the twin girls went to the dying knight to try to help him. The swordwielders instantly started an attack, but something strange happened when they got closer to the Mirror Dweller. It was staring at the fighters with an emotionless gaze, then after snapping its fingers, their weapons started their own life and turned against their owners.
“What the hell? My arm is not obeying my will!” one of the knights shouted.
“Mine neither, Funny! Motari, help us!” Noan cried to the Arch Mage.
“I will not let this happen, you demon! I will break your power!” Motari shouted and his staff flared up with a blinding light, instantly breaking the power of the dark magic.
In the name of Andor, this arch mage was a matching enemy against the Mirror Dweller! This meant nothing good for me. I could see some nerves twitching on Gideur’s otherwise statue-like face. It narrowed its enormous eyes with suspicion. At this moment, the knights around him all attacked the cat-sized demon who rolled on the side to avoid an attack. Another dash of the sword touched its side but it didn’t cause any visible injury. This tiny beast was truly invulnerable as it had told me at our first encounter. I was wondering whether I should join the fight to help Gideur. It would be enough to stab the unsuspecting arch mage from the back, Gideur could easily take care of the others. Suddenly, the stone eating creature went through drastic changes. Its limbs and body extended and it gained muscles until its size was competing with that of a larger wolf. It grew two additional limbs from its side, its tiny claws turned to daggers and it straightened up on two legs, just like a human. It started a raving rampage that I had never witnessed before. The Inquisitors couldn’t do anything but retreat and desperately try to avoid the deadly dashes of the demon’s claws by bending aside or averting them with their blades. Gideur scattered its enemies around like a striking tornado. I smiled to myself, the battle was about to be decided, there was no need for my intervention. At this moment, one of the twin girls and the goat bearded old priest began casting spells by yelling incomprehensible words.
I watched in horror as the mirror demon was set ablaze. Although the fire caused no visible damages, it infuriated the demon, making it jumping in front of the girl and striking towards her with its lethal claws. The aging priest pushed the young priestess aside, making him the target of the enormous claws which tore up his chest.
“Father Tero, no!” the girl shouted desperately next to him.
The Inquisitor Master rushed against the demon and pressed it down to
the ground with his shoulder and tried to stab it but the blade could barely penetrate an inch inside the creased, lead colored skin. The creature roared and kicked Noan in the chest with its beefy legs, bashing his cuirass and dashing him on the ground. The swordwielder twin girl ragingly jumped on the mirror demon, making it back away from the furiously fighting girl. A moment later, it grabbed the swiftly moving blades with bare hands and prepared its other two hands to take the enemy’s life. The Arch Mage intervened with a loud yell, just in time.
“Get back to where you came from, demon!”
The mirror broke into thousands of pieces amidst a loud banging noise. I instantly covered my ears like all of us did in the room. I could see Gideur falling down on its knees and bursting apart into small pieces as if it were a broken vase. It then disappeared like it had never existed. The battle was over. I couldn’t let them catch me! Taking advantage of the confusion, I tried to elope. I had already crossed the door when a fundamental force grabbed me and swept me off my feet, I fell on the ground and my crown rolled far away from me on the floor, together with my dreams. Pain spread through my body, I tried to get back on my feet but I was kicked on the side, I was convulsing of the excruciating pain.
“You won’t go anywhere, you damn shapeshifter!” Noan shouted at me as I looked at him.
He grabbed me and dragged me back to the hall. He dashed me against the wall, and pulling my arms to the back, he tied my hands thoroughly. The priestess was kneeling above the unmoving father who had sacrificed his life to save her. The monk and the other armored knight rushed to their injured comrade. They pulled the blades out of his limp body but there was nothing they could do. Motari was hanging onto his staff, barely holding on, he had visibly used all his energy to exorcize Gideur. His sharp gaze turned to me as he walked towards me.
Faceless: The Takeover (The Shapeshifters Book 1) Page 26
