by Dean Cadman
The huge doors to his throne room swung open, and revealed a hive of activity within. As he stepped into the immense room, everyone stopped what they were doing and bowed deeply to him. He waved his hand nonchalantly, indicating that they should return to their work, and continued on his way.
He had commissioned a handful of renowned artists to complete his mural depicting the reopening of The Great Rift, and the release of Aamon from the Netherworld. He had started it several centuries earlier, when he had been in search of the illusive Guardian book pictured on the ceiling of his throne room. He had never found the island depicted in the image, and had concentrated his efforts on the book in Lamuria instead. Shortly afterwards he had abandoned the mural, always intending to return to it and complete it at a later date. Now he wished to complete it as a gift, and a sign of respect to his God, Aamon.
The painted mural covered almost the entire four walls of his throne room. It started with the depiction of creation, and had originally ended with the victory of the Guardians in The Dragon-Mage Wars, and the imprisonment of Aamon within the Netherworld. In-between the two there was everything from the war of the Gods, to the original creation of Irragin, or Azmarin as it was now known. All of the murals had been created by the Afaraon monks who had once lived there. He had thought about destroying them on more than one occasion in the past, but their exquisite beauty had prevented him from doing so. That, and the fact he had always suspected that some hidden secrets were contained within the painted images. Possibly secrets which would eventually reveal the true location of the illusive island painted high up on his vaulted ceiling.
He walked slowly towards his imposing throne and climbed the three golden steps up to it. His throne had been created centuries ago using both dragon and human bones, and mounted on a raised solid gold platform. Intricately carved symbols of power adorned every part of it, from the steps leading up to it, to the actual throne itself. Ten Darkseed Elite guards followed closely behind him, and positioned themselves at each side of his throne when he sat down.
He watched as the artists worked diligently to finish the new part of the mural depicting the reopening of The Great Rift, and the glorious release of his God, Aamon, from his Netherworld prison.
“Soon, Aamon will be free, and I’ll be rewarded for my loyal service,” he thought to himself smiling, as he looked at the new images taking form on the wall in front of him.
He heard a gasp, quickly followed by running footsteps coming from behind him. His Darkseed Elite spun around to face the potential danger, but he simply remained where he was. One of his servants skidded to a halt on his knees below the steps to his throne, and prostrated himself before him.
“Sire, the Deceiver God’s stronghold has just been breached,” the servant reported nervously. Lord Zelroth gripped the arms of his throne, ready to race off to his book pedestal room to find out who had entered Coldmont. But instead, he sat back and relaxed again. The servant nervously looked up at him on his throne, and he waved him away. Much to the great relief of the servant judging by the speed of which he departed. No doubt memories of what had happened to the last servant who had failed to report the intrusion were fresh in his mind.
Lord Zelroth carefully worked through all the the possibilities in his mind. Could it be that the boy-mage had set an elaborate trap for him? Was he really on his way to the Nauroe, or had he engineered it only to look that way, and instead gone to Coldmont, knowing that he would teleport there to see who had entered the book room? Or was the boy-mage actually on his way to Azmarin, and somehow crafted a spell to trap him in Coldmont if he teleported there? If that was the case, and he teleported to Coldmont only to find that he couldn’t return to Azmarin, the boy-mage would not only succeed in rescuing his mother, but he would also gain access to the Guardian book there. And that was one thing he could not allow to happen—under any circumstances.
He tried to look relaxed, while he thought it through logically. If it was the boy-mage in Coldmont hoping to kill him, or part of a plan to trap him there, he had no reason to go there. If, however, it was someone new who had discovered Coldmont and the Guardian book, it was very likely that the book would kill them as soon as they opened it. He knew whoever it was couldn’t remove the Guardian book from the room, Aamon knows, he tried himself for years.
No, he wouldn’t go running headlong into a trap. He would first kill the boy-mage and his mother, then he would send someone overland to check for traps before going there himself.
It was little more than an hour later when Lord Zelroth was disturbed again. This time by the return of the ship he had sent to the Nauroe. As he read the report, his grin grew wider across his face.
The boy-mage was now on his way.
He had avoided whatever trap the boy-mage had intended for him at Coldmont, and now he would kill him once and for all. But not before making him watch while he slowly killed his mother first.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The boat that Gydren provided Lusam and his party was very basic to say the least. Durlan had been outraged when he had first seen what they’d expected him to sail across the open sea in. He said that no one in their right mind would ever use such a small and unstable vessel for an open water crossing such as the one they were about to make. Virion, who had shown them to the small vessel, had assured him that the Nauroe used boats just like that one every day, and travelled much further in them than the trip they had planned. Durlan’s animated response to that had contained several profanities Lusam had never even heard before, and he had been forced to calm the situation by assuring Durlan that everything would be alright.
Gydren had also been good to his word and delivered the four barrels of nails which Lusam had asked for, and had even refused to take payment for them. Although bringing them aboard the small vessel seemed to upset Durlan all over again, as he was convinced that the extra weight would make the already unstable vessel even more unpredictable in heavy seas.
“Are you sure we actually need those nails? Can’t we just sleep on the deck instead?” Neala asked, as Lusam began to bring them on board the boat using his magic.
“I don’t intend using them to make a magical hammock this time. I have another, much more important use for them in mind,” Lusam replied, lowering the four barrels onto the small deck. Neala waited for him to explain, but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.
“And are you going to share that information with us, lad?” Renn asked from the prow of the boat. Lusam seemed to startle a little at hearing Renn’s voice.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about what Lord Zelroth might have waiting for us when we get there. The nails… yes. I want to use them to store some magic, then use that magic to help shield the boat. I know Durlan isn’t happy about the size of this boat, but for our purposes, it will make it a lot easier for me to defend,” Lusam replied. Durlan muttered something under his breath, but didn’t share it with the rest of them.
“So, you think they will be waiting for us then?” Neala asked nervously.
Lusam grinned at her. “You weren’t really expecting us to be able to sneak in undetected, were you?”
“No, I guess not. Especially since you let that Empire ship escape earlier. Lord Zelroth is bound to know we’re coming now,” she replied, in a slightly sarcastic tone.
“He already knew we were coming, lass,” Renn said. “He just didn’t know when.”
“But now he does, so he can organise his forces in time for our arrival,” Neala replied, giving Lusam an accusatory look.
Lusam chuckled. “Good. Let’s hope that he lines them all up for me, then I won’t have to go looking for them.”
“I’ve already warned you once, lad. Don’t underestimate Lord Zelroth. You’re already at a disadvantage fighting him on his own ground, don’t add complacency to that disadvantage as well,” Renn said in a serious voice. Lusam’s face also became more serious, as he turned to reply to Renn.
“You worry far too much, Re
nn. Remember, I have one thing which Lord Zelroth doesn’t: the knowledge from Lamuria’s Guardian book. It taught me how to manipulate magic and the invisible strands of it all around us. I doubt you’ve already forgotten, but that was how I defeated his entire army outside Lamuria. And that’s how I’ll defeat Lord Zelroth, too.
“You once told me that he created the Necromatic rings so that he could draw power directly from his underlings. Well those same rings will be his undoing. As you know, it’s difficult, but not impossible for me to draw power directly from a person. But those Necromatic rings are already tapped directly into their power reserves, and are much easier for me to access. And as if that wasn’t easy enough, their command structure makes them even more vulnerable to me. If I attack their highest ranking mage, he will eventually draw power from his underlings to survive. Or I could simply tap into his magic reserves to power my magical barrier, and their own attacks would kill them. Either way, they will lose.
“I’m more concerned about your safety, than I am about whatever Lord Zelroth will have waiting for us. That’s why I asked Gydren for the four barrels of nails. After I leave the boat, I’ll only be able to protect you for so long. Once you leave the maximum range of my magical barrier, you’ll be vulnerable to attack again. But I think if I use the nails to store some of my magic, I can create a shield capable of withstanding at least a few direct hits. I’ll try to make sure that they focus their attacks on me, but you still need to be able to withstand a few hits, just in case. If they do decide to send a few missiles your way, I’m sure even Durlan will be happy about the small size of this boat then,” Lusam said grinning at Durlan, but he still didn’t look convinced.
“That’s great, except I’ll be coming with you,” Neala said matter-of-factly.
“Me too, lad,” Renn said.
“No, you won’t… either of you. I’ll be going ashore alone to do this,” Lusam replied. Neala began to protest, but Lusam held up his hand to stop her. “This is my fight, and neither of you would be effective against so many magi. Renn might survive a while with his shield, but you would be killed quickly if you didn’t stay right by my side. And if you did that, there wouldn’t be much point in you being there in the first place. No… I need you on the boat where you’ll be safest, and where I don’t have to worry about you so much. And I need Renn here to help defend you and the boat with his shield if need be.”
Neala was about to ask why he’d bothered bringing either of them in the first place if he didn’t need them, but she already knew the answer. She couldn’t have stayed in Lamuria because of the threat from the King, and Renn was the only one the Nauroe would deal with.
She knew Lusam was only trying to protect her, but she couldn’t help feeling a sense of helplessness at her situation. How could she let him face Lord Zelroth alone? And if anything did happen to him, how could she ever live with herself afterwards? Nor could she ask him to forgo rescuing his mother, simply to ease her own fears. But what struck her more than anything else, was his change in attitude towards killing the Empire magi. Once he had struggled with the morality of killing anyone, now he was hoping they would line up for him to make it easier. Something had changed in him, and it wasn’t for the better.
“I’m worried about you, Lusam,” she said softly.
“I just told you, there’s nothing to worry about,” he replied.
Neala ignored him and continued. “No, I’m worried about you. A few months ago you found it difficult to even consider killing the Empire magi on that ship which attacked us. And now you’re not even hesitating over killing far more of them.”
“I killed thousands outside Lamuria too, but I didn’t hear anyone complaining about that,” Lusam said testily.
“That was different. They attacked us, and would have killed everyone inside Lamuria if you hadn’t stopped them, not to mention gained access to the Guardian book there. But this time we are attacking them.”
“She’s right, lad. This is different,” Renn said quietly.
“How can you possibly stand there and say that to me, when you were the one who insisted that I kill all the Empire magi on that ship. You said if I didn’t kill them, they would end up killing many more innocent people later. You also told me that there was no such thing as an innocent solider, only ones that had killed already, or would kill later. So, are you now trying to tell me that the life of my mother is worth less than those innocent people you spoke of? Or are you trying to suggest that just because I plan to kill them in Thulian waters this time, it somehow makes them any less dangerous to the people of Afaraon later?”
“No, lad. I’m not suggesting any of that, and I don’t think Neala is either. I do think that we both share the same concerns about you though,” Renn replied quietly.
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“That you don’t lose who you are in all of this, lad. You’ve had to see and do so many terrible things lately, and that burden must be weighing heavily on you right now. Just make sure that you hang on to your humanity though all of this, lad, because it can be a slippery thing to keep hold of when you travel the type of path you’re on,” Renn replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. Lusam looked up into his eyes, and could see the sincerity behind every word he had just said. He had never known his real father, but Renn had come as close to being a father to him as anyone he’d ever known. The look of concern on Renn’s face for his well-being was truly heart-rending to him, and when he turned to see the same look on Neala’s face, it was almost more than he could bear.
Lusam nodded slowly, and swallowed hard before he could speak again. “I promise that I’ll give them every chance to retreat before I kill any of them, but I can’t and won’t make that promise where Lord Zelroth is concerned.”
“Nor would I ask it of you, lad,” Renn replied, giving his shoulder a small squeeze. Neala wasn’t as subtle, and enveloped him in a tight hug instead.
“Promise me that you’ll be careful, and come back to me,” she whispered in his ear.
He hugged her tightly. “I promise,” he whispered.
Lusam spent the rest of the evening in the harbour preparing their small boat for the future encounter with the Empire magi. He charged the four barrels of nails to their maximum magical capacity, then placed the relevant enchantment on them to power a shield around the small boat. He couldn’t be certain how many direct hits it would take before failing, but he guessed maybe five or six at least. With a little experimentation, he also discovered that he could enchant the wooden planks of the vessel, and make them much more resilient to any attack they might suffer during the battle if the shield should fail.
Many of the passing Nauroe stopped and stared at the strangers in their harbour, but no one approached them to see what they were doing on board one of their boats. It felt like they had been put on display for everyone to see, and by the time the sun was low in the sky, they were all thankful for the approaching darkness. Lusam had a few gold coins left, and wondered if they might find a vendor for something to eat. They had plenty of food with them, but it was impossible to light a fire on the small boat to cook it, and with all the attention they were getting from the passers-by, he didn’t feel much like cooking it with his magic either. He was just about to tell the others of his plan, when a familiar voice called out from the dockside. When he looked up, he saw Virion standing there with two other men holding covered trays.
“Gydren say I bring food. I bring Redfish to you. Redfish Nauroe good food,” Virion said in his thick Nauroean accent.
“Thank you. That’s very kind,” Lusam said, taking the two trays of food from the men. “Please give our thanks to Gydren.” Virion smiled and bowed his head, before turning and heading off in the opposite direction.
“That was kind of him,” Neala said, uncovering one of the trays. It looked and smelled delicious.
“It was, but I think there might have been more behind it than just a kind gesture,” Renn said.
“You thi
nk it’s poisoned?” Neala asked, suddenly moving away from the food.
Renn chuckled. “No, that wasn’t what I was thinking, but I suppose it is a possibility now that you mention it. I was referring to Gydren wanting to make sure that we had remained in the harbour until morning, like we promised.”
“Well, if you think it might be poisoned, I guess I’ll just have to try it all first, just in case,” Lusam said with a wide grin. Neala rolled her eyes at him and muttered something under her breath, but she didn’t suggest he did otherwise.
Chapter Thirty-Five
As agreed, they left Chutra harbour the following morning, and set sail for Thule. The sea conditions were fair, and the small boat handled it very well. Even Durlan admitted that the small vessel was far more stable than he would have thought, and that it responded to his input quickly and predictably. Before leaving the harbour Lusam had used his magic to clean and smooth the hull of the small boat, and it now slipped through the water effortlessly. Durlan had even suggested that they might still catch the Empire ship before it reached the safety of Thule, but Lusam insisted that they didn’t.
On their fourth day at sea they encountered some very bad weather. Durlan insisted that they should immediately head towards the coastline of Afaraon and take shelter there, but Lusam refused. Instead, he erected a shield around the small boat, one which allowed wind, but not water to pass through it, and also created two smaller barriers at each side of the vessel. Each one contained an air pocket, and when the small boat pitched to the side, the air pocket stabilised it against the surface of the ocean. It worked very well indeed, and apart from been blown a little off course, they still made better headway than they would if they had sought refuge along the Afaraon coast.
