Chaos Reigning: The Five Kingdoms Book 10

by Toby Neighbors

  “You the wizard?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Zollin said.

  “This way!”

  Zollin followed the guard down the long flight of steps to the room he recognized as the duke’s preparation room. The double doors were open and Zollin saw the large table with its map of the Five Kingdoms spread across it. The windows that looked out over the border into Baskla were open too and Zollin saw Fort Jellar in the distance, but there was no sign of the duke. Zollin kept his surprise to himself, but inwardly he felt a spasm of fear. Something was wrong, that much was clear. The soldiers were not the duke’s regular men, and the keep seemed oddly empty.

  They came down to a room with a wide fireplace and thick rugs on the floor. Zollin recognized the duchess and her daughters. The guard led Zollin inside and he waited for the duke’s wife to explain what had happened.

  “You have returned,” she said, her voice sounding hollow.

  “I have, with a dispatch from King Ricard. I was stopping just to resupply before moving on to Orrock.”

  “Of course,” the duchess said. “Forgive my lack of civility. I’ll see to it that you have everything you need.”

  “My lady, what has happened here? Is the duke ill?”

  “No,” she said, looking down at the carpet. “All is well.”

  Zollin knew she was lying but he had no idea why. The duke trusted Zollin, but his wife clearly didn’t. The younger girls all looked hopefully at Zollin, but he didn’t know what to do. It was as if they expected him to act, but he couldn’t see how he could help.

  “If I can help in any way, I would be honored.”

  “No,” the duchess said. “There is nothing we need. All is well here in the keep.”

  Her smile was forced and Zollin was at a loss. He simply didn’t know what to do. He could force the duchess to talk, but she clearly didn’t want to reveal what was wrong. And if Zollin were being honest he didn’t really want to be dragged into someone else’s problems. He had more than enough of his own and all he really wanted was to find Brianna.

  “I shall make preparations and continue on,” Zollin said.

  He expected the duchess to request that he stay the night. Even if the duke was busy she would still have wanted him to stay, but she merely nodded. Zollin turned toward the door, feeling strangely let down for some reason.

  “Mynard will see to whatever you need,” the duchess said.

  “Yes, my lady,” the soldier responded.

  “Thank you,” Zollin said, not knowing what else he should say.

  The soldier led Zollin back out of the room and down the long flight of stairs, past other corridors and rooms, until they reached the kitchens. Zollin was given plenty of food, but even the servants seemed subdued. When he had all he needed, Zollin was led back to the front gates of the keep which were thrown open. The young wizard hadn’t seen one of the duke’s regular men anywhere in the fortress.

  “Wait,” Zollin said, turning to the soldier named Mynard. “What is going on here?”

  “Nothing,” the guard said. His tone was almost snobbish, with none of the discipline and respect Zollin normally saw in the duke’s soldiers.

  Under different circumstances Zollin loathed the very idea of using his magic to influence people’s minds, but he wanted to know what was happening and refused to be brushed off so quickly. He let his magic flow toward the soldier, and sent a wave of trust toward the man.

  “Come on,” Zollin said in a friendly manner. “What’s going on here?”

  The look on the soldier’s face changed. He glanced around to make sure no one was around to hear them talk, then leaned toward Zollin with a smirk.

  “The duke’s daughter has run off,” he said, fighting a smile. “Rumor has it she fled with her beau, the duke’s own protégé. I always said he let the boy have too much freedom.”

  “The duke’s protégé? You mean…”

  “Jax,” the soldier said. “He’s only been here a year, but he’s clearly the duke’s favorite. The girl was sweet on that boy, we all knew it. Don’t know why they would run off like that. The duke would have married the two and given all his power over to the boy if he’d just stayed around. Now, I wouldn’t give two coppers for his life if the duke catches him.”

  “The duke has gone after Jax?” Zollin said.

  “The duke and every man in the entire garrison. They’d follow him to the underworld if he asked ’em to. Fools, I say, but no one listens to me. The duke’s got more daughters.”

  “Which way did they go?” Zollin asked.

  “That’s just it, no one knows. Where could they go? That poor boy is in for a rude awakening. No one is going to take them in and face the duke’s fury. The fool will run out of coin soon enough and then the duke’s daughter won’t think herself so fancy. Probably end up in a brothel somewhere.”

  Zollin had heard enough. He knew instantly where Jax had gone and he felt a pang of guilt for his small part in the whole affair. Jax was a resourceful, intelligent young man. He wanted more than to be a soldier in the duke’s garrison, even if he could have been made an officer and perhaps even become duke one day. Jax had been enthralled by the magic bow Zollin had fashioned for Brianna, before she had transformed into a fire spirit.

  Zollin knew that Jax was fascinated with the idea of the bow, but he hadn’t thought the young boy would run away in search of it, even if Jax had insisted on knowing all the details of where Zollin had lost the bow. And he certainly never dreamed that Jax would take the duke’s daughter with him. Still, if the duke was pursuing Jax there was very little Zollin could do. He was worried about Jax and the duke’s daughter being caught out in the weather, which seemed to be worse than Zollin could remember, but he doubted that he could find Jax before the duke.

  “Sounds like a real scandal,” Zollin said.

  “It is. The duchess is mortified, but kids these days don’t have any respect for right and wrong. It’s a shame really.”

  “Well, I should be off,” Zollin said, pulling his magic back.

  “Safe travels,” the soldier said, looking puzzled.

  Zollin walked for nearly two hours. There was snow on the ground, but not nearly so much as in the Baskla interior. The wide road that ran from Ebbson Keep straight across Yelsia to Orrock was mostly clear, but Zollin’s chest ached from the frigid air. Once he was several miles from the keep and well away from any settlement, Zollin called out to Ferno. The dragon appeared several minutes later and the two of them continued their journey.

  That night Zollin stayed in a roadside inn, while Ferno found refuge in a nearby thicket of trees. Zollin and one other man were the only occupants of the inn, and Zollin spent a long time by the roaring fire. Flying through the winter time was difficult and the cold had found its way inside of Zollin. Normally he loved the snowy seasons, but without quick access to a roaring fire and warm food the wet weather wasn’t as enjoyable.

  The next day they passed Felson. Zollin didn’t want to stop, so they flew on. The next evening they finally reached Orrock. Zollin was wet, tired, and so cold he couldn’t feel his hands or feet. The dragon swooped down onto a dark tower to be greeted with torches and spears by the soldiers manning the watchtower.

  Zollin waited, holding his magic at bay. He didn’t want to hurt anyone but he knew that accidents sometimes happened at night. And few things were as frightening as a dragon up close.

  “Steady!” Zollin shouted to the soldiers. “It is Zollin the wizard. There is no danger here.”

  The soldiers didn’t move, so Zollin felt safe enough slipping down off of Ferno and onto the solid stone of the watchtower roof. He patted Ferno on the neck and sent a feeling of happiness toward the dragon. Ferno didn’t wait but jumped off the tower and flew away in the darkness. Below them the city of Orrock was well lit with lamps and torches in the streets. Light spilled out of windows and illuminated almost the entire city, but in the air above, Ferno was in total darkness.

  “I have
a dispatch from King Ricard of Baskla,” Zollin said. “And news.”

  “I’ll take him down,” said one of the soldiers. “The rest of you stay here and stay alert.”

  Zollin walked past the soldiers, being careful on the stairs as his feet slowly warmed up. He was glad to be back in Orrock to complete his errand for the king. He planned to check in with Brianna’s parents, but then he would set off to search for her again.

  The soldier led Zollin to the king’s study. The room, with its ornately carved doors, was familiar to Zollin, yet he felt out of place. No one was waiting in the room, but a fire was burning in the hearth and the young wizard waited near the warm flames. An hour passed. Zollin did his best to remain patient, but he had to fight the urge to go in search of the king. Hausey was not the type of leader to make people wait unnecessarily, so Zollin remained in the room, pacing to pass the time and trying not to worry about Brianna.

  When the door finally opened Zollin expected to see King Hausey stride through, instead he looked up to find Branock standing in the doorway. He had to clench his teeth to keep from cursing the elder wizard.

  “Zollin, you have returned at last,” Branock said, sounding magnanimous.

  “I have a letter for the king from Ricard of Baskla,” Zollin said.

  “You may give it to me,” Branock said. “King Hausey has many concerns of late. I am his most trusted advisor.”

  “You’re a traitor and a liar,” Zollin said, silently raising a magical shield around himself to guard against treachery. “My news is for the king only.”

  “Young Zollin, you must learn to trust me. It takes many people to rule a kingdom. King Hausey cannot be bothered with every little detail.”

  “The king sent me on this mission. I’ll give my report to him alone.”

  “Ah, the idealism of the young. It is refreshing to witness your resolve, my young friend. So many here choose expediency over principles. I shall wait here with you until the king arrives.”

  “That isn’t necessary,” Zollin said.

  “Oh, but it is. The king will want me here when you share your secret news. I’m sure decisions will need to be made and he will want my council.”

  “Branock, no one needs you hissing in their ear. You should leave Yelsia and save us all the trouble of having to kill you.”

  “Don’t threaten me, boy,” the elder wizard snarled. “You got lucky when we clashed before, but I am more powerful than you know, more powerful than even you.”

  “Only if arrogance is power,” Zollin said.

  Branock laughed, but his eyes never left Zollin. The tension between them was building and Zollin had to fight the urge to lash out at the cocky wizard. Suddenly the door opened and the king entered; Zollin was shocked at how thin and weak he looked. King Hausey’s hair had turned white, and his back was hunched like an old man’s. The skin around his eyes was pale and thin. The king was obviously not well, and for the moment Zollin forgot about his rival.

  Chapter 17

  The roaring continued, growing louder each time, and was soon joined with a terrible scratching, clawing sound. Fear sped the dwarves forward, but there was no doubt that whatever was making the horrible noises behind them would catch up. Jute didn’t know if the Groslings had fled because of the beast, or if they had unleashed the creature on them, but either way he knew they needed to find a way to defeat the creature without getting more dwarves injured or killed.

  An opportunity presented itself as they came through an ornately carved entrance to a large round chamber. The passage came in through the legs of a statue that towered over the entrance. The statue was of a man or god figure, holding a huge sphere that Jute guessed was representative of the world over his head. The statue’s face was looking up so that its features were hidden and the heavily muscled body was naked except for a simple loincloth that gave the statue a sense of modesty.

  As Jute led the crowd of dwarves into the chamber, he stopped. The other dwarves kept moving until the injured or sick were all inside the room. Jute stood by the entrance, examining the statue.

  “Why have we stopped?” Babaz asked, his voice weak but urgent. “That thing is getting closer every second.”

  “We still have hammers and chisels, don’t we?” Jute asked.

  “Of course we do,” Hammert said. “You have a project in mind?”

  “We can’t outrun that creature,” Jute said. As if to prove his point another roar echoed through the caverns so loudly it forced the dwarves to cover their ears. “I say we make a stand here.”

  “Here?” Babaz said aghast. “We’re too exposed. We’ll be wiped out.”

  “No, look up,” Jute said. “If we can time this right, I think we can crush whatever that beast is with this statue.”

  Babaz, Hammert, and the other dwarves looked up at the towering figure. It wasn’t connected to the wall or the roof of the chamber. The dwarves who had carved it had taken obvious pride in making something so massive yet without the need of supports.

  “The legs form a natural arch,” Jute said.

  “Good construction,” Babaz pointed out.

  “But if we weaken it,” Jute said, “we can bring it down.”

  “It’s risky,” Hammert said.

  “A trap like this could get a lot of dwarves killed,” Babaz agreed.

  “It’s our best chance,” Jute argued. “If we have to fight that beast, and we inevitably will, we’ll be no worse off if my plan fails. This way we have a chance. We’ll leave the sick and wounded near the other entrance as bait. We weaken the statute and leave the strongest dwarves to spring the trap.”

  “And the rest of us?” Babaz asked.

  “We’ll wait in reserve,” Jute said. “If things don’t work the way we hope, we’ll have to fight the creature here.”

  “I don’t like it,” Babaz said. “But I don’t see a better alternative.”

  “Alright then,” Hammert said confidently. “Let’s break some ankles!”

  The dwarves set to work chiseling at the legs of the statue. They had to work carefully to weaken the huge statue without causing it to fall too soon. They also had to ensure that the statue fell where they wanted it. Jute left the others to see if he could catch a glimpse of the creature pursuing them. The last thing he wanted was to be caught off guard if the beast arrived before they were ready.

  Retracing his steps felt strange, but the approaching danger flooded his body with adrenaline and his fatigue was burned away as his concentration focused on the approaching creature. He waited just outside a large chamber with crooked lines of glowing minerals streaking across the roof of the cave like bolts of lightning. He didn’t have to wait long before an animal that looked strangely like a mole, only much larger, came scurrying into the cavern. It was twice the size of a horse, with a thick body and short but stout legs. Instead of hair, the beast was covered with thick, leathery looking plates of hide that Jute knew instinctively would be nearly impossible to penetrate. On the ends of its legs were long claws that clattered and scraped against the stone floor. The beast had a long snout with a piggish nose and wiry whiskers that protruded to either side.

  Jute also saw the flash of wide teeth that were almost as large as he was. He knew that fighting the creature would be difficult and costly. He turned and sprinted back the way he’d come. Running was a difficult endeavor under the best of circumstances for a dwarf, but with Jute’s broken arm and lack of nourishment he felt as if he would die of exhaustion before he ever returned to his brethren. Still, his own death was insignificant compared to the death of his kin. He knew if he didn’t warn them the beast was coming they might all die, so he kept running.

  Pain wracked Jute’s broken arm. His legs cramped and he could hardly breathe his side hurt so badly, but he continued to run. He was keeping pace with the beast who was still a few hundred yards behind him. It didn’t give the dwarves much warning, but anything was better than nothing.

  “It’s here!” he shoute
d as he ran into the chamber.

  He didn’t stop running but raced across the chamber toward the wounded that waited on the far side. The sounds of hammers and chisels seemed to lend him strength and he took his position between those too weak to fight and the beast that pursued them.

  The creature squeezed between the legs of the giant statue as Jute waved his arms wildly. There was a crack of stone that sounded distinctly like a clap of thunder, then a slow grinding sound as the creature charged forward. Jute brandished his stolen sword, still wishing it was a war hammer, and waited for death.

  Other than the grunts of the huge animal and the scrabbling of its claws on the stone floor, the chamber was quiet. Every dwarf watched to see what would happen. At first it seemed like the beast would charge into the dwarves unabated. Then the statue was falling, slowly at first, but then gravity pulled the top-heavy colossus down in a sudden rush. The beast screamed but the sound was more of a terrible squeak than a roar as it was crushed to death under the statue.

  Dust billowed in the chamber as the statue broke in several places. Where the stone hit the floor of the chamber it shattered, wounding some of the dwarves who were hit with the shards of stone. But once the dust cleared the dwarves shouted in triumph. Jute was only a few dozen paces from the face of the awful creature. Its large teeth were broken and its skull was obviously crushed. Blood began to pool under the large body.

  “No time to celebrate,” Babaz said. “That crash will have alerted the Groslings.”

  “Excellent plan,” Hammert said, slapping Jute on the back. “Excellent.”

  “Let’s move,” Jute said, the adrenaline flushing away in a sheen of sweat that broke out over his entire body.

  He felt as if he would die. His breath was labored and the stitch in his side simply wouldn’t go away. Every step was painful and if it weren’t up to Jute to lead the dwarves to safety he would have laid down and died. In many ways he felt he had accomplished more than he ever dreamed. When he escaped the clutches of the Bollark he had no idea how he was going to save his kin. And even though getting out of the caverns had been difficult and painful, he’d done it. Finding Brianna was simply a stroke of good fortune and now he was leading his people out of the dreaded caverns forever after defeating a horde of Groslings and killing a huge beast from the underworld.