The Game of Fates

by Joel Babbitt

  “I’m quite sorry I didn’t have much time to talk with you earlier today. It seems our meetings so far have been short, formal, and full of purpose. Perhaps we can rectify that with a bit of a feast here shortly.”

  Durik smiled. “Aye, Lord.”

  Lord Krall looked Durik in the eye. “I hear from Khazak here that you’ve come through quite an adventure these last couple of days, in addition to the reception you found here,” he said, alluding to the fight Durik and his company had against the Krall Gen conspirators. “Which reminds me,” he said as he turned to the elderly kobold that was waiting on him, “Send word to the caravan driver’s quarters that Durik’s Company is invited to the feast. Oh, and tell the cook that we’ll be doubling the number attending the feast also.” Lord Krall watched as the elderly servant nodded and walked off to perform his tasks before turning back to Durik. “I do hope your troops are well rested after the journey. Perhaps as a further thank you for your parts in yesterday’s events, I’ll make sure they’re well fed also!”

  Chapter 3 – All in the Family

  Lord Krall continued without so much as a pause. “Khazak here has been rather tight-lipped since he arrived. Keeps saying that he and I need to talk about what you’re doing out here. Something about a quest or some such. I guess being the new leader caste, he wants to ensure you’re not left to fend for yourself in my court.”

  “I’ll be all right, sire,” Durik said.

  Reaching a rather ornate door in the rear of the chamber, Lord Krall stopped and looked Durik over from head to toe. Though he’d cleaned his equipment the best he could, he felt that perhaps Lord Krall thought his preparations for their meeting inadequate. “Hmm… yes, I’m sure. Well, I’d imagine that if it’s so important, I probably aught to attend to the matter shortly, wouldn’t you say, young Durik.”

  “As you wish, lord,” Durik said.

  “Well, so be it then.” Looking past Durik, Lord Krall called out, “Well, Khazak, are you coming?”

  Khazak Mail Fist was talking with Morigar and his older brother Krall, who was rather tall, well muscled and looked like a younger version of Lord Krall.

  “Krall, Morigar, why don’t you two come with us as well. I have a feeling that this may concern you as well,” Lord Krall said, though the twist in his tone made it clear it was a command. Khazak Mail Fist and Lord Krall’s two sons both followed as Lord Krall and Durik passed through the ornate door into the personal chambers of Lord Krall and his family. Passing into the room where Lord Krall and Khazak Mail Fist, assisted by Manebrow and the rest of Durik’s Company, had held off the conspirators the day before, Durik looked around in wonder. Though it had only been a day, all traces of the battle had been completely erased.

  As they entered the large room, which served as the receiving room for the Lord’s personal chambers, Lady Karaba walked down the stairway at the other end of the room. “Ah, my love,” Lord Krall called out, “Khazak has brought young Durik to us to talk about a quest or some such. Somewhat of a mystery it is. Would you care to join us?”

  Lord Karthan’s lifemate was much younger than Lord Krall. Though she certainly was several years older than her brother Lord Karthan, who was lord of his own Kale Gen, she had to have been young when she and the much older Lord Krall were joined. Looking into her eyes again, Durik could see the same intelligence that he’d seen in Lord Karthan’s eyes. The family resemblance in her features was clear.

  “His quest is not unknown to me,” Lady Karaba said calmly, smiling slightly as she walked gracefully to one of the large stuffed chairs and sat down with her hands folded in her lap and her tail tucked neatly along one leg.

  “What? Am I the last to know?” Lord Krall said in surprise.

  “Durik and I talked this morning,” she said.

  Lord Krall nodded in acknowledgement. “Very well then,” he said dismissively. “Servant!” he called out in the direction of the servants’ quarters. “Bring drinks for six!” As the five male kobolds took their seats on the various furniture that formed something of a circle in the center of the room a servant appeared, carrying a small barrel with a spout in it and several silver cups. With dexterity and practiced ease the young servant, not more than about Durik’s age, poured a clear, light brown colored drink into each of the silver cups.

  “Ah, sweet bark cider,” Khazak said as he held the cup up to his nose. “I never tire of it.”

  “If you’d like, I’ll send a keg of it back on the next caravan,” Lord Krall said.

  “You’re a generous lord, sire,” Khazak said.

  Lord Krall cut to the point. “Hmm… Well, so what is this other matter that you wished to discuss with me? When shall I be let in on the secret, eh?”

  Durik and Khazak Mail Fist looked at each other briefly. Khazak gave a look as if to say ‘did you want to mention it or shall I?’ Durik looked back uncomfortably, so Khazak proceeded.

  “My Lord, the Kale Gen has decided that it is again time for us to search for our gen’s stone of power,” Khazak said bluntly.

  Lord Krall choked on his drink and spat, “What?! You mean you’re going after the Kale Stone? Again?!” He leaned over and placed his cup on a side table, then leaned back in his high backed chair. “Why ever would you do that?” he said with open arms, “Didn’t you learn your lesson last time you sent a group out to find it? That was a disaster!”

  Khazak Mail Fist nodded, “Yes, sire. It was a disaster, and Lord Karthan learned a lot on that expedition.”

  Durik was surprised at the revelation that there had been a previous attempt to find the stone he now sought. Clearly, there was much he hadn’t been told.

  Khazak continued, “However, a record he found of the last Lord Kale’s ill-fated expedition, linked with things we’ve found through our continued efforts at exploration beyond the Chop, has led Lord Karthan to a conclusion on its location. There is a prophecy recorded in that record by a kobold prophet named Two-Toes. In there it clearly states that the Kale Stone will be gathered to Palacid.”

  Lord Krall’s eldest son sat forward in his chair. “Is that your quest, then, Durik, to find and gain entrance to Palacid, all in an effort to find your gen’s stone of power?”

  Durik nodded his head, but doubt was clearly evident on his face. “My quest really is to retrieve the Kale Stone, which I believe is to be found below Demon’s Bridge at the Chop.” The revelations he had received through his visions had led him to the conclusion that his quest for the Kale Stone would not actually lead him to the ancient home of their race’s beginnings that was Palacid.

  Almost on cue, Lady Karaba spoke in Durik’s support. “The Kale Stone is not at Palacid.”

  Lord Krall was taken aback. “What do you know of their stone?”

  Lady Karaba continued calmly. “The Paladin’s Journal, which Karthan found on his quest, states the location of the Kale Stone and gives a description of where it was to be found. It was not at Palacid. The visions that Durik has had only confirm this. The Kale Gen’s stone of power is located in the mountains that ring the northern part of our valley, most likely directly below Demon’s Bridge.”

  Khazak Mail Fist looked at Lady Karaba with a look of some consternation on his broad, powerful features. “I understand that something is calling to Durik… though I am not so certain that it is the Kale Stone. I cannot help but think that perhaps the stone is not to be found there, but rather that either something else is luring our warriors there or that the Kale Stone has something it wants Durik’s Company to accomplish there before coming to it.”

  “What reasoning do you have to support this line of thinking?” Lady Karaba asked.

  Khazak was a warrior of simpler desires than to get too involved in prophecies and ancient powers, but his loyalty to Lord Karthan pressed him to continue reasoning. “Lord Karthan found a prophecy in the quest journal of the last Lord Kale. This prophecy is from a kobold who calls himself the Oracle of the Kobold Gen, which states that the stone is to be fo
und at Palacid. Do you have reason to not believe this prophet? And what is this Paladin’s Journal of which you speak?”

  Lady Karaba bowed her head and spoke in soft tones. “Your lord misread the prophecies contained in the record of the last Lord Kale. I have read the prophecy of Two-Toes as well. It says nothing of the location of the stones of power when they are found, only that their inheritors will be gathered to Palacid at some future time.” Lady Karaba shook her head in subtle frustration. “Karthan’s lifemate, Kiri, promised our mother that she would destroy that book, but unfortunately she did not do it before she died. Many of the best Kale Gen warriors have died questing for the Kale Stone, including our uncle and his two sons. Because of the deep sorrow this search had caused her, before my mother died I promised her that I would keep the Paladin’s Journal.”

  Khazak Mail Fist was visibly frustrated. “You have had a book in your possession all these years which tells where the Kale Stone is to be found?! Who is this paladin? Was he a member of the northern gens?”

  Lady Karaba could see that she had little support among the assembled warriors. Only Durik’s eyes looked at all supportive, but she continued anyway. “The paladin was a human from lands far to the north of here. He called himself a Watcher… a member of an ancient order established by The Sorcerer himself to watch over the stones of power that He gifted to the races.”

  Lord Krall’s face was incredulous. “I would not believe the words of some meddling outsider over the words of a prophet from our very own race, even if he claimed to be The Sorcerer’s scribe himself!”

  Lady Karaba bowed her head. “The Paladin’s Journal is clear in its manner of speaking. The prophecies in the last Lord Kale’s record can be misinterpreted. I kept the journal from Karthan thinking that I could keep him from questing for the stone again. I see that in part I was right. Because he still had the record of the last Lord Kale’s final expedition, my brother read what he found there and sent these warriors likely to their deaths instead,” she said as she looked at Durik.

  Lord Krall shook his head in frustration as his eldest son sat forward. “Mother, how could this human have discovered the location of the Kale Stone, down here, far south of the human lands?”

  Lady Karaba addressed her son, “The journal states that somehow this paladin had access to one of the original eight stones of power, and using that he was able to discover its location.”

  Lord Krall held up his hand. “Enough! If Khazak says that there is a prophecy by a kobold prophet stating that the Kale Stone is to be found at Palacid, then it is to be found at Palacid! I will hear no more of this human or his journal!”

  Durik was not at all at peace with the decision Khazak and Lord Krall had made to ignore the visions he’d had. The conviction that the Kale Stone was to be found under Demon’s Bridge still burned in his heart; he couldn’t deny it.

  After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, Khazak leaned forward in his chair again and spoke. “Lord Krall, since it appears that the stone is to be found at Palacid, our race’s place of beginnings, Lord Karthan wanted to ensure that your gen had the opportunity to send warriors with Durik’s quest group. After all, the finding of Palacid is a matter that concerns all the sons of the First Sire, not just those of the Kale Gen.”

  Durik looked hesitantly at his lord’s chamberlain. Why hadn’t he been told that they were going to ask for additional warriors from the Krall Gen? After the surprise of finding Lord Karthan’s sons and chamberlain back on the trail to the Krall Gen, and now this proposal of a joint quest, Durik’s patience with surprises was wearing thin.

  Krall, Lord Krall’s eldest son, almost sprang out of his chair. “Yes!” He turned to his father, “Father, think of it! A quest to the very heart of our race’s beginnings! Many are the stories of the power and magic that were once there! Think of what our trade caravans could bring back from such a place!”

  Lord Krall raised a hand to calm his eldest son. “I agree. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for prosperity or at least for resolving questions we’ve all had for many generations now, ever since our ancestors left that place. With our trade routes expanding and our wealth growing, this may very well be the perfect time for our gen to join in this quest.”

  “I should probably mention the fact that the ancient writings state that Palacid is warded,” Lady Karaba said. “How will you gain entrance?”

  Khazak nodded almost anxiously. He had anticipated such a question and was pleased to have the answer. “Scrawled below the prophecy in this journal was a note stating that the key to Palacid was to be found in the Hall of the Mountain King. Of course that key would have to be retrieved from there.”

  Khazak watched with surprise the impact his words had on Lord Krall and his sons. He had stopped the conversation dead as they all stared at him with deep concern.

  “My dear Khazak,” Lady Karaba finally broke the silence, “have you not heard of the two great dragons who have recently taken up residence in the Hall of the Mountain King?”

  Khazak spoke as if he were confessing something half-heartedly. “Our wolf riders reported that they had raided the place, two large reds, one much larger than the other. Are you now telling me that they have come to stay?”

  The four Krall kobolds all looked at each other uncomfortably. Krall the younger spoke first. “We’ve not had scouts north of the mountains since Demon’s Bridge was taken by a rogue hobgoblin out of the east lands and his northern gen mercenaries. But a trade caravan that paid their ‘tax’ said that the smaller of the two was the male, and that he apparently has a home far to the north that the pair of them disappear to periodically.”

  “I would be very careful approaching the Hall of the Mountain King for any reason,” Lord Krall said as he sat back, rubbing his chin in thought, the tip of his tail flipping thoughtfully beside him.

  “I can assure you that we will move with the utmost of caution,” Khazak said, “and that we’ll only enter when both dragons are not present.” He raised an outstretched hand to Lord Krall. “It is agreed then?” he asked.

  After a final moment’s thought, Lord Krall slowly began to smile. He slowly raised his hand to grasp Khazak’s. “Yes! Our gen shall join the quest for Palacid.”

  “Then it is settled,” Khazak said as Durik wondered who would be going with his company from the Krall Gen. He was not at all happy about the revelation of dragons living in the Hall of the Mountain King, and he began to think that, no matter what Khazak thought, he and his company would thoroughly search the Demon’s Bridge area before even thinking about approaching the Hall of the Mountain King.

  “Now the question is, with the gen’s council so concerned about the threat these great ants pose, whom shall we send?” Krall said, referring to the massive colony of great ants that Durik’s Company had discovered on their travels between the Kale and Krall Gens.

  His father nodded slowly as he looked out the window at life in his gen unfolding before his eyes. “Yes, they will be reluctant to commit any of their warriors to anything else, I’d imagine. Hmm… perhaps some of the new warriors from the Archer Guard’s ceremony the other day…” he mumbled out loud.

  Seated in his chair, Morigar, who had been silent until now, raised his head and stated loudly enough for all to hear, “I’ll go, father.”

  Lord Krall turned around in surprise. “What?!”

  Morigar looked up into his father’s eyes, “I will go,” he said almost urgently.

  Lord Krall was furious with his son’s statement, treating it the same as though it were but his latest stunt. “Do you realize what you’re saying? This is no errand for a son of the Lord of the Gen. It’s too risky. And besides, you’ve not fully recovered from your wounds. Absolutely not! I forbid it!”

  Seated across from Durik, Lady Karaba was shocked as well, though she tried not to show it.

  Morigar, however, was determined in his decision. Standing, he faced his father defiantly. “Father, I know I’ve not met
your expectations in the past, but have I not earned the chance to prove myself? Though you may not have realized it these last few years, I have become a warrior and a leader in my own right.”

  “You are my son!” Lord Krall stated harshly. It was obvious to all that this was not the first time that Morigar had asked him for something of this nature. It was equally obvious to all that this was a rather sore subject between father and son.

  Morigar did not bend. His next several words were delivered in perhaps the most sincere manner Morigar could muster, though to Durik it seemed almost practiced. “These last few years I have served you, my father. Have I not earned the right to choose my own destiny? I know you desire to protect me and, yes, after these several years of course Krall and I still ache at the loss of our middle brother, but I’m no whelp any longer. It is my turn to step up and take on the risks necessary to build this gen. It’s my turn, father.” With all his cards on the table, Morigar waited with a stern countenance for his father’s reaction.

  ‘Well,’ Durik thought to himself, ‘that solves the mystery of the empty chair.’ Looking at Khazak Mail Fist, Durik could see that he was feeling uncomfortable as well. He was certain it had not been Khazak’s intention to cause division in Lord Krall’s household. But the matter had arisen, and now there was nothing to do but wait until it was decided.

  Lord Krall was both angered and visibly stung by his third son’s words and the mention of his dead middle son. Dropping his head and turning toward the windows, he reached out his arms and leaned heavily on the pane. When he spoke again, it was in a much lower voice. “Several times with impassioned words you have promised many things, my son, and every time you have not had the character to see it through. But you’re right; I cannot choose your destiny.” He paused for several moments then continued, “Young Durik, if you’ll have them, a small contingent of warriors from our gen will be accompanying you, led by Morigar. May your quest be victorious.”