The Shards

by Gary Alan Wassner

  The fear that Alemar had anticipated she would feel was nothing of the sort. Rather, she experienced a rush of relief and joy as soon as the tip of her finger touched Premoran’s warm skin. She knew it was the wizard immediately. His arms were outstretched and he was shackled to the wall somehow, but he was breathing. Alemar stood before him and her head was just about at the level of his chest. She rested her ear against it and listened for his heartbeat. It was strong and rhythmic, though he did not respond to her touch.

  Teetoo stood tentatively by Margot’s side after having settled to the surface. He hesitated for a second before touching her skin, but then he bent down and felt for a pulse. The woman was alive. A brief wave of nausea passed over him at the contact. She was sprawled upon the floor motionless, but he could not determine the nature of her stupor or how long it would last. He quickly withdrew a thin cord from the pouch at his belt and bound her ankles. As he reached to bring her arms together in order to tie them as well, he noticed the orb.

  Giles had made the passage around the room very quickly. His long legs carried him far and fast. He was an experienced hunter, and despite his bulk, he made very little noise when he was tracking something. The oval light that formed his reference point from the moment he had entered the chamber was only about ten feet away. Maybe he could find a way to brighten it when he reached it, or carry it to his friends wherever they might now be. It was odd though, how it shone, almost as if it was alive.

  Alemar took a small skin filled with kala sap from the folds of her cape and placed it against Premoran’s mouth. She squeezed it slowly and let the rich liquid coat his lips. Then, she reached into another pocket and retracted a parcel of powder that Elsinestra had given to her before they left Seramour. It was crushed Lalas leaf, and she was saving it for just such a moment. She reached up, pulled the wizard’s lower lip down slightly and pried his jaw open. Standing on her toes, she sprinkled the contents of the pouch onto his parched tongue.

  The wizard opened his eyes with a start. Rather than looking relieved, his expression was uncommonly disturbed. At first, Alemar assumed that he was simply surprised and unsure of who had come to his aid, or still disoriented from his long travail. He was looking past her toward the middle of the room and he was trying to say something, but he was still not fully coherent.

  Teetoo leaned over and reached out his still taloned hand toward the black stone. The woman’s fingers were holding it so tightly that it must have been very dear to her. Her fingers clenched around it as if in a death grip. He was about to grab it when her body stirred, and he retracted his arm. Slowly and silently, he lifted off of the ground and hovered about ten feet above her once more.

  Alemar tried to release Premoran’s arms from the magical ties that bound them, but it became clear to her very quickly that they were not going to give way from her efforts alone. She could do nothing to sever them.

  “You cannot break them, Princess,” Premoran said weakly. “Only the orb can set me free.”

  “The orb? Where is this object then. Tell me and I will bring it to you,” she whispered.

  “It is on the floor yonder, held by an evil woman,” Premoran said.

  Clovis had been right behind Alemar all of the time, watching her every move protectively. He heard the wizard’s words, though he did know what orb he was referring to. He wished for nothing more than to be able to locate it and bring it to Alemar. Silently, he slipped away and headed to where Premoran had indicated that the evil woman was.

  “I will fetch it and convey it to you,” Alemar said, relieved that he was strong enough to speak. “I will return as soon as I can.”

  “No!” he insisted. “None can touch it safely save those possessed already!”

  “What can I do then to help you?” she asked.

  “Leave here immediately! There is nothing more to do. My brother will return eventually and he cannot find you here. Or better yet, kill me so that he will not even have the pleasure of torturing me. I have succeeded in thwarting his plan; the shard has been removed. The earth no longer needs me, and neither does he. I am now expendable,” the wizard said.

  “We have come to set you free! We cannot leave. Teetoo would never leave you!”

  “Teetoo? He came too?” Premoran said tenderly. “I had hoped he would find me, but I had not expected such a perfidious form of imprisonment. Alas, he cannot set me free any more than you can. He must not try!” Premoran was adamant.

  “We have come all this way. There must be something we can do,” Alemar said, as she wiped his brow with the comer of her cape.

  “You are not alone here. My brother sent one of the Possessed to bring me to him. I was able to prevent her from completing her task. But I could not kill her. She lies over yonder somewhere. Beware of her,” he said feebly. “He needed me for the shard! He knew of the tree’s death,” he said as if to himself.

  “What tree, Premoran? I do not understand,” Alemar said.

  “He knows more than he should, Princess,” the wizard explained.

  Teetoo squinted his powerful eyes and tried desperately to pierce the gloom. The figure below him was moving now and he dropped down just a little bit closer. She noticed the binds upon her ankles and she quickly untied them with one hand, while in the other she still clutched the round, black ball. He could vaguely see her silhouette, though he could not see her face or her features. He could hear Alemar’s voice nearby, and then he heard the wizard speak!

  Margot stood and frantically looked all around her, but she could barely see anything either. Her head hurt and she was a little dizzy, but otherwise, she seemed alright. She heard voices and she recognized Premoran’s. She sensed another presence and she flailed her arm in the darkness like a blind woman. The thought of rekindling a light so that she could see occurred to her, but she was reluctant to give her location away to whoever had entered the chamber. Fear gripped her heart and it clenched its debilitating fingers ever tighter as she realized what she had done. She forced herself not to panic, and she persuaded herself that perhaps she still had time to rectify her error. She had to move quickly.

  The orb was still in her hand. He had not been able to steal it from her. But, she remembered the wizard’s words vividly now. He would not die by resisting her. She had not the power to kill him. In a way, that was a blessing, or perhaps he would be dead already, she had been so foolish and so impetuous. But he was still bound to her! If he could have broken her master’s grip, he would have done so by now.

  Teetoo watched closely as the woman moved. He could now see her silhouette inching across the dark floor. His body tensed and he retracted his wings so that he could dive with as much speed as he required. He rose silently in the air and hovered like a missile poised to strike.

  “I will find the others,” he heard Alemar say. “They must know that I have located you.”

  “Be careful. The Possessed one lives,” Premoran warned.

  Alemar backed away from the wizard slowly and carefully. She heard something move a few feet in front of her and her mind was furiously debating what she should do. She gripped the chain that hung around her neck and waited for the right moment.

  Clovis stealthily tiptoed across the floor. He saw the shadowed figure stand and he watched as it approached the place where he had left Alemar and Premoran. Silently, he followed behind it with his dagger drawn and ready.

  Alemar stood perfectly still and barely breathed as the figure approached. She could see a shape in the gloom coming closer. Then she heard something that sounded like an arrow shooting through the air. She willed her necklace to shine, and instantly it illuminated the chamber with a brilliant, blindingly bright light.

  Teetoo dove and hit Margot square in the chest. The woman shrieked, stunned by the light and seriously injured by the Weloh’s blow. She fell sprawling upon the floor. Teetoo rose again and prepared to strike once more. The black orb was still in her fingers and she lifted it and held it in front of her. The shackles tha
t bound Premoran to the wall glowed with menace and he cringed in response.

  Before Teetoo could attack again, Clovis leapt deftly and threw his heavy body right on top of her. He hit the crazed woman hard with his fist on the side of the head, and she crumbled. With lightning speed, he reached out his hand and pried the stone from her grip.

  “No!” the wizard screamed. “NO!”

  The blood rushed to Clovis’ head. He felt as if he was about to explode, and then the darkness closed in upon him. Premoran fell with a thud from the wall onto the floor. The magical chains that had held him secure were gone. As abruptly as they disappeared from his limbs and neck, they reappeared on Clovis’, pinioning him to the stone floor mercilessly.

  Alemar rushed to his side, while Teetoo hung in the air a few inches above Margot’s still body, guardedly.

  “Do not touch him,” Premoran shouted from the distance. “It will bind you as well!” he warned.

  Alemar could do nothing but watch her friend die, helpless and grief-stricken. In her heart, she knew that Clovis’ life was forfeit the moment she looked upon him. The magic shackles glowed brightly and it was clear that they were constricting as each second passed. Clovis was unable to move, pinioned as he was, and all he could do was stare into Alemar’s face. It was difficult for him to speak.

  “A fair trade, Princess, me for the wizard,” he gasped, while looking at his shackles. The circlet around his throat was getting tighter and tighter. “Is he free?”

  “Yes, Clovis. He is free,” she replied, and she had to fight the impulse to take his hand in her own and comfort him.

  “You must get out of here or all will be for naught,” he said. He was choking already on his own words. “Where is Giles? Is he safe?” he asked. The heartfelt concern for his friend during his own final moments was almost too much for Alemar to bear.

  “He is fine, Clovis,” she lied. “Rest easily,” she said, as fear for her other dear companion rushed through her anew.

  “Please go. You have to go,” he urged her, though he could barely speak.

  “I know,” she answered. A heavy tear fell from her cheek and landed upon his face. It mingled with his own and slowly trickled to the ground beside him. “Dear Clovis,” she sobbed, and she caressed him with her words since she was unable to offer him anything more. “Dear, dear Clovis,” she said sweetly.

  He smiled back at her endearingly, as the color that still remained in his cheeks paled and faded.

  “Have I made you proud, Princess?” he asked weakly.

  “Very proud, Clovis,” she answered him. She leaned in as close to him as she dared without touching his body. “Very, very proud,” she repeated.

  Clovis smiled and closed his eyes, and Alemar watched the light go out from them forever. He exhaled heavily and his head lolled to the side. He was no more. The glowing bands had closed upon themselves and Clovis was caught in the Dark Lord’s heinous grip. Instantly, his body turned to powder as they abjectly stood helplessly by and watched, heartsick and shaken to the core. Alemar reached out and grabbed a handful of his dust and placed it in the pouch that had so recently held the life-giving Lalas leaf. She pulled the string taught and held it up before her.

  “You will have a hero’s burial when I return to Eleutheria. That I promise you!” she vowed, brushing away the tears that streaked her face.

  Premoran raised himself from off of the ground. His body was stiff and sore, but his mind was still as sharp as ever.

  “We must leave here as quickly as we can,” he proclaimed.

  “What of this woman?” Teetoo asked from the distance. He had been watching the still unconscious Margot, though all the while he wanted so badly to be able to rush to his old friend’s side. “She lives still.”

  “Let her remain. My brother will deal with her failure more harshly than we could. Death will not save her anyway. Her soul is forfeit for all eternity.”

  “Will he come for us?” Alemar asked.

  “Eventually, Princess. But, we can be of little use to him now,” Premoran said. “It is too late. The shard has already been removed. He will lick his wounds and take out his vengeance upon his own, I suspect. Woe to those who have given themselves unto him and who still live!”

  “Where is Giles?” Alemar questioned, only just remembering that he was still not with them. “Teetoo? Do you see him anywhere?”

  Giles had been too far away from his friends to see clearly what was transpiring in the gloom before Alemar rekindled the light. His eyesight was bad to begin with, and from this distance, he could only hear some faint mumbling across the room. He climbed onto a promontory that extended out below the light on the wall that he was trying so hard to reach. It was curiously warm and pliable, but it supported his weight easily. Even though he was right in front of it now, the light still did not project itself at all. He reached up and ran his hand across it, looking for a way to dislodge it from the wall and carry it over to the others. His fingers came away covered in a viscous, clear liquid which he immediately rubbed off on his pants. He stared deeply into the luminescence and it seemed to him again to be almost alive, and that thought sent a chill running through his blood.

  What a strange kind of glow lamp, he thought, but his contemplation was quickly interrupted.

  He whirled around and looked into the shadows of the chamber when he heard what sounded like a missile shooting through the air, followed by a thud. Then, a burst of bright, bright light blinded him. He could not see anything! He rubbed his eyes and squinted, but all he was able to discern was a jumble of flashing colors. Blindly, he jumped from the perch upon which he was standing, and his boot got caught on something hard and metallic. He tumbled to the floor just as a gust of hot air hit him from behind. He pressed into the wall to steady himself and it gave way slightly as he put pressure upon it. As his vision returned to normal, he saw figures moving and he knew that there was a scuffle going on, but he could not see that far.

  Damn these eyes of mine! he cursed himself.

  He heard people talking quietly, and he was sure that one of the voices was Alemar’s.

  A bolt of white light streaked across the room and hit the far wall, opposite from where they had first entered. It was followed by another and then another. The rock facade began to crack and fall in huge pieces to the surface. Suddenly, great chunks of stone were crashing down from the ceiling, and dust was rising everywhere.

  Giles jumped onto the step in order to avoid a falling piece of debris and he leaned back against the softness of the wall once again. The light still glowed weakly above his head.

  “Giles? Giles?” he heard the Princess calling him. “Where are you?”

  “Here, Alemar! I am over here!” he shouted back and he walked forward a few steps. He waved his hands in the air as his vision cleared. He could see them near one another, and they were huddled over a body that lay upon the floor.

  Alemar and Teetoo stopped still in their tracks and stared at the elfin warrior aghast! Giles was standing upon the huge snout of a hideous beast whose one eye gleamed eerily just above his head, and he seemed to be totally unaware of his predicament. Premoran was hurling huge bolts of white light at the far wall, and he continued to batter it with his magic relentlessly. Layer upon layer of stone had fallen away already, and with the next barrage, a small doorway finally revealed itself.

  “Follow me!” the wizard yelled, still unaware of Giles situation, and he began to run toward the opening. “The doorway will not remain passable for long.”

  “The demon’s hound, Giles!” Alemar screamed.

  “What did you say, Princess?” Giles screamed back. He could barely hear her with the noise of the falling rock echoing throughout the chamber. He slipped slightly and he reached out behind him to steady himself. His eyes followed his hand and he turned to face the wall. To his great shock, he realized for the first time that he was staring into the lambent eye of a massive animal! He froze in his place and held his breath, but t
he beast did not move.

  Is it sleeping or waiting to pounce upon me? he wondered watchfully.

  “The demon’s hound, Giles! Beware the demon’s hound!” Alemar shouted again.

  Then it struck him. The words of the poem came back to him in a rush:

  Who dares trespass into this space,

  beware the demon’s hound!

  Let it rest, awake it not,

  no harm will come to thee,

  but when the time to flee is nigh,

  be sure to set it free.

  “Come, Giles!” Teetoo called to him from his place next to Alemar. “Run! We must flee!”

  Flee! Giles said to himself. It is time to flee!

  Giles searched frantically for a chain or cuff or something that could possibly be holding the animal captive and keeping it from waking up. He jumped from the snout upon which he had been standing, and he scrutinized the surface next to where he could now clearly see the hound’s thick neck extending through the wall. To his great relief, he saw a heavy braid of iron lying upon the floor. He picked it up and traced it to a hole in the side of the chamber into which it disappeared. The other end looped around the snout of the captive animal.

  I tripped upon this before, he recalled. Now, if I can only break it.

  He rifled through the many weapons from his belt until he found the one he was looking for. He removed the leather thongs that bound it securely to his pants and raised his stout war hammer before him. He brought it down hard and fast upon the woven, metal cord. Sparks flew everywhere but the leash remained intact. Again he hit the iron braid with little or no result. The hound was breathing steadily though infrequently now and its solitary eye stared blankly outward, unmoved by the activity occurring right before it.