by Reaves, Troy
The vision of young Lord Silverwing smiled at the bowing warrior at his feet. “Rise, Lord Lightsword. You are equal in my eyes and should bow to no man or woman of the sword. Save your reverence for the priests of the Temple of Light and our God.”
Gregor rose as he was told. “I pay respects to you as I see fit, Master. Have you left this world?”
“No, brother. It appears the God of Light has plans for me yet. I have come to guide you as I can, but time is short. You know the evil you must face, but you follow my path in error. Do not be misled as I have. You cannot fail. The huntress that follows my step will deliver you into the hands of the enemy, though this is not her intent. You must forsake my path and find your own way to the place where doom dwells. Follow the rogue. Boremac knows the ways of the shadows and possesses the tools to take you to the heart of danger. The daggers that led him to you in your time of need will guide you to the terrible danger you must face.”
“I do not understand. How can I save you if I am to be delivered into the maw of the enemy?”
“I do not know, Gregor. I only know what has been shown to me. Have faith, young warrior, and the God of Light will save you when all others have fallen. We are warriors of the Light, sent into battle. Leave it to the priests to interpret the legacy of our actions.” Already Lord Silverwing was beginning to fade as the light around him diminished. “You, Lord Lightsword, are to be the stuff of legends for centuries to come.”
***
Tana knelt at Gregor's side, shaking him from sleep. There had been little need for the rattling at her hands. His eyes sprung open, startling Tana as she released him, and Gregor found he was sitting bolt upright with his hand at the hilt of his sword. “We have to follow Boremac.” The words tripped over each other in their haste to make it past his lips.
Tana was shocked into silence and Dramor was the first to give answer, disturbed by the mere thought of following the rogue anywhere. The mountain man and the rogue butted heads often over Dramor's apparent lack of desire to move with anything resembling stealth. “Wot? Ya gots ta be yankin' at us now, Lord Lightsword. I mean ya no direspec' but wha' bring this on?”
Boremac snored loudly, indicating he was completely oblivious to the new development. Tana held her tongue for the moment, though her expression was pained. She had felt they had been well served with her tracking of Lord Silverwing. She had guided them easily to the place where Lord Silverwing's companions were buried and was able to surmise that the knight's remaining force had broken camp there only two days before this group had arrived.
“Lord Silverwing came to me as I slept. He warned against following his path and said the rogue can bring us to the place we need to find.” Gregor related the dream to Dramor and Tana, rapidly covering the details of his mentor's appearance.
Tana could restrain her voice no longer as Gregor finished speaking. “Deliver you into the hands of the enemy? Why I would do such a thing, or even how I could, is beyond me. By all means, let's follow whomever you see fit, Master Gregor. As long as most of us are awake, we should rouse our new tracker. By your leave?” Tana did not wait for a reply to her request as she slipped toward the sleeping rogue with catlike grace. Two quick slaps across Boremac's face had the desired effect.
“I told you no one else could take your place, love. I don't know who that lass is.” Boremac sat up, rubbing his eyes with his hands to clear the vestiges of sleep. “What? Why is it still dark? What the hell did I miss? I had the strangest dream. Tana, what are you doing right there and why are you looking at me like that?”
Gregor brought Boremac up to the present while Tana set out into the night to find Sephia. The rogue was less than happy with the new position he held. “So, what you are saying is, that Silverwing, whom you trust with your life, wants me to take you wherever these blades of mine lead, knowing full well that the reason these daggers glow at all is because you are in trouble? Is that about right? Let's not forget the urging to keep the faith once the rest of us have fallen around you. Tell you what, why don't you take the blades and I will have Tana just cut my throat right here. At the very least, I can save myself the walk.”
Gregor smiled at the rogue. “Can’t let you go that easy, my friend. You didn't expect this quest to be without its challenges, did you? We all have our roles to play, and immortality is nothing to fear. At the very least, the weight of sins on your soul should be cleansed with your sacrifice in service to the God of Light.”
“That particular path to glory is generally reserved for knights, and I have no desire to die anytime soon. For what possible reason would I continue on this journey toward almost certain death? Think carefully before you answer, knight, and I will give you time to turn it over while I pack.” Boremac, true to his word in this instance if no other, began gathering his meager items.
“You faced certain death to protect me from assassins, and now you would choose to turn your back on me when I need you the most? Have you learned nothing in the time that was spent in the Temple at Nactium? Do you have NO honor, rogue?” The young knight regretted his words, but the rogue had left him little choice. “I can ask no more of you than you are willing to give freely, Boremac. If I felt my trust in you was misplaced, you would not be here now, and Lord Silverwing has made every effort to see that you continue with us, no matter what fate holds at the end of the journey. Go if you must. God speed you and keep you.”
Boremac dropped his gear and turned angrily to face Gregor. The holy warrior's words had cut him deeply, but it was the memory of Silverwing that forced the answer he gave to Gregor. “You know nothing of me, Lord Lightsword. You are the master of your own fate while those of us around you are made to bring you to face evil you cannot begin to comprehend. Blind faith is a wondrous thing. I will take you into the pits of the Abyss if that is what is required, just to see what happens when that golden light is stripped from your eyes. I will not die for a God that chooses to abandon his followers at his whim. I will take you to your doom to prove the strength of the word I gave your mentor. Be glad for that, and ask me for no more, for you will receive no more.”
The soft clapping of a pair of hands nearby turned the two men away from each other to seek its source. Tana stood at the edge of the camp, taking in the exchange with Sephia standing at her side. Boremac's reaction was immediate as he narrowed his eyes at the huntress. “Shut up, Tana.”
Gregor had to smile in spite of the path that was laid before this group. Some things would never change.
17
Into the Maw of Darkness
Lord Silverwing grew more anxious with each step up the sharply rising mineshaft. While the group he led had rested in the depths of the mountain, he had focused his will to contact Master Gregor. The holy knight had been as surprised by the form his God gave him as his student had. Many of the memories of the foolish youth he once was brought a smile to Lord Silverwing's face after the contact with Gregor was broken. Lord Lightsword, the older knight reminded himself. The youth that had come into Master Silverwing's care so long ago was no longer his student. The boy now was his equal, battle-tested and blessed with the touch of the God of Light. Lord Silverwing prayed he would live to see the knight Master Gregor had become in the time since the two parted.
“There be light, Silverwing. We comin' out the mine.” Fasurel's call from the front of the party drew Silverwing back to the present; back to the task at hand. The knight knew the remaining rangers and druids were going to face a terrible enemy once they left the dark safety of the mine. Every member of the group was ready to face death, and Silverwing steeled himself to lead them into the unknown.
“Stand ready, Fasurel. I will take the first steps. Take the rear and be certain no one comes at our backs.” Fasurel growled something unintelligible, clearly unhappy with taking the rear position, but moved past Silverwing to the back of those assembled. Silverwing passed orders to the remaining hunters and healers as he took the point, attempting to marginalize the group
's vulnerability once they emerged. The knight understood the arts of the battlefield, and lessons learned long ago served him well now, but all the planning in the world could not have prepared him for what was to come.
No creature moved near the exit from the mineshaft, and Lord Silverwing sharpened his ears, seeking any hint of an ambush lying in wait. If there were any creatures on the surrounding ledges at his back, they were far more disciplined than the forces Silverwing had encountered in their journey so far. The object of their mission was readily visible from the high perch, as Lord Silverwing focused his eyes on the small keep across the gorge in front of him. He knew with certainty borne of instinct that the cause of the evil plaguing this world dwelt within the unremarkable black stone walls of the stronghold. As if to confirm his suspicions, large humanoid figures moved across the buttresses of the keep. Even at this distance, Silverwing was able to see the glimmer of armor glinting red on the patrolling demon blooded orcs. Light from the lava flows winding around the building tinted the dark clouds overhead. The sky was blanketed in ash from some unknown source that kept the bowl of rocky cliffs in a near constant night. The swirling sheets of cloud snuffed out any sunlight bold enough to penetrate the gloom. Despite Lord Silverwing's purpose, he felt a tug of despair as he watched the humanoid guardians moving at the top of the keep and through the landscape at its base. He could find little hope that any of his forces would survive a direct assault on the stronghold, even with much greater numbers. The defenders he could see numbered in the hundreds. They would have to find another way into the keep.
“We cannot take the defenders at the front. There has to be another way into the stronghold that I cannot see from here. I will not throw the rest of you away for nothing.” Lord Silverwing withdrew his bow from the sling at his back, nocking a silver arrow. “Looks like there is a makeshift road that leads to the keep from here. Ready your weapons and follow me down the mining path. Be alert. We will no doubt be challenged before we make the grounds near the keep.” Silverwing was correct in his assumption, but his caution would prove fruitless.
The first of the archers in the group to fall had his chest penetrated by a bolt the size of a small spear. The only sound as the bolt was launched was the twang of the crossbow's lathe snapping forward to launch the deadly projectile. Those that were killed instantly were the lucky ones. The fist-sized tip of the bolt protruding from the ranger's chest extended metal prongs, lodging them deep within him. The demon blood that fired the missile dropped its crossbow to tug at a line made of thick rope, dragging its screaming victim into the air and up to the ledge where it stood. Lord Silverwing's arrow took the creature in the face, and the humanoid form burst into flame with the bite of the blessed arrow, but the damage had been done. The demon blood's victim plummeted to the rocky earth, his horrible screams silenced by the impact.
“Find cover! Get down!” Silverwing shouted out the warning in vain as he nocked another arrow and turned to find the next attacker. The surrounding ledges above the road filled with demon bloods, and more of their number boiled over the ledge at the hunters' feet; inhuman howls drowned out any further orders the knight could have given. The air filled with the giant bolts from the high precipice, towlines flying everywhere at once. Lord Silverwing fired arrows in rapid succession, destroying many of the crossbow wielders as they reloaded their weapons or attempted to drag their victims up the rocky slopes. His arrows were exhausted long before the numbers of the attackers were thinned; another of its kind replaced every creature he killed. The swelling number of demon bloods climbing to the road from below them were heavily armed and armored. All these enemies carried great swords and iron shields that dwarfed the weapons of their mountain orc brethren that Silverwing had encountered guarding the mine. The only possible path for escape would be blocked in moments if he didn't move quickly.
Already the ground had grown slick with the blood of the fallen rangers and druids. Lord Silverwing ran through the whirl of blades blocking him, beheading as many of the demon bloods as he could, as he moved to Fasurel's side. The mountain man was swinging his double-bladed ax like a man possessed, dispatching the circle of enemies crowding in on him several at a time. Silverwing brutally hacked his way into the center where Fasurel was making his stand, narrowly ducking under the stout man's spinning swings. “Go now! The others are dead or dying, and there is no reason for us all to be lost!” Silverwing brought his own blades into the melee and ripped through the waves of demon bloods, attempting to clear a path of escape for Fasurel.
“I won' leave ya to the fiends! We die together if’n tha' be the way of it! I won' go!” Fasurel's axe never slowed as he hollered his reply. Silverwing almost began to think they would survive until a heavy bolt shot past his head and impaled one of his attackers.
A voice filled with fury, but human no less, rose above the noise of the demon bloods. “Don't kill the ranger, you fools! The Master wants that one alive! Slay the bearded one and take the knight!”
The creatures were distracted by the order and turned to look toward the distant ledge where the call had originated. Silverwing took advantage of the creatures’ loss of concentration and shoved Fasurel through the cloud of disintegrated orcs he had cut down toward the direction from which the doomed party had come. “Flee or I will kill you myself, Fasurel! Warn Gregor!” The knight paused only long enough to be certain the mountain man had disappeared into the ash cloud. He turned to track the line of sight of the staring demon blooded orcs that partially encircled him. A man stood high on the ledge above, clothed in blowing crimson robes and holding a long metal staff. Silverwing thanked the God of Light for revealing his enemy, and cut through the demon bloods between him and the figure, noting the man's head was exposed. Even as the demon bloods turned their attention back to the knight, Silverwing drew his bow and loosed one of the iron-tipped arrows at the priest's head. Despite the range, the arrow flew true. Silverwing was momentarily frozen as the priest's metal staff glowed brightly, casting an unearthly light the color of fresh blood, and the arrow deflected harmlessly away from the figure mere inches from his face. Though the knight could not be sure, he thought the man was smiling at him.
The demon bloods at the ledge behind Lord Silverwing took advantage of his pause. Two heavy bolts pierced both the knight's shoulders, driving him to his knees like great hammer blows to his back, as metal prongs clawed into his chest and arms. The successful crossbowmen began tugging the knight into the air almost immediately. Excruciating pain coursed through Silverwing's body as his feet left the ground. One of the demon bloods on the ground struck him violently with the flat of the blade of its great sword, and the knight knew no more.
***
Gregor and his companions were a mere two days behind Lord Silverwing when his mentor was captured. The group broke bread with the same people of the village where Silverwing and Fasurel had learned of the mine guarded by the only remaining orcs in the area. The intense discussions within the group, focused largely between Tana and Boremac about their current path, turned into an outright argument once they talked to the mountain men of the village. Tana felt the rogue was taking them directly down Lord Silverwing's path. “You have no idea what you are doing, do you? If we continue as we have, then we will no doubt meet the same fate as Lord Silverwing, for good or ill. Why are we following you? If we wanted to follow Silverwing's trail, I could have taken us there already. If isn't like he is hiding his passage through these mountains!”
Boremac returned her angry gaze. “Look, huntress. I did not volunteer to lead this doomed mission to save the world. In fact, I have no desire to speed into what will certainly be a most uncomfortable death for us all. Judging from the way I could replace our torches with these dagger hilts, I think it is safe to say Gregor is in serious trouble. We haven't even made it into the Forsaken Mountains yet. By the time we do, I will have to cover these damned things with something, and hope I do not need them to defend myself!”
Gr
egor returned from the group of villagers where he was gathering as much information as he could about Lord Silverwing's party before they had left. There was precious little to learn except where the others had headed after leaving the village. He shook his head as he approached Tana and Boremac, sad to see there would be no peace between the pair. He wondered yet again how they would ever accomplish their task when at least two of the five members in the group seemed to want to kill each other. He mumbled a short prayer to the God of Light before stepping between them.
“There is nothing to be gained in continuing to follow in Lord Silverwing's footsteps. The mine that was his destination may be the most direct course to follow, but as we have already surmised, Lord Silverwing walked into a trap of some kind. The vision he sent to me makes me think he may have suspected as much and gives us all the more reason to find our own way. There is a rough road worn deeper into the volcanoes of the Forsaken Mountains that will take us around the mountain that the mine Silverwing entered cut through. We have the advantage of Sephia and her falcon to scout ahead of us. We should be able to approach the place Boremac's blades lead without being caught by any roaming war bands. It is essential we do not allow the enemies to discover our path until we are ready to take them.” Gregor stepped back from Tana and Boremac, awaiting their reply. He noted Sephia had silently joined the group and stood at his side, her falcon companion, Keen, perched at her shoulder.
