by Dean Cadman
Orgoth stepped forward, rudely pushing aside another orc in his way. “It’s irrelevant whether it was luck or fate, our laws are clear. Vultog failed to complete his chosen Right of Ascension quest, therefore he must accept all the consequences associated with his failure.”
Lusam nodded slowly. “You may be right, Orgoth. But I believe that The Keeper wanted Vultog to guide me to your tribe.”
Orgoth snorted. “And why would he want to do that?”
Lusam smiled at him. “Because he knows that with Vultog’s help, I can breach The Boundary of The Sacred Mountain and bring back many more Soul Stones for our tribe.”
The collective crowd gasped and erupted in chatter, and Orgoth’s face contorted in anger. “No one can pass The Boundary. It’s impossible,” he yelled, over the ruckus.
“I can,” Lusam replied after the crowd had settled down again. “I wish to exercise my right as a member of this tribe and take the Right of Ascension quest. My chosen quest will be to recover more Soul Stones from beyond The Sacred Mountain, just as Hagu once did. I also ask that Vultog is allowed a second chance at his Right of Ascension quest, as I believe this can only be achieved if we work together.”
“No! It is forbidden,” Orgoth said, forcefully.
“Forbidden by whom?” Lusam asked.
“By The Keeper,” he replied, through gritted teeth.
Lusam nodded slowly. “I understand, but I believe The Keeper wished Vultog to find me and bring me here to your tribe. And I also believe that he wants us to undertake this quest together.”
“Well I don’t,” Orgoth snapped.
“Nor, do I,” said the Oracle, stepping forward towards the stone table.
Lusam struggled to stifle a grin. He knew he had them both exactly where he wanted them now. “Maybe you’re right. I’m sorry, I meant no disrespect,” he said, bowing his head slightly and stepping away from the stone table. Whispers rippled through the crowd, and Lusam paused for a few moments before turning back to face them. When he did, he raised his voice enough for all to hear, even though he was addressing the Oracle directly. “It’s a shame that it’s not possible to ask The Keeper himself. If we knew for certain what his intentions for Vultog were, it might mean a great many more Soul Stones for the tribe.”
Lusam had barely finished speaking before voices from the crowd were calling for the Sacred Chalice and Keeper’s Eyes to be used.
Something which Lusam had counted on all along.
The Oracle raised a hand to silence the crowd, then turned to face Lusam with a smug grin on his face. “We can always consult The Keeper, because he has given us the means to do so. But why would we trouble him with such nonsense, when we already know there is no way to survive contact with The Boundary?”
Vultog had already told Lusam that the tribe possessed samples of the deadly gas in sealed jars, and he had considered proving his ability to withstand contact with the gas by asking to use one of those jars. But he realised that if he did, he would then have to explain how it was possible, and that could lead to more trouble than it was worth. Instead, he decided to use a different tactic. One that he felt certain would work, given the open resentment that both the Oracle and Orgoth had shown towards Vultog.
Lusam turned to face the Oracle but spoke loud enough for everyone in the cavern to hear. “I believe The Keeper will allow us to pass through The Boundary. But if I’m wrong, what do you have to lose? If we fail, we will both die. But if we succeed, the tribe’s status will be lifted beyond all others. I say let The Keeper decide.”
The crowd called out enthusiastically in support of Lusam’s suggestion, but he could see the calculating looks on both the Oracle’s and Orgoth’s face, and an element of doubt began to manifest itself within his mind as to whether or not his plan would still work. But when he finally saw Orgoth lean in to whisper into his uncle’s ear, he knew that he’d already won.
The Oracle stepped forward to face the crowd and silence quickly followed.
“We will consult The Keeper on this matter and if it is his wish that Vultog should be allowed to retake the Right of Ascension quest, we shall abide by his decision.” The crowd erupted in chatter once more, and an air of excitement seemed to fill the cavern.
Chief Vergu, who had been silent up until that point, stood up and moved towards the stone table. He held up a hand to silence the crowd, and they immediately obeyed.
“I will hear what my son has to say about this matter first before his fate is decided for him by others,” Chief Vergu said, glowering at the Oracle.
Lusam placed a hand on Vultog’s arm, and using the physical contact between them as a conduit, he sent out his own consciousness towards Vultog’s. He spoke directly into his mind, just as he had done once before with his mother in Lord Zelroth’s stronghold.
“Trust me,” he whispered.
Lusam felt Vultog flinch under his touch, but when he met the orc’s eyes, he was relieved to see an almost imperceptible nod from him. Vultog stepped forward towards the stone table and faced his father.
“I would like to hear what your thoughts are on this, Vultog. Attempting to breach The Boundary is the most perilous quest that any of us could ever undertake. Failure will mean certain death, for you both. I know what you must be feeling within your heart, son, but even though you failed your Right of Ascension quest, at least you had the courage to try. Which is more than can be said for some,” he said, glaring at Orgoth. “Regardless of the outcome, few within our tribe would ever question your true honour, because they all know you as I do.”
Vultog bowed his head slightly when he heard his father’s words. “Thank you, father, for your kind words and concern. But as you all know, I have always put my faith in The Keeper, and I don’t see why this time should be any different. If it is the will of The Keeper that I must travel to The Sacred Mountain and cross The Boundary, then so be it. And if I should die trying, then that is also his wish.”
Chief Vergu placed a hand on his shoulder. “May The Keeper watch over you, son,” he said, leaning in and placing his forehead on Vultog’s.
“AND FOREVER MORE,” the crowd spoke as one, finishing the prayer.
Lusam watched as the Oracle retrieved the Sacred Chalice from a shelf at the back of the cave. He wore a look of self-satisfaction as he slowly made his way back towards the stone table. He obviously thought that he was about to win whatever the outcome, Lusam thought. If The Keeper was publicly seen to deny Vultog a second chance of completing his Right of Ascension quest, it would only serve to bolster his own nephew’s claims of leadership when the time came. If however, The Keeper was seen to grant the request, the Oracle no doubt expected Vultog to die in the attempt anyway. Either way, he believed he would get what he wanted.
But Lusam had other ideas.
Lusam watched as the Oracle raised the Sacred Chalice and chanted his prayer. He couldn’t help wondering if the Oracle truly believed that the Keeper’s Eyes were somehow special, or if he really knew they were nothing more than coloured stones. Although he could never prove it, he believed it more likely the latter. Lusam had heard the chant so many times now that he knew when it was about to end and held out a hand to receive the Sacred Chalice from the Oracle. The Oracle pulled it away from him as if his touch would somehow taint its purity.
“The Sacred Chalice is not for you to hold,” he said, in a snide voice. His true meaning was perfectly clear, but before Lusam could confront him on it, he spoke again. “Your choice to undertake the Right of Ascension is not in question here. It is Vultog who must submit to the will of The Keeper.” The Oracle held out the Sacred Chalice towards Vultog and a wave of panic flowed through Lusam. He had expected it to be him who tipped over the Sacred Chalice onto the stone table. After all, this was all his idea in the first place.
Desperately, Lusam tried to reach for the contents of the chalice with his mind, but the almost complete lack of magic within the cave prevented him from doing so. He watched helplessl
y as Vultog placed a hand over the top of the Sacred Chalice and tipped it from side to side several times, rattling the Keeper’s Eyes loudly inside.
Lusam didn’t know what else to do, so he clapped Vultog on the shoulder and spoke the prayer he had heard earlier, hoping that it didn’t offend anyone.
“May The Keeper watch over you,” he said, loud and clear. Vultog paused just as he was about to turn over the Sacred Chalice, and it was all the time Lusam needed. As the crowd spoke the remainder of the prayer, he sent out tendrils of power through Vultog’s body towards the hand which held the chalice, and a heartbeat later he could see the contents of it in his mind. As Vultog tipped over the Sacred Chalice onto the stone table, Lusam manipulated each stone so that it fell white side down, then stepped away from the table.
Vultog waited for the Oracle to speak before revealing the Keeper’s Eyes to the gathered crowd.
“The Keeper has spoken. Let no one here doubt the wisdom of his decision,” the Oracle said, nodding for Vultog to reveal the results. As he lifted the Sacred Chalice away a collective gasp filled the cavern. Lusam watched as the Oracle’s eyes grew wide, and Orgoth’s jaw fell open at the sight of eight black Keeper’s Eyes staring back at them.
“Does that mean I was right?” Lusam asked, innocently. Both the Oracle and Orgoth gave him a murderous look, but neither replied to his question.
The gathered orcs surged towards the stone table to see the results for themselves. Whispers of amazement fill the air, and each and every one of them wanted to touch Vultog as if he was The Keeper himself. Chief Vergu pushed his way through the crowd to the stone table, and Lusam could see the astonishment on his face when he saw for himself how the Keeper’s Eyes had fallen.
“Blessed be The Keeper,” Chief Vergu whispered under his breath, and many more echoed his words. “There can be no doubt now to the validity of Vultog’s claim, nor to the importance of our new friend here,” he said, gesturing towards Lusam. “Never before has The Keeper given his blessing in this way.”
“What do you mean, never before?” Lusam asked, slightly confused by the statement. Surely if the orcs had been using that particular method of decision-making for centuries—if not millennia—someone by now would have thrown a full set of black counters, he thought.
“This is the first time in our history that The Keeper has given his full and complete blessing to anything,” Vultog said, eyeing up Lusam suspiciously. Lusam tried to ignore his comments and moved around to the other side of him so that he could get a closer look at the Keeper’s Eyes on the stone table. The Oracle must have sensed his intentions and quickly moved towards him, ready to gather them up into the Sacred Chalice again.
“Wait!” Chief Vergu, commanded. “Why would you wish to deprive our people of such a wondrous sight, so quickly? Surely the events of this day should be savoured for as long as possible, and witnessed by as many as possible?”
The Oracle looked like he was chewing a wasp when he finally replied. “Of course, Chief Vergu. I was only concerned that someone might inadvertently touch the Keeper’s Eyes and contaminate their purity,” he said, glowering at Lusam.
Lusam smiled openly at him. “Oh, I’ve no need to touch them to admire their beauty,” Lusam replied, placing his hand on the stone table. A quick magical examination of the stones revealed what he had suspected: three of the eight were weighted towards falling unfavourably.
He grinned widely at the Oracle as he removed his hand from the table. Not only were the Keeper’s Eyes little more than a tavern gambling game, they were also weighted in favour of the house—or in this case, the Oracle.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The unique events inside The Cave of Enlightenment gave way to yet another long and joyous celebration, but fortunately, Lusam was able to avoid drinking very much of the strong orc ale this time. Lusam and Vultog quickly became the centre of attention for the other orcs, much to the great consternation of the Oracle and Orgoth. Lusam had fully expected Vultog to question him on the results of the Keeper’s Eyes, but fortunately, they never found themselves alone long enough for him to be able to.
During the celebrations, Chief Vergu conducted a small ceremony of his own to make the two Right of Ascension quests official. Apparently, from the moment they now stepped outside the orc village, they would both be considered to be without honour until they returned triumphantly and proved otherwise. Although Chief Vergu never voiced his concerns openly to Vultog, Lusam could tell that he was more than a little apprehensive about his son’s safety. He considered asking to speak with the Chief in private so that he could reassure him that all would be well. But he soon realised that if he did, nothing good could come out of it. He would no doubt have to reveal the existence of his magic to him, which in turn would raise questions about the Keeper’s Eyes, as well as his encounter at the village gate when he’d first arrived. And worst of all it could undo the work that he had done towards regaining Vultog’s honour, as well as rob himself of a guide for his own critically important quest.
The celebrations seemed to go on forever and all Lusam could think about was Neala and the others back in his own world. It was impossible to know for sure, but he guessed it had been at least three or four days since he had been pulled through sea arch into the hidden realm. A few things, however, were certain; Neala would be worried sick about him by now, and the longer he spent inside the hidden realm, the stronger Aamon would become. For him, the celebrations couldn’t end fast enough. The sooner he set out north to find the Guardian book, the sooner he could return home to Neala and the others. And the sooner he could end the threat from The Rift, and the dark God within.
***
Lusam had been awake for several hours when the knock finally came at his door.
“Come in,” he called out, jumping off the bed and grabbing the small bag of supplies he had gathered the night before. Or was it the day before? He really didn’t know. He still couldn’t get used to the perpetual daylight outside, or the stifling humidity for that matter.
“Good morning,” Vultog said, poking his head around the door, before stepping inside.
“Is it? If you say so,” Lusam replied, light-heartedly. By the confused look on Vultog’s face, Lusam guessed that he hadn’t got the joke, but he seemed to be in good spirits nonetheless. He looked just like he had the first time Lusam had seen him in the forest, complete with his massive battle axe and studded leather armour. In fact, the only difference that Lusam could see was that he no longer had the Soul Stone knife in his belt.
“Are you ready to go?” Vultog asked.
“Absolutely,” Lusam replied, already heading for the door. “By the way, how far is it to The Sacred Mountain?”
“If we move swiftly we should make it there in little over a day. Providing, of course, that we don’t encounter any problems along the way.”
“What kind of problems?” Lusam asked, closing the door behind them.
Vultog shrugged. “There are many dangers in the forest between here and The Sacred Mountain.”
“Such as?” Lusam pressed.
“Dire wolves, ettins, goblins, faeries, giant serpents, death spiders…”
“Wait…” Lusam said, cutting him off mid-sentence. “Forget that I asked. I don’t really want to know.”
Vultog gave him a wide grin. “Don’t worry, my friend, we will face the dangers together—as brothers,” he said, clapping Lusam hard on the shoulder and knocking the wind out of him. It took Lusam a moment to steady himself and catch his breath again, but when he did, something else suddenly occurred to him.
“When you said that we should make it to The Sacred Mountain in little over a day, you did mean on foot, right?” Lusam asked, nervously.
Vultog’s laughter echoed through the village streets. “Yes, my friend, on foot,” he said, still chuckling to himself. “We cannot take the wolves this time, I’m afraid. They are even more susceptible to the gas than we are, and would likely succumb to its
effects even before we became aware of its presence.”
“Oh, I see,” Lusam replied, greatly relieved that he wouldn’t have to spend another minute on a wolf’s back, let alone a full day.
They soon reached the village gate and Lusam was surprised to see so many orcs waiting for them there. Many offered them gifts to take along on their journey. Some were intended for their own use along the way, but most of the gifts were for The Keeper, intended to be left on the far side of The Sacred Mountain for him. Surprisingly, Vultog took them all without hesitation and quickly organised them into two separate bags: one for their own use, and one to be left for The Keeper. Thankfully, the villager’s farewells were generally brief, and they were soon on their way.
The first few miles were easy enough, but soon after the forest began to thicken again and the oppressive humidity returned once more. Vultog tried to stay on the various game trails, but often he was forced to cut his way through the dense undergrowth and their progress slowed almost to a standstill. Fortunately, Vultog knew exactly where to find water and they drank frequently from either small streams which meandered their way through the forest, or from various plants which held water within their stems.
