by Dean Cadman
Zedd was up early the next day, invigorated by the previous day’s events, and looking forward to seeing the results of his actions come sunset. He stood alone by the kitchen window, gazing at the desolate scene outside. Above there was a clear blue winter’s sky, but the strong northerly wind was whipping up huge clouds of red dust from the surrounding landscape. It hung in the air like a thick blanket of red death, reducing visibility to only a few dozen paces in any direction. “It’s no wonder that nothing grows here,” he thought to himself, already beginning to loathe the place. The sooner he could raise his army and move north into Thule, the better.
The day dragged on slowly for everyone, but Zedd was content to spend it with his wife and children. It had been such a long time since he’d last seen them. In fact, it had been so long that he had half-expected his son, Rylee, not to even remember who he was anymore. Rylee had been barely three when Zedd had left for Afaraon, and now he was almost six. Half of his young life had been spent without his father, and Zedd swore to himself that he would never allow it to happen again.
Cole watched Zedd closely from the other side of the room as he played with his son and daughter. It was a side of the man that he’d never seen before, and would never have guessed even existed until now. The previous day’s experiment with Zedd’s mind link had gone even better than Cole had dared to hope. He’d been amazed by what he could actually influence Zedd to do without him even being aware of it. Everything from moving him around, to saying certain words or phrases. It seemed like all he had to do was plant the idea within Zedd’s mind, then watch him act upon it. It was subtle but extremely effective, and if the dragon heart shard had sensed his incursion, it too showed no signs of it. It was the reassurance that Cole needed to stay with Zedd, at least in the short term. After all, it was one thing agreeing to follow a powerful narcissistic madman that could choose to kill you at any moment if you could control him, and quite another if you could not.
The storm intensified throughout the day and by mid-afternoon, the thick red dust was even beginning to encroach into the house. They were forced to place rolled up rags at the foot of the door and windows to stop it blowing inside, and the roof rattled violently with each huge gust of wind. Avril assured them that it was normal for that time of year, and said that the summer storms were often even worse.
It took another four hours before the storm showed any signs of subsiding, and even then the air hung heavy with the thick red dust. It made it difficult to accurately judge the time of day, but when Zedd’s magical perimeter spell was suddenly triggered by someone moving outside, he knew it was still several hours until sunset, and therefore far too early for any of the men to have arrived yet. He tried to peer through the red gloom to see who it was, but it was impossible to see any further than about twenty feet beyond the window. Was it an ambush? Had they decided to use the cover of the dust storm to try and catch him unawares and kill him? It was unlikely that whoever it was out there could have detected his warning spells, so they wouldn’t know that he’d already been alerted to their presence.
Zedd spoke several words of power and created a strong magical shield around the entire room. He was not prepared to take any risks when it came to the safety of his family. For all he knew, there could be at least twenty or thirty magi outside hiding in the red gloom of the dust storm, and all it would take was a single magical missile to kill one of his children, or even his wife.
Cole sensed the surge of power from Zedd through his tenuous mind link but pretended instead that he had heard him speak the incantation. He stood up and moved towards Zedd at the kitchen window.
“Is there a problem?” Cole asked quietly, peering out into the red gloom.
“Maybe,” Zedd replied, then after a moment’s pause he added, Can you sense the minds of anyone outside? Someone just triggered my perimeter spell, but I can’t see anyone for all the damned dust out there. It would help to know how many we’re dealing with, and what their intentions are.”
“I don’t see why not, as long as they’re within range,” Cole replied. Zedd nodded and continued to stare out of the window into the red murk. It didn’t take Cole long to locate the minds of two men hidden within the dust storm outside, but what he sensed from them was not what he’d expected to find.
“I can only sense two men,” Cole said, continuing to search for any others that he might have missed.
Zedd sniggered at the news. “They really think they have a chance against me with only two magi?” he said, mockingly.
“I’m not sure that’s their intention,” Cole replied, linking to one of the men’s minds for a second time and digging deeper into his thoughts. “I sense a lot of fear and indecision in both of them.”
“Of course they’re afraid, you fool. They saw what I did to their leader, so they’re no doubt expecting to die too,” Zedd said, derisively. Cole ignored Zedd’s intended insult and continued as if he hadn’t even noticed. He had become so used to Zedd’s almost constant ridicule over the past year that it no longer bothered him in the slightest—especially now that he could take control of his mind at any time he liked.
“No, you’re wrong,” Cole said, purposely leaving a long pause to annoy Zedd. “Those two men out there are not even magi. I sense a lot of fear in them both, and it’s making it hard for me to read their minds effectively. I can tell, though, that they want to approach the house, but are too afraid to even try. They both seem torn between staying here, or returning back to their homes… no wait, their families… I… I think. It’s really hard to tell, their minds are all over the place with random thoughts and images.” Cole knew something was very wrong. He had never before encountered anyone with a mind in such turmoil. Even during his training when he’d been forced to read the minds of several badly tortured prisoners, none had shown the level of disarray that these two men did.
Cole started walking towards the outer door, and as he did so, he reached out to one of the men’s minds and attempted to instil some calm. He lifted the bar from behind the door and reached for the latch. Zedd watched impassively from near the kitchen window but didn’t attempt to stop him, or even ask what he intended to do. Cole was surprised to not see the red dust billow into the house when he opened the door. It took him a moment to realise that Zedd must have erected a magical shield around the entire room, or possibly even the whole house, he wasn’t sure which. He felt the mind of the man begin to calm a little under his influence and called out in his direction.
“You may approach. Don’t be afraid, no one will harm you.”
There was no reply from within the red murk, but Cole felt the man’s mind react to his words. He could still feel the man’s apprehension about coming forward and revealing himself, but that appeared to be fading fast now. Whatever internal conflict he’d been suffering within his own mind, now seemed to have been resolved in favour of approaching the house. A moment later a nervous looking man appeared out of the gloom. He appeared very agitated, frequently looking over his shoulder as if expecting someone else to appear at any moment.
“Sir, please… help us,” he pleaded, looking directly at Zedd, who had now come to stand by Cole’s side. The man fell to his knees in front of him, and Cole winced inwardly. He knew how much Zedd hated to see weakness, and this man couldn’t have displayed any more of it if he’d tried.
“Please, sir… help us… please. They’ve taken everyone. They’ve taken my wife and children. And now they’re destroying everything,” the man said, openly crying.
“Who has taken them?” Zedd asked. He didn’t really care about the man’s wife or children. If he was too weak to even protect his own family, as far as Zedd was concerned, he deserved whatever came his way. What he did care about, however, was the fact that someone had dared to take and destroy his property. It was his clan now, and that meant that he owned everything, including the people in it. But Zedd wasn’t prepared for what the man said next.
“Empire soldiers, sir. T
hey’re taking everyone as slaves, and killing anyone who tries to resist them. Please, sir… hurry, before it’s too late,” the man pleaded.
Given a choice, Zedd would have preferred not to engage any Empire soldiers until long after he had established himself within The Badlands. But he knew he could not allow them to leave with their prisoners. It was common practice for the Empire to interrogate every slave they captured for information. This wasn’t done purely as an information gathering exercise, as most slaves rarely knew anything of value anyway. It was done to break their spirits. To show them what would happen to them if they were disobedient, or ever tried to run away—and it was a very effective deterrent. The problem was, with so many clan members taken as salves, it was an absolute certainty that at least one of them would mention Zedd’s name and what he had done. And when Lord Zelroth discovered his location, which he undoubtedly would, his plans to unite The Badlands and take the fight directly to the Empire would be in jeopardy. Few clans would choose to willingly serve a man who had an entire army trying to kill him.
If there was one thing over the years that Zedd had learned to do—and do well—was to turn a bad situation into an opportunity. No matter how dire a situation first appeared, he always seemed to find a way of turning it to his advantage. A wry smile spread across his face when he suddenly realised that this time was no different. If he rescued the people from their enslavement, they would have no choice but to serve him. In fact, they would do so willingly, especially if they witnessed him killing the entire Empire force sent to capture them. A display of power like that would also go a long way towards gaining him the reputation that he would need to unite The Badlands. And as a bonus, he would be ridding himself of a few Empire soldiers; the more he killed now, the fewer he would have to face later. He knew it wouldn’t be very many in the grand scheme of things—but at least it would be a start.
Zedd looked down at the babbling man by his feet in disgust. “Tell me… what would your old clan leader, Draek have done in this situation?” Zedd asked, calmly. The man momentarily looked up, then quickly averted his eyes again. Zedd knew the answer to his own question, and so did the man; nothing. Draek would have simply run and hid, or died fighting. He would never have been powerful enough to defeat a well-trained unit of Empire magi. Zedd knew it. The man kneeling before him knew it. And so would every person that he eventually rescued.
“Where are these Empire soldiers now?” Zedd asked.
“Sir, they were still in the Gyord Valley when I left.”
Zedd nodded to himself. The soldiers would no doubt loot and pillage whatever they could, and with the recent dust storm and nightfall fast approaching, Zedd suspected they would remain where they were until morning. He decided that if he was going to do this, he might as well milk it for all it was worth. Trying hard to keep any hint of humour from his voice, he addressed the man once more.
“As your new clan leader, I suppose it falls to me to protect you and your kin. So, therefore, I will honour my responsibilities and destroy the invading force that has trespassed on our lands,” Zedd said, theatrically. He paused only for a moment, then added, “That is, of course, if the Kraell clan has accepted me as their leader?”
“Oh, yes, sir, we do… we do,” the man replied desperately.
“Good… I thought that you might,” Zedd replied, grinning widely. “Wait outside whilst we prepare to leave.” He didn’t give the man a chance to reply, closing the door on him, and leaving him outside in the remnants of the dust storm. Zedd turned straight to Avril, ignoring the questioning look on Cole’s face.
“How far is it to the Gyord Valley?”
“It’s about a thirty-minute walk north-east of here, through the Gyord Pass,” Avril replied.
Tiana stepped forward and spoke before Zedd could reply. “You’re not seriously considering fighting them are you?” she asked, staring at her husband in disbelief.
“Yes, I am. But trust me, it won’t be much of a fight,” Zedd replied, confidently.
“But how can you even hope to defeat so many magi alone? There could be a whole unit of Empire soldiers waiting for you out there.”
“I’ve no doubt there will be. But I don’t have to defeat them all, only their leader. You see, not so long ago I watched as a single boy-mage destroyed our entire army outside Lamuria. At the time I didn’t understand how he’d done it, but now, with the new knowledge that I possess, I do. And I’m certain that I can replicate it, or at least in part.”
“But what if you’re wrong?” Tiana asked.
“I’m not,” Zedd replied, bluntly, then seeing the worried look on his wife’s face, he knew that he had to explain it in more detail. Either that or put up with her foul mood for the next several days when he returned. He held up his hand for her to see, and pointed to where his Necromatic ring had once been. “Lord Zelroth gained the knowledge of how to create the Necromatic rings centuries ago, and they have been used to control our people ever since. Recently, I discovered that source of knowledge for myself, and that’s what enabled me to remove our rings. That same knowledge can also be used to take advantage of any Necromatic ring, and its wearer, just as Lord Zelroth often does himself.
“In order for the Necromatic rings to be used as Lord Zelroth intended, each one must be linked directly into the wearer’s power reserves, which is why they can never be removed again without killing the owner of that ring. We all know this because it’s taught to us from an early age. But what isn’t taught to us, is that it’s possible to tap directly into someone else’s Necromatic ring and draw magical power directly from it. In a similar way, for example, as a Baliaeter can draw power directly from an subordinate, say a Praetor. Those abilities, however, are part of the Necromatic ring’s enchantments and are locked in at the point of its creation. Only Lord Zelroth has the ability to upgrade, or downgrade, a ring’s status. And as the saying goes: power only ever flows upwards. Meaning, that you can never tap into the power reserves of anyone with a higher rank than yourself. Again, we all know this, and we all accept it—but it’s not entirely true.
“The Necromatic rings, by their very nature, are flawed, and leave their wearer vulnerable to attack. Not only from a higher ranking individual within the Empire, but also by anyone else who knows how to take advantage of them, such as the boy-mage, or myself. That was essentially how the boy-mage defeated our entire army outside Lamuria, and that is how I will defeat the Empire magi now. The boy-mage simply tapped into the rings of the highest ranking officers and drained their power, forcing them, in turn, to drain their subordinates power in order to survive. I’m not sure exactly how he achieved it on such a vast scale, or at the range he did, but the principle still remains the same.”
Tiana seemed at least partially satisfied by Zedd’s explanation, even if she didn’t fully understand some of it, and eventually—if a little reluctantly—agreed to remain at the house with Avril and the children whilst he confronted the Empire magi. When Zedd revisited his earlier conversation with Avril, he discovered that the Gyord Valley lay on the far side of the Gyord Pass, which in turn was a narrow passage between two vertical cliffs, several hundred feet high.
Apparently, The Gyord Valley had been chosen as the Kraell clan’s stronghold at least in part because of that narrow passage, as it made their southern border much easier to defend against potential attack. Zedd knew the soldiers would most likely have come from the North—directly from Thule—and as such, there was little chance that his wife and children would be any danger whilst he was gone. If he didn’t encounter any Empire soldiers on his way to the Gyord Valley, chances were that they were safely contained within the valley itself. But even if a few did manage to slip by him in the remnants of the dust storm, he knew that as soon as he began attacking their forces, a call for help would be sent via their Necromatic rings, recalling all nearby magi back to the Gyord Valley.
Even so, Zedd still decided to make plans for the unlikely event that the house was d
iscovered by soldiers whilst he was gone. He instructed his wife and Avril to offer no resistance whatsoever, and allow themselves and the children to be freely taken as prisoners. He assured them that without a Necromatic ring on their finger to mark them as runaway Thule citizens, they would be treated just like any other prisoners. And once the soldiers brought them back to the Gyord Valley to reunite with their comrades-in-arms, it would be a simple matter of him setting them free again. Tiana wasn’t exactly thrilled by his plan, but eventually, she seemed to see the logic in it, and reluctantly agreed to do as he asked, should they find themselves in such a situation.
Cole’s instructions were the same as before; remove any silence spell placed on him, or use his mind control to get one of the Empire magi to do it. Zedd didn’t like Cole having access to his mind but he knew it would be necessary for the coming battle, and so asked him to reinstate a new link anyway. It was something that Zedd thought he would never feel totally comfortable with, but given his long-term plans, he guessed that he’d better start getting used to it all the same.
After saying their brief farewells, Zedd and Cole left the house and stepped into the red dusty murk outside. The strong northerly wind was still blowing, but nowhere near to extent it had been earlier. Even so, with each new gust of wind came a fresh cloud of dust, adding to the eerie red haze all around them. Zedd had already erected a magical shield around himself and Cole, not only for protection against any potential attack but also to enable them to breathe more easily. The last thing they needed to do was announce their presence by coughing and spluttering their way into the Gyord Valley.
Zedd and Cole found the two men waiting for them further down the street, and as expected they were extremely eager to get underway. Both men had rags tied around their noses and mouth, making them look far more sinister than they actually were. It didn’t go unnoticed by Zedd that the two men had been waiting almost at the very spot where he’d killed their old clan leader, Draek. Nothing remained apart from a large circular scorch mark on the ground. The strong winds had swept away any ash or residue that might have once been there. Zedd smiled inwardly. That’s what he would be—a strong wind. A force of nature that would sweep away the old order and usher in a new one: his.
