The Bonding (The Song and the Rhythm)

by Brian C. Hager

  He turned, unaware Tara watched him as he went inside to finally put an end to this harrowing and extremely tiring day.

  * * *

  “Gone?” Merdel’s eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean ‘gone’?”

  “I mean they’re gone.” Vaun’s tone had grown heated with Merdel’s repeated question. “Left. Scrammed. Bolted. They’re…not…here. Haven’t you listened to anything I’ve told you?”

  The wizard frowned. “Yes, Swordsman, I have. But I still want to know what you mean by ‘gone.’ Do you mean they’re not in the palace? Or that they’re not in the city? What exactly do you mean?”

  “Both. They’re not in the palace, the city, or anywhere else I can think of. I don’t even know if they’re still in this kingdom. All I do know is that they’re gone, and that you’re having trouble believing me.”

  “What are you two arguing about now?” Drath limped into the hallway, Thorne behind him.

  “Rush and Dart have disappeared.” The mage’s eyes were still locked on Vaun’s.

  Drath shrugged. “Where to?”

  The bearded man turned to him. “That’s just it; we don’t know. The servants said they entered their rooms late last night and talked for hours. Nothing unusual, right? Then this morning, when they went to clean the rooms, they found the elves gone and the beds looking like they hadn’t been slept in. No one saw the runts leave the palace, and we haven’t heard from them since. They are a little absent-minded when it comes to alerting us to their movements, but after what’s recently happened, even they wouldn’t leave without telling us.”

  “When was this discovered?” Drath looked concerned, as did the dwarf.

  Vaun looked up at the ceiling to think. “About half an hour ago. The servants came to get me because my room is closest to the elves’. I was heading to your rooms when Merdel stopped me, began yelling, and asking questions he knew I couldn’t answer. We’ve been arguing ever since; otherwise we would’ve sought you out much sooner. I don’t know where they are.”

  Drath sighed. “This is all we need! Those two idiots sure picked a great time to run off. I was planning to leave today. Now what?”

  “Think you they might just be in the city, like they’ve been every other day?” Thorne didn’t sound too confident of his assumption, though.

  “It’s possible, but why would they leave in the middle of the night? Plus, they knew I wanted to leave today.” The awful medicine the doctor had continually fed Drath had made him almost completely well, as it had done for Vaun. The tall man eyed each of his friends. “Any other suggestions?”

  Vaun put his hands on his hips. “We should tell King Dobry. Arguing in the middle of the hallway isn’t going to solve our problem. He might even know something we don’t. It is his kingdom.”

  Drath rubbed his temples. “I know, I know, but I don’t like the idea. He’s upset enough as it is. This certainly won’t cheer him up.”

  A servant came up to them and bowed low. “My Lords. His Majesty, King Dobry, requests your immediate presence in his private chambers.”

  Drath nodded, then addressed the others. “Dobry must already know. Let’s go.”

  They all followed the liveried man hurriedly through the castle, Vaun still limping slightly.

  The king waited in his private audience chamber with Captain Stolar and another man Vaun didn’t recognize. His Majesty sat in the same chair he’d occupied after the Jaga’s attack four nights ago, as did Stolar, and the other guardsman sat in the elves’ former place. The four entered the room and hurried to their seats, bowing to the king as they passed.

  The Overlord waved away their bows and told them to sit. He wore the same displeased expression from the last time they’d met. “So tell me, gentlemen, why would your two elven companions decide to run off in the middle of the night, taking at least three days’ provisions with them?”

  “They took provisions?” Drath was even more confused and began to worry. “How do you know?”

  “Because when they were checked this morning, in anticipation of all of you leaving, a portion of about that size was missing. Fortunately, they were the ones you’d already bought, so I’m not mad at them for stealing food. They did, however, take one of my seals, which does upset me. That does not answer my question, though.”

  “We don’t know, Your Majesty,” Merdel stated quietly. “We just discovered their disappearance ourselves and were coming to tell you when we were summoned. We don’t know for sure why they left, but we can guess.”

  The king nodded in acceptance of the mage’s words, calming a little. Merdel had an astonishing gift for pacifying angry monarchs.

  Dobry rubbed his broad chin. “Wherever they went and why, I’d still like to know why they snuck away. If they found something important, they should’ve told someone first. I don’t like it when people sneak in and out of my palace and take my things. It makes me nervous. They didn’t even take their horses.”

  “I understand, Your Highness. We’re as upset about this as you. This may surprise you, but those two can travel faster on foot than on horses, if they’re alone. Did anyone see them leave?”

  The Overlord gestured to the captain and his companion. “That’s what Stolar and this man are here for.”

  Stolar sat up. “As I have told King Dobry, Private Askar saw the two elves leave last night, or rather they saw him. They gave him a message to give to us when we were all assembled. Askar, tell them what you just told us.”

  The soldier made as if to rise when the captain spoke to him, but the king motioned him to remain sitting. He wore the red and black of the town watch, with three gold pine needle clusters on his breast beneath the Dobry falcon, marking him as a private ready to be promoted and gain the maple leaf of a sergeant. “Was two hours past midnight, and I was at my post by the southeast gate when the elves appeared nearby. Scared me witless when they did. One minute all was clear, and the next there they were. When I asked who they were, they showed me one of the king’s personal seals, so I did not challenge them further. They came directly to me and said I was to come to the palace at a specific time and give a message to all of you.”

  Merdel bounced impatiently. “Yes, but what did they say?”

  “Said they were traveling south. Didn’t give their destination, but they headed toward Darim. Looked to be outfitted for about a three- or four-day journey. Could be going somewheres else, but Darim was where they appeared to be going when our scouts lost them. Elves are hard to track.”

  Drath chuckled. “Aye, that they are.” His forehead knotted in confusion. “Why would they be going there? Are they going to the capital, or some other city? It doesn’t make any sense. And why now?”

  Askar waited until Drath quieted. “There’s more to their message. This part they made me memorize.” The guardsman collected his thoughts. “‘We have gone where the creature came from. We don’t know exactly what we’ll find, but we do know it will please the king when we tell him. We don’t know how long it will take, but we think it best if all of you remain here. We know our time is short, so we will be swift. Don’t worry; we’ll return soon with answers to all of your questions. One last thing, tell King Dobry to think back to when he was young and recall who it was that told him he’d pay for his transgressions with blood….’ That was all they told me.” The soldier wiped away the sweat that dotted his face.

  “Fire burn those two!” Drath slapped his hand on the arm of the couch. “They think they can solve this problem by themselves, the fools. I’d like to know how they found all this out and what they’re planning to do when they get to where they’re going.” He looked to his companions for help.

  They all looked back at him with the same confused expression.

  King Dobry, however, was deep in thought, and he chewed on his nails. “‘Pay for my transgressions with blood.’ Lots of people told me that when I was younger, and some still do. What did they mean?”

  No one in the room was sure
which “they” the king meant, and the Overlord ignored them anyway as he tried to answer his own question.

  11

  ELAK WANDERED THE HALLS OF HIS CANYON FORTRESS, wondering what to do about Merdel and his friends. The scouts had turned up nothing, having lost the group after they’d left Landsby. The wizard’s men had discovered a slain Chattul, a rare sight indeed, lying in the direction of what seemed the party’s route and near the area where Elak had seen the strange aura. He still hadn’t figured that out. But the six had disappeared after that. They’d ridden further south, and hard from the indications, but the wizard’s men couldn’t determine where. They’d lost them somehow, and Elak suspected Merdel had a hand in that. He could in no way tell for sure, however, without visiting the site personally, and that was out of the question at this point in his plans.

  Where could they be going? What place could be so secret that Merdel would use wizardry to hide their trail? The Dark Wizard could think of nowhere in the Southern Kingdoms that would aid them in their journey. Not even in Drath’s homeland of Celene would they find much help. Or would they?

  They could have gone to Bordell, but why? The fat Overlord frequently fawned over Drath, but what possible assistance could he offer them? He had nothing that might threaten the wizard’s plans. Or did he? Perhaps it would be wise for Elak to send a few men to Bordell, just to be safe. He’d have to tell them to disguise themselves well, for the Overlord would surely execute them if he found them in his city. He had a strong dislike for Elak’s mercenaries.

  “Lirix,” the wizard called.

  “Yes, Your Grace?” Lirix appeared suddenly beside Elak, startling the wizard out of his thoughts. He’d been shadowing the magician as he always did and had used a title he knew Elak despised.

  “Don’t call me that!” Elak scowled darkly at his bodyguard. He didn’t like being surprised. “Pick two good men from the closest outpost to Bordell and send them to the capital. Tell them to be very careful. They are to find out if Dobry has any unexpected or private guests. They are not to act if they find anything but are to report immediately. Tell them to take one of the mirrors. Tell them not to be stupid and disobey orders.”

  “At once, Your Grace.” Lirix bowed with an impish grin. It wasn’t his fault Elak had decided to turn against his Great God and renounced his priestly vows. The bodyguard then turned to leave.

  Elak called angrily after the retreating soldier, “And tell them to hurry.”

  Lirix lifted a hand in acknowledgment, then disappeared around a corner.

  “Sometimes I’d like to see how you’d react to the wrath of the Dacheen, you arrogant buffoon.” Whirling, his robes flying about him and making him resemble a bat honed in on its prey, the dark mage stalked off toward his private chambers.

  He entered his rooms hurriedly, not glancing at the exotic tapestries or golden finery on top of the carven furniture. Exiting through a door behind one of the tapestries, he tramped down the 205 steps that led to the lowest level of his fortress. Using another secret door, he strode down a short hallway. He gestured impatiently to the two men guarding the doors to his Dacheen room and hurried through almost before they had opened them.

  Elak descended the five steps and walked briskly around the black pool, disregarding it for once, and stepped directly into the third alcove from the left. It transported him to a chamber high above the main floor of his fortress. It was in a supposedly abandoned tower, too unstable to warrant placing guards or anything else in it, but Elak used it nonetheless. It was here that he kept one of the treasures he had sought all of his life. He valued it even more than the Dacheen living in the pool below.

  The room at the top of the tower was empty save for a pedestal in the exact center. Upon it, covered by a heavy glass case, rested a small, ordinary looking grey stone with a thin but deep blue vein running through it. It seemed to have a point of light deep in its center, which grew slightly and pulsated as Elak approached it, his face lit with delighted malice.

  The room’s only light came from the top of a half-covered window along the curved side of the tower opposite the portal the wizard had used. The other windows had been blackened with pitch then boarded up to conceal the prize the tower protected.

  The light from the window slanted down and landed squarely on the pedestal, glaring off the glass case and illuminating the stone inside. Elak rubbed his hands together greedily as he stopped before the pedestal and gazed hungrily at the stone.

  “Mine.” His voice was deadly. “It will all be mine. Every living thing will bow to my power or perish. Every thing.”

  Still staring at the stone, the evil sorcerer began to chant. Softly at first, and then his voice rose as he felt the power flow through him in a torrent, familiar now. He had spent years memorizing the incantations but had faltered when he’d first felt that rush of power. It had nearly drowned him in magic, so strong it had been, but he had recovered and begun again. He had not faltered since.

  Such vast power was open to this tiny stone and its brethren. He loved that power. He desired it. He coveted it. Every time he touched it, it took him to planes of ecstasy unreachable by any other means. He felt a thousand feet tall. He could see and hear for leagues, and nothing could escape him.

  He adored power, and that which this stone, even by itself, could give him fed his avarice. But with the power of the other stones added to this one, he felt invincible. And yet it still wasn’t enough. He must have more. He must have it all.

  Stronger now, the energy continued to course through Elak’s gaunt form. He little knew how much it ate away his body every time he touched it. Neither did he know of the dark power that lurked behind it, pouring a little more of its essence into the wizard each time he used it. That presence sought to consume him as much as he sought to consume the stone’s power, and he’d called it to only help him. Alone, he could never have used even one of the stones without killing himself. He wasn’t strong enough. With help, though, he was, but he didn’t know quite what he had called upon for aid.

  And if he had known, he might not have cared. He only knew this power promised to give him everything he wanted, so was worth any price.

  The stone itself had risen from the pedestal and hovered in the air in the middle of the glass case. The light within it had grown to a blinding white star, its points shooting in all directions and reaching out to its brothers, which also glowed as it did in their hiding places far away. That light would have rendered instantly sightless anyone who had the magical ability to see it. Except for Elak. To him, it was the most beautiful sight he could ever imagine. It was the light of pure power.

  The light grew brighter, if that were possible, as the wizard called upon more and more of its power.

  Feeding on the energy, Elak began to cast it forth, the way the books had taught him. Ever so slowly, he could feel the barriers of the world weaken. He could feel his triumph coming closer with each wave of energy he sent forth. His voice rose until he shouted louder than he possibly could have without magical aid. If his words had traveled beyond the confines of the room, they would be heard all the way to the far shores of the Endless Ocean. Their complexity and evil would have driven mad any who heard. As it was, not a whisper traveled even outside the tower door, which was bolted shut and magically sealed, as was the door at the bottom of the long, winding, unsteady staircase beyond.

  Gasping for breath now, the Dark Wizard continued the spell, knowing he must end it soon or it would kill him. But he didn’t want to. He wanted to remain in the power’s embrace and feel it course through his body as his blood, feel it enter his very soul. He wanted his victory now, not having the patience to wait. He’d tried to destroy the barriers completely the first time he sought to weaken them and had been in a coma for almost a month afterwards. There was too much power involved. Still he desired that power.

  The dark presence aiding the wizard urged him to it anyway, not caring what happened to him. Elak realized the danger he was
in but thought it was his own desires that drove him. Surely the help he’d acquired wouldn’t seek to do that; it was fully under his control. Shaking, he released the energy and ceased the spell.

  The light in the stone receded until its points were contained within the confines of the glass case. As the stone lowered back onto the pedestal, the light continued to dim until it pulsed once as the stone settled into place. Then only that small, ever-present point of light deep in its center remained.

  Elak lowered his arms and mouthed the last two words of the spell. Abruptly, the vast power he had touched left him, as if washed away by a flood. The dark presence left him, too, though some of its essence stayed inside. Elak felt empty and weak. With spots dancing before his eyes, he pulled a black handkerchief out of his sleeve and mopped his sweat-soaked brow. His shoulders hunched, he walked wearily into the portal behind him.

  As he came out into his Dacheen room, the spots were gone, but his vision was blurry. Vaguely, he could see Lirix standing arrogantly on the opposite side of the pool. Nodding to his bodyguard in greeting, Elak shuffled around the pool, the handkerchief constantly wiping at his face and hands. The mage felt near to death with exhaustion, yet he loved the sensation.

  “How was it?” Lirix approached the wizard slowly. He knew what Elak had been doing, for only one thing could tire him out so and still leave him smiling.

  “Exquisite.” Elak’s whisper was barely audible, and he allowed Lirix to assist him up the stairs. He was too tired to comment on his bodyguard’s wrinkled clothing. It wouldn’t do any good, anyway; the man was insubordinate and slovenly at best.

  Soon, very soon, the wizard knew, he would need no one’s aid, not even the Dacheen’s. For the strength of the world itself, even that of the Great God Himself, would be in him, and his to control.

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