Princess of Lanfor

by F. P. Spirit

  Mallona shifted her gaze to the Princess and gave her the briefest of nods. Her eyes then turned back to Cyclone, and fixed him with a malevolent glare. The dragon hunter seemed completely unfazed.

  Lloyd, still impatient with all the side talk, shifted his gaze back to Anya and cleared his throat. “Ahem. Exactly what is it you want?”

  Anya’s eyes turned toward Lloyd as she reached forward and plucked a grape from a nearby bowl. “It’s simple, really.”

  She paused a moment to pop the grape into her mouth. “As I told Elladan and Donnie here, my advisors have warned me about the Colossus hidden away in the monolith. It is a danger to us all, and must be destroyed.”

  Lloyd’s eyes widened at her declaration. How in all of Thac did she know about the Colossus? Not even the Serpent Cult seemed to know what was hidden under the monolith.

  Lloyd exchanged a brief glance with Elladan, Donnie, and Glo. The wizard seemed equally surprised. A short silence fell over the table until Glo broke it, addressing the Princess sharply. “How does the Colossus present a danger? It is completely under our control.”

  Anya turned a cold gaze on the elven wizard, folding her arms across her chest, her tone rather condescending. “My dear Glolin—dir, the Golem Master can supersede any control device you might have found. If he were to come within range of the Colossus, he would regain mastery of it as if you weren’t even there.”

  Anya sat forward in her chair and gave her head a single shake. “I simply cannot allow that to happen, even if it means bringing the entire monolith down upon it.”

  Lloyd eyed the Princess uncertainly. He knew a bit about ships and the kind of fire power they carried—an airship couldn’t be that much different. “And how do you intend to do that? Even with a full complement of cannons, it would take more rounds than you could possibly carry to destroy something as large as the monolith.”

  Anya spun her gaze toward him, a smug smile spreading across her porcelain features, as she spoke with clear pride. “Ah, but I don’t have just any old cannons. The Wind Hammer is outfitted with six mage cannons—easily enough to take down that grandiose monument to Larketh’s ego, and bury the Colossus beneath it.”

  Mage cannons? Lloyd’s eyes went wide with astonishment. He had never seen a mage cannon before, but he had heard of them. A regular cannon, or ballista, launched a cast-iron ball via a high-torsion spring mechanism, but a mage cannon was powered by arcane magic. It could fire devastating spells far more powerful than any regular cannon.

  Lloyd’s father and brother captained two of the most powerful vessels in the Penwick Navy, the Crusader and the Avenger. Each ship carried a complement of close to thirty ballista cannon, and one large trebuchet that launched magical spheres, called the Hell-shot. Yet Anya’s airship had enough raw firepower on board to hold its own against a Penwick ship of the line. Lloyd suddenly had little doubt that the Princess could take down the monolith if she so desired.

  The Princess plucked another grape, then sat back and lounged leisurely in her chair. Her golden eyes swept over the table from under her light-blonde locks, carefully gauging their reactions. Glo had steepled his hands in front of his chin, something Lloyd noticed the wizard tended to do when he was deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, the elven wizard responded to her assertions. “You make a compelling argument, Anya.”

  Glo peered from Elladan, to Donnie, to Cyclone, and finally to Lloyd. “What do you think, gentlemen?”

  Surprisingly, the normally silent Cyclone was the first to answer. The dragon hunter gazed around the table, his eyes intense. “If you don’t think a seventy-foot golem is dangerous, then you’re all stupid.”

  Lloyd was momentarily taken aback by the hunter’s harsh words, but then caught himself. Despite his callous attitude, Cyclone was right. Lloyd cast a quick glance over at the Princess. Anya raised an eyebrow at the mention of the Colossus’ actual size, but otherwise remained silent. The young warrior shifted his gaze back to Cyclone, and fixed him with a hard stare. “You’re right. I think it could destroy an entire town, or even an army if it came to it.”

  Donnie, silent for some time now, weighed into the conversation. “I have to agree. If the Colossus ever fell into the wrong hands, it would be very bad for all of Thac.”

  He nodded at Anya. “Even a flight of dragons, like the Princess here seems to have, wouldn’t stand a chance against it.”

  Anya responded with a curt nod of her own, her slender arms folding across her chest. Cyclone shifted his gaze toward the Princess, his eyes narrowed. “What about all those mage cannons you bragged about earlier?”

  Anya opened her mouth to respond, but Glo cut her off. “I’m afraid not. The Colossus generates an antimagic field around it. Mage cannon fire would not even scratch it.”

  The Princess exchanged a brief glance with Sigfus, both seemingly surprised at that revelation. Lloyd found that interesting. So, they didn’t know everything. There were holes in their information.

  Elladan had listened to the conversation with a skeptical expression. His eyes swept across the gathering as he finally decided to voice his opinion. “Now hold on there. I agree that the Colossus would be deadly in the wrong hands, but we’re the ones who currently control it.”

  Elladan’s gaze fell on the Princess. “No offense Anya, but how do we know that your information about the Golem Thrall Master is accurate?”

  Anya sat forward, fixing Elladan with a withering stare. Yet before she could say anything, Glo spoke up once more. “We don’t, but can we really take that chance?”

  Anya turned to the elven wizard and gave him a gracious nod, then sat back in her seat once more. Donnie planted his hands on the table, gazing from Glo to Anya, his eyes coming to rest on Elladan. “Glo is right. If there is even the remotest possibility that Anya is correct, and the Colossus does get loose, then the destruction of Thac would be our fault.”

  Mixed emotions played across Elladan’s face. After a few moments, that familiar half-smile returned to his lips. He swiveled his head toward the Princess. “Begging your pardon, Anya, but what is the source of your information?”

  A thin smile spread across Anya’s lips. She waved a nonchalant hand as she answered his question. “Our good friend and advisor, Theramon. He has spent his entire life studying history, including the Thrall Wars. So far, his information has been accurate. After all, he was the one who pinpointed the location of the monolith, and the existence of the Colossus.”

  Lloyd’s brow furrowed at hearing of this Theramon. Based on what Elistra had told them, Lloyd had assumed it was the black knight with the ancient green dragon who had told Anya. They had all suspected he was the Dragon Thrall Master, and that’s how he knew where the monolith was. Yet, from the sounds of it, this Theramon was not the black knight, but instead some sort of scholar, or wizard perhaps.

  The companions all exchanged glances, each appearing as surprised as Lloyd. Yet Elladan was still not convinced. “It does appear that this Theramon knows a lot, but can you be sure of all his information? After all, the Thrall Wars were over a hundred and fifty years ago.”

  Anya raised an eyebrow, but Donnie interjected before she could speak. “You’re just mad about the whole rabbit thing.”

  Elladan turned his gaze toward the sandy-haired elf, and fixed him with a thin smile. “How would you like it if she turned you into a little grey bunny?”

  A wicked grin spread across Donnie’s features. “You didn’t seem to mind a few minutes ago.”

  Anya gazed at the duo with an appreciative smile. “You did seem rather comfortable, Elladan, nestled against my bosom.”

  Elladan responded with a short laugh. “I won’t deny it, but that has nothing to do with this question about the Colossus.”

  Lloyd let out a deep sigh. This conversation had gone on far too long. He stood up and raise
d his voice. “This is getting us nowhere.”

  Lloyd swept his eyes around the table, his gaze settling on Anya. “Princess, can you give us a moment?”

  Anya puckered her lips, answering with a slow nod. “Why of course.”

  “Thank you,” Lloyd responded with a short nod of his own. The young man then marched away from the table, motioning for the others to follow. He led the group about a dozen yards across the field, then stopped and spun around.

  Glo, Elladan, Donnie, and Lamorn gathered around him. Even Cyclone had joined them, though his arms were crossed and his expression stony.

  Lloyd swept his eyes around the group. “Look, we need to face facts. The Princess has enough firepower on that ship of hers to take down the monolith anyway. The real question is, do we lose the Colossus or the entire monolith?”

  Elladan cocked his head to one side, eyeing Lloyd intently. “Are you okay? It’s not like you to give up without a fight.”

  “Lloyd’s right,” Cyclone interjected before the warrior could answer.

  All eyes turned to the stoic hunter.

  “I got a good look at the deck of that airship on the way over here. I counted at least three more dragons on board.”

  Lloyd did a double take. That was at least seven dragons at Anya’s disposal. He had already counted the three dragons they had faced, as well as her formidable-looking entourage. This made any battle with her almost impossible to win.

  Glo steepled his hands in front of his mouth. When he spoke, there was an ironic lilt to his voice. “So, what you’re saying is that there’s no way we could take over her ship.”

  “Not likely,” Cyclone answered flatly.

  Elladan peered around the group, his hands in the air, his expression incredulous. “So, that’s it? We just let Anya destroy the Colossus?”

  Lloyd let out a deep sigh. It was not in his nature to give up without a fight, but this time was different. Even if they battled the Princess, he wasn’t sure they would be on the right side. He gazed at Elladan, his mouth twisting into a wan smile. “I think you’re missing the point. Anya could have blown the monolith to smithereens when she first showed up. Flaky as she seems, she is the Princess of Lanfor, an upstanding nation that has always been a force for good.”

  Donnie’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “So, she’s not just some despot bent on taking over Thac?”

  Elladan cocked an eye at the slight elf. “I think the jury’s still out on that one.”

  “So, you are still mad about the whole rabbit thing,” Donnie teased the bard.

  Once again, Lloyd grew exasperated with the constant banter. He threw his hands into the air, drawing everyone’s attention his way. “Gentlemen… what I think we need to be asking ourselves is, could the Colossus be a threat to Thac?”

  Elladan and Donnie both went silent, the bard’s eyes filled with doubt.

  Lloyd shifted his gaze to Glo. “What do you think?”

  The elven wizard stood with his hands still steepled in front of his mouth. After a brief pause, he nodded. “Yes.”

  Lloyd turned his eyes toward Cyclone. The dragon hunter responded with a flat, “Already said my piece.”

  Lloyd then peered at Donatello. The slim elf’s expression was grim. “Yes, I do.”

  Lloyd finally shifted his gaze back to the elven bard. “Elladan?”

  Elladan was silent for a few moments, then grudgingly responded, “Yes, it could be dangerous… in the wrong hands.”

  “I agree as well,” Lloyd said with a curt nod.

  “So…” Donnie’s voice hung on the one word.

  Lloyd spun his gaze toward the wiry elf, noting the deep concern in his eyes.

  “… you said something before about losing the Colossus or the monolith. Does that mean the monolith doesn’t need to be destroyed?”

  Lloyd peered sympathetically at the slight elf. He assumed Donnie was worried about Alana and Elistra, both their friends waiting for them back inside the monolith. Yet before he could respond, Glo answered Donnie’s query.

  “Probably not. Remember that room above the Colossus? Well, it’s right above a gigantic stalactite that hangs from the ceiling of the cavern, and it’s filled with explosives. My guess is if that stalactite falls, it should be enough to split the Colossus in two.”

  Donnie’s eyes narrowed, his lips pursing together in thought. “So, the Golem Master built in a failsafe?”

  Glo shrugged. “It would seem so.”

  Lloyd waited a moment, then swept his eyes around the group once again. “So, are we all in agreement?”

  He was met with a round of reluctant nods. A wan smile crossed the warrior’s lips as he led the party back to the table. Once there, he told the Princess of their decision and had Glo explain about the failsafe.

  When Glo was done, Anya sat forward in her seat, a triumphant smile on her lips. “I’m glad you see it my way.”

  The Princess placed her hands on the table and stood up, her eyes sweeping around the small gathering. “Well then, let’s get this done already.”

  She raised a hand and motioned to her red-haired attendant. “Mallona, join us.”

  The scarlet-clad Mallona drew up next to the Princess. Her fiery eyes swept across the group with a dark stare, challenging anyone to cross her benefactor.

  Anya gazed at them all with a sickly-sweet smile, then proceeded to saunter away from the table, motioning for the companions to follow. “Shall we?”

  Beauty and the Beast

  Do you expect me to just walk through the forest?

  Glolindir trotted along the forest path headed north toward the monolith, just behind the Princess Anya and Elladan. The duo was engaged in an animated conversation as if old friends. Glo had to give the bard credit—not many would be so glib after being turned into a rabbit, but Elladan seemed as charming as ever as he rode beside the unpredictable Princess.

  The lively pair sat astride strange, semi-transparent mounts, the creatures beneath them in the shape of ghostly horses. In fact, the entire party rode along the path with them, mounted on those weird spectral steeds. Donnie led the way, while Mallona trotted silently next to Glo, her dark gaze fixed firmly on Elladan’s back. Cyclone, Lloyd, and Lamorn brought up the rear, the latter two sharing the last ghostly mount.

  The spectral creatures were a conjuration of Anya’s attendant, Sigfus. The irritant wizard initially protested the Princess’ request, but Anya had fixed him with a cold stare and spoke rather pointedly. “Do you expect me to just walk through the forest?”

  Sigfus had immediately withdrawn his objections, and produced the ghostly horses for Anya and the others.

  Glo was familiar with the spell he had used—it was aptly named Spectral Steed. The basic spell allowed the caster to conjure a ghostly horse-like creature, complete with saddle, bit, and bridle. The spectral horse was very fast, and could travel over rough terrain with no decrease in speed.

  A more experienced caster could conjure multiple mounts that might ride over water or traverse obstacles, such as a wide chasm, as if walking on air. The ghost horse carried its rider to its destination, then disappeared once it had been reached.

  Glo had arched an eyebrow when Sigfus conjured those mounts. The multiple form of the spell was of the fourth order. Glo himself could currently cast only third-order spells. Thus, Sigfus was more advanced at spellcraft than he. Glo made a mental note to be careful with this irritable wizard if it ever came to a confrontation.

  Up ahead, Elladan continued to keep the Princess entertained, launching into a vivid account of the battle at Ravenford Keep. “…and then, seven huge serpents popped right out of the ground, their huge gaping jaws exposing deadly fangs and nasty forked tongues as they hissed their dreadful greetings. Four mages dressed all in black sat astride those serpentin
e mounts, nothing of their features visible behind their cold, dark hoods.”

  Anya seemed completely rapt in Elladan’s flamboyant description of the encounter. Her amber eyes were wide open, alight with keen interest at his portrayal of the horrific monsters. Yet the red-haired Mallona did not appear impressed in the slightest. Glo heard a low, but distinct, humph from under the scarlet-clad attendant’s breath.

  Glo arched a single eyebrow, silently wondering what power the disdainful redhead possessed. Mallona wore no visible weapons, yet if she was some sort of caster, she had yet to show even a hint of magic. Still, she had to be powerful, as evidenced by the fact that Anya chose her as her single protector, even over the wizard, Sigfus.

  In the meantime, Elladan continued with his account. “Seven pairs of huge yellow glowing eyes turned to fix on the lone forms of Lloyd and Donatello, the only thing standing between the gathered gentry and the evil presence that had interrupted their celebration. It was a bone-chilling sight.”

  Donnie, ahead of them all, spun his head around, choosing that moment to chime in. “Too bad you didn’t have a nice little grey fur coat to keep you warm back then.”

  The Princess Anya burst out into gay laughter at the sandy-haired elf’s jab. Elladan, however, seemed less than amused. He fixed a dark eye on his elven friend. “You sound jealous there, Donnie. I’m sure Anya here would be more than happy to turn you into a rabbit if that’s what you really want.”

  Elladan cast a sidelong glance at the Princess, and gave her a sly wink. A mischievous smile spread across Anya’s lips as she shifted her gaze toward Donnie, her tone playful. “Why of course, Elladan. It would be my pleasure.”

  Donnie swept his gaze from Elladan to the Princess, flashing her a bright grin. “No, no, that’s quite alright. The sight of Elladan as a bunny was more than enough to make my day.”

  The slim elf’s response drew a round of laughter from all the riders. Even the brooding Mallona let out a laugh, though it sounded more wicked than cheerful.