Measure and the Truth tros-3

by Douglas Niles

  “Cast your spell!” Ankhar ordered.

  Hoarst nodded, ignoring the half-giant’s brusque tone; there would be time for that later. He went to the wall of one of the great charcoal factories, behind a shed where they were for the most part out of sight of the enemy troops. He took several small diamonds from his pouch and pressed the hard chips of stone into the wooden panels of the wall, outlining a rough rectangle some five feet wide and almost nine high. Closing his eyes, he began to chant.

  Ankhar knew enough about spellcasting that he simply stood there and watched while Hoarst worked his magic. It was a complicated chant, full of barely-human sounds, augmented with many intricate gestures of the spellcaster’s hands. For sixty heartbeats, the Thorn Knight spoke, then for sixty more, barely drawing a breath. When he finished, the Thorn Knight staggered weakly, and only the half-giant’s reflexive catch prevented him from falling.

  “Look!” grunted one of the ogres.

  Hoarst shook off the fatigue and did, indeed, look. The area outlined by the diamonds was a shimmering surface of blue light, with arcs of power crackling across it and sparks trailing to the ground. It hummed with an otherworldly force, a thrumming they could not only hear but also feel in the pits of their stomachs.

  “What is that?” demanded Ankhar.

  “It is the door-the door between dimensions!” Hoarst snapped. “Now let’s go!”

  “You go first,” the half-giant prodded.

  “All right,” said the wizard. “I will. But you must come quickly with as many ogres as you can; I don’t know how long it will last.”

  Ankhar nodded and quickly indicated some of his warriors-and one terrified, plump ogress-bringing them into a queue next to the wall. At the same time, the humans and dwarves shouted their war cries and commenced another rush across the plaza.

  Hoarst took one last look, then stepped into the blue aura, allowing the magic to sweep him away.

  At sunset scouts brought word that a brigade of troops was marching down the road from the High Clerist’s Pass, coming to cement the coup that replaced the emperor with the lord regent in Palanthas. Blayne went to the city gate to await the arrival of the brigade. The men of the city watch had already been informed by decree of the new order and the lord regent’s restored role. They willingly accepted Blayne’s presence at the watch command station.

  If events were progressing according to plan, the men coming down the road ought to be troops of the Black Army, perhaps even Captain Blackgaard and the gray wizard Hoarst. As darkness fell, Blayne ordered the watchmen to light lanterns around the gate in the light posts set out along the road.

  The men of the Legion of Steel had taken control of the palace and several key locations in the city. The city guards had caused no problem once the authority of the lord regent was invoked to support the coup. Sir Jorde, with two dozen of his men, waited in the courtyard below the gate tower where Blayne was watching for the troops. Sir Ballard was also due to arrive.

  The waiting seemed interminable, but Blayne’s mood was lifted when the young nobleman felt a friendly clap on his shoulder and turned to see the first man he had met on his mission to Palanthas.

  “Archer Billings!” Blayne cried, delighted to see the grinning guardsman. “It’s a great day today, is it not?”

  “It is indeed, sir. It is indeed!” agreed the bowman, who wore his usual battered short sword in the scabbard at his waist. “I take it you had a hand in this, my lord?” he asked respectfully.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” Blayne said. “The legion was ready to move, but they just needed a contact with the rebels outside of the city. You facilitated that.”

  “The least I could do, m’lord,” Billings said modestly.

  He stepped to the parapet of the watchtower, peering into the courtyard below. “My, they do look like they’ve waited a long time for this,” the archer said.

  Jorde and his small company were dressed immaculately in gleaming armor in a mix of Sword, Rose, and Crown emblems. They were well armed and positioned in the shadows of the high walls. There were two gates, both leading into the gatehouse itself or the training yard around the barracks of the city guards.

  “There they are!” shouted a watchman suddenly, and Blayne and Billings turned to look up the road. The column marched into view, the men in the black tunics and armor, and at their head rode Captain Blackgaard, the commander of the Black Army and the liberator of the High Clerist’s Tower.

  The advance columns of the Black Brigade were mounted and rode at an easy trot. The sentries on the city walls pointed and watched expectantly as the riders drew closer.

  Blayne didn’t hear who it was who shouted the warning, but the words rose suddenly from one of the footmen outside the wall. “Beware! These are Dark Knights!”

  “No!” cried young Lord Kerrigan. “That can’t be!” But he realized even as he raised the protest that it was possible. Could he have been so stupid?

  “I recognize that captain-he was the Butcher of the Dark Tower here, when Mina ruled!” cried another man.

  “Close the gate!” Sir Jorde shouted to his men. They rushed toward the passage out of the courtyard only to have the gate slam shut in their faces.

  And Blayne saw why: There was another man in the courtyard. He was dressed utterly in black, even to the point of wearing a mask over his face. His hands waved before him as he chanted arcane words-speaking in a strangely familiar voice. Almost immediately, a greenish-yellow mist swirled around him, a heavy vapor that seeped along the ground, filled the small courtyard, and rose to clutch at the legionnaires with sinister tendrils.

  Blayne stared in horror as one of the legionnaires clutched his throat and doubled over, kicking violently then falling utterly still, his body grotesquely contorted. Another, then more of the trapped men toppled over, thrashing and gasping, though none of them struggled for more than a few moments.

  “A killing cloud!” grunted Jorde, lunging toward the man in black. “We’ve been betrayed!”

  The knight’s sword was in his hand, but the other person-he was a priest of darkness, Blayne realized-held up a hand in a gesture that brought Jorde to a sudden stop. His face twisted in anguish. Staggering, the legionnaire dropped to one knee, swaying clumsily before falling on his face. Like the other victims, all probably dead by then, he vanished beneath the miasma of mist that oozed and billowed across the courtyard floor.

  “No!” cried Blayne, starting for the stairs. “We’ve got to close the city gate!” He spun toward Billings, and that movement saved his life.

  The archer had his short sword out and was driving the tip toward Blayne’s back. The lord whirled away, pulling out his own weapon and smashing it sideways to block the blow aimed at him.

  “You were more help than you’ll ever know,” Billings said tauntingly. “Bringing the secret knights out into the open, where the Nightmaster could find them!”

  “You lie!” gasped Blayne, even though he realized it was the pathetic truth. In a frenzy he came at the other man, driving him back with savage overhand blows. The archer’s face betrayed fear as he retreated until the solid parapet was behind him, fighting desperately to hold Blayne’s furious attacks at bay.

  But young Lord Kerrigan stabbed him in the right arm and, with a scream of pain, Billings dropped his sword. He squirmed back, between two of the battlements on the parapet.

  Blayne charged forward, dropping his sword, pushing with both hands. Billings toppled over the wall, screaming for just a moment before he landed on his back, disappearing beneath the layer of gas that ebbed and flowed in the courtyard. Blayne watched for a moment, making sure that the traitor didn’t get up from the ground.

  By then the first of the Dark Knights were through the gates. Blayne frantically released the winch, and the portcullis came crashing down, splitting the formation in two. He looked down to see that only a score of black-clad horsemen were inside the city. They dismounted with smooth efficiency.
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br />   “Up there!” cried the masked priest, indicating the tower where Blayne stood alone. “Kill him and open the gates again!”

  In a rush, the Dark Knights headed for the stairway leading up to the gatehouse platform. Blayne raised his sword, already slick with Billings’s blood, and took a position at the top of the stairs.

  He wondered what it would be like to die.

  Coryn teleported directly to the temple of Kiri-Jolith, where she startled Melissa du Juliette in the midst of her midday prayers.

  “I’m sorry for intruding, but I think I’ve located Selinda!” the white wizard exclaimed.

  “You found her? Where is she?”

  “Actually, I’ve located the ring I gave her. It’s in the city, near the waterfront. I can find the place, I’m certain.”

  “Let’s go!” the high priestess said, dropping her prayer beads and throwing a ceremonial cloak over her shoulders. She snatched up a stout cudgel of ironwood with a steel cap at the head. Impressed, Coryn noted the formidable weapon and hoped they wouldn’t need it.

  The two women hurried from the temple, one in her robe of immaculate whiteness, the other in the flowing green garment of her high station. After a moment’s consideration, they wrapped themselves in cloaking magic, muting the distinctive colors of their garments so it looked as though they were both wearing simple woolen cloaks. Coryn led them toward the waterfront, and they quickly made their way down a dark street, so narrow it was almost an alley. It was well after nightfall, and the darkness was thick around them.

  “Hello, pretty ladies,” came a voice from the shadows. “What brings such illustrious lovelies to our little corner of the city? May I welcome you to the Hale and Farewell? I am Hale, himself!”

  He lifted a hand, indicating the dark door behind him. Coryn saw a flash of silver on his finger and felt a jolt of recognition. He wore the ring!

  The man continued speaking as he limped toward the door to his establishment. “I guarantee you will find the finest-”

  Hale never got to finish his remark as a blast of magic struck him from behind, propelling him into the door, which cracked and broke open under the impact of the man’s body. He sprawled on the floor just within the entry.

  But Hale was tougher than he looked. He jumped up from the floor, drawing his dagger as the two women pushed after him. An unseen force knocked him against the wall of the room, so hard that he slumped to the floor. Struggling against the unseen power, he dropped his knife and raised his hands in front of his face.

  The two females came closer, and close up they looked very different than when he had accosted them on the street. One was dressed in a pure white robe, and the other wore a cloak of bright green, emblazoned with the fist of Kiri-Jolith. Hale uttered a strangled sound, holding up his hands as he struggled to his feet.

  Melissa du Juliette, high priestess of Kiri-Jolith, raised a hand and the invisible hammer of her god-the force that had blasted Hale against the door-slammed into the man again.

  Stunned, Hale collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain.

  Coryn stood over him, the sheer brightness of her white robe causing him-and every other patron in the place-to throw up a hand against the blinding glare. “Where is she? The woman who wore that ring in here?”

  “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Hale murmured, reaching to cover the ring with his right hand.

  Coryn gestured, and a sparking missile smashed against his free hand, drawing a howl of pain. Hale lifted his burned, blistered fingers to his mouth, groaning.

  “Tell us!” demanded the priestess. “Or her next missile will be a death blow!”

  “She-I turned her over-she’s in the palace! The lord regent’s palace-he sent his agent to collect her!”

  Coryn blinked in surprise at the news, but that didn’t stop her from stepping on the man’s ankle and pressing down with her weight. “Did you hurt her? Or her baby?”

  “She’s pregnant?” Hale gasped, clearly horrified. “But-but, she drank the Red Lotus!”

  “If you gave her something that will hurt that baby…” Melissa warned.

  “No, it’s not that. By the gods, this is horrible! I never thought-ah, no! We all have to beware!” Hale wriggled pathetically, looking around in abject terror. “The Red Lotus-”

  Nobody saw the man in black, sitting in a shadowy alcove near the rear of the room. He raised his hand and made a simple gesture. Hale grasped his throat, choking and retching horribly.

  “Speak! What is it?” demanded Melissa, kneeling beside him, trying to pry his hands away from his throat. By the time they did come free, Hale was dead.

  “Ankhar escaped-with most of his ogres,” reported Sergeant Ian.

  “Where in the Abyss did they go?” demanded Jaymes, holding a poultice over his chest where the wizard’s magic missiles had scorched him.

  Ian shrugged apologetically. “I can’t say, Excellency. But the prisoners swear there was a blue circle on the side of the building and that Ankhar and many of his ogres passed through it. Wherever they went, it wasn’t inside of the shed. The wall is as solid as ever.”

  “Are you all right?” Dram asked gruffly, coming up to Jaymes as the man rose, head down, to stand amid the corpses of the ogres who had defended the route of retreat.

  “I think so,” Jaymes said, nodding feebly. He swayed weakly until Dram’s strong hands took his arm, supporting him. The emperor cracked a small smile and nodded up the slope toward the three mine tunnels that loomed blackly overhead. “Nice timing on your attack, old friend.”

  “I could same the same for you. I think Ankhar would have waited us out forever-at least, until long after our food was gone. We were locked in a deathtrap of our own making.”

  “Who’d have thought the old bastard would come down the mountains at you?” Jaymes said, shaking his head.

  “I guess we should of thought about it,” Dram said, shuddering at the memory of how close to disaster they had come. “After all, he was in these hills before we were.”

  “Yes, those were the days,” Jaymes said, again allowing that small smile. “Riding after goblins, collecting bounties, watching each other’s backs-”

  “And looking out for the knights at every turn,” Dram interrupted. “Ducking and hiding like the outlaws we were. I never imagined you’d end up commanding the whole bunch of them Salamis!”

  “Life has taken some funny turns I guess you could say.” Jaymes turned through a slow circle, scrutinizing the devastation that was everywhere in New Compound. He stared at the smoldering remnants of the great bonfire in which Ankhar had burned the dozen uncompleted bombards. The timbers hadn’t burned away completely, and the massive rings of spring steel stood out like great hoops, but it was clear nothing would be salvaged from those ashes.

  “I… I started to make them bombards,” Dram said awkwardly. “But only after I heard Ankhar was on the march. I guess you got my letter?”

  “Yes. You didn’t like what I had done to Vingaard Keep, and you assumed I’d use the bombards against more cities, didn’t you?”

  “Would you?” the dwarf asked bluntly.

  “I shouldn’t have used them at Vingaard,” Jaymes admitted, surprising even himself. “And no, I don’t think I’d have used them anymore against my own cities, no matter what. I lost my temper when the young lord made a surprise attack and burned two of my guns.”

  Jaymes rubbed a hand across his eyes, wiping away sweat and grime. “He was a courageous fellow, gnat though he was. And he had good reason to hate me, I have to admit; his father died in my custody.”

  “Well, any way you look at it, it’ll be a year or two before I can get operations up and running again,” Dram said. “That is, if you decide you want another battery of guns.”

  Sally came up and Dram put his arm around her; they both looked expectantly at the emperor.

  “You don’t have to do that. Not now, at least. Go ahead with your mining-looks like you’ve got a good place
for it. We’ll see what the future holds, but if I use any more bombards, it will be against enemies from beyond Solamnia. Now I just want to get back to Palanthas and to my wife.”

  He winced as he said the last word, and Sally reached out and touched his hand. “Is… is everything all right there?” she asked.

  “It’s worse than you know,” said a woman’s voice. They turned in unison, stunned to see Coryn the White standing behind them. She had obviously teleported, and her face was grim, even dour. Her black hair was tousled in disarray, and there were scuffs on her face and hands. Her white robe with its silver embroidery was, as always, immaculate.

  “What’s happened?” Jaymes asked. He thought of Selinda, feeling a stab of fear in his belly.

  “Selinda has been kidnapped. By all accounts, it looks like her father was to blame.”

  “Is she all right?” demanded the emperor, his face ashen.

  “As far as I know. But there’s more bad news: the Dark Knights have struck,” she reported grimly. “They’ve captured the High Clerist’s Tower, and they’re trying to take over Palanthas and prop the lord regent back onto his throne,” she concluded. “You won’t be able to bring your army back to the city with them holding the pass.”

  Jaymes groaned, but his thoughts were already churning. “Can you take me back to Palanthas right away?” he asked Coryn.

  “Yes. I was hoping you’d want to do that.”

  He nodded absently, turning to Dram. “Can you accompany the legion up the pass to the High Clerist’s Tower? And bring all the casks of powder that you have?”

  Dram nodded. “I’ll be there-with enough to fill three or four wagons.”

  The emperor nodded gratefully, touching Sally on the shoulder. “I’m sorry to take him away from you, again,” he said. “But I’ll do my best to see that he’s back here before you even know he’s gone.”

  “Go,” she said, sniffling. “Be quick about it! But… may Reorx watch over you.”