“Borik, let him go!” Maude and Malek both shouted as they pried the dwarf’s fingers from around the elf’s throat.
“Are you all right, Tarth?” Maude asked with concern while the wizard gasped for breath and rubbed his bruised neck.
“I’ll be fine, Maudeline, thank you,” Tarth replied with a glare and a hiss at Borik.
“Can you please tell us what all this means, Tarth?”
“I would be delighted,” Tarth said and sashayed over to the statuettes. “Oo, this is going to be fun,” he squealed in delight, clapping his hands, already forgetting the dwarf’s abuse.
“Malek was correct; these four are the gods that humans are most familiar with. The fifth one is known mostly to the older races like elves and dragons. She is the All Mother. She created the world and the other four gods.”
Tarth picked up the flawless crystal statuette of one of the women. “I’m the All Mother,” Tarth intoned in a deep, ethereal, feminine voice. “I created the moon, the stars, and the planet. I watch over all of my creations but I must not interfere in the affairs of gods and mortals.”
Tarth carried the statuette over to the pedestals surrounding the large globe and placed it at the one near the top symbolized with the star.
He returned to the statuettes and picked up one of the male figures carved out of turquoise.
“I am Serron, god of the seas. I created the oceans and the creatures that dwell within them. I am a capricious god, bringing life with one hand and destroying it with the other,” Tarth intoned in a deep rumbling voice and placed the statuette on the southern pillar.
The elf returned to the statuettes and selected another male figurine of pure amber. “I am Solarian, god of morning, hope, and light. I shine my brilliance down upon the world so that the seas and the lands stay warm and thrive beneath my radiance,” Tarth droned in a clear and regal voice and set the figure on the eastern pedestal.
The elf picked up one of the two remaining female figures, the one carved from jet-black onyx, and walked towards the western pillar. “I am Sharrellan, the goddess of darkness, evil, and foul deeds. I am jealous of my brother’s luminous presence so I claim half the world for darkness. I shall fill it with creatures of the night; cruel, ugly, and savage,” Tarth whispered in a soft but sinister tone and placed it on the pedestal.
He finally retrieved the last statuette, a woman carved in exacting detail from jade. She wore a loose robe with the same holly wreath crown as the enormous statue outside. Tarth picked it up and tilted it from side to side like a child playing with a doll.
“I am Ellanee, the beautiful goddess of nature, creator of all the trees, plants, and little animals. With a sprig of puss willows I created the fuzzy little bunnies, with a tuft of cotton I created the silly little squirrels—,”
“And from the nuts I created the idiot, lame-brained elves,” Borik interrupted.
Tarth glared at the dwarf. “From all the animal poo I created the dwarves, which is why they are so smelly and like to live buried under the ground. With the light of my beloved Solarian, my creations grow and flourish, without him I am incomplete.”
“Will you get on with it?” Borik shouted when Tarth started making the statuettes of Ellanee and Solarian kiss.
The elf stuck his tongue out at the grumpy, impatient dwarf and went to place the last figurine on the last pedestal.
“Get ready for the next part,” Borik warned.
“What part is that?” Maude asked.
“The part where we fight for our lives as hundreds of spooky things run out and try to kill us,” Borik answered.
“I think you’re getting paranoid, but let’s stay on our toes, people.”
Tarth placed the statue of Ellanee gently on the last pedestal. The sound of stone grating against stone echoed through the vast chamber as one of the huge fluted columns began to sink slowly into the floor.
“Ta da!” Tarth shouted in celebration.
Another stone slab began protruding from the wall towards the descending column. The column stopped its descent at the same instant the stone slab touched its side forming a perfectly aligned bridge perhaps twenty feet over their heads.
“Are the boots up there? I don’t see them,” Malek asked.
“Oh they’re up here all right and I thank you very much for figuring out how to get them,” A deep voice called down to them.
The adventurers looked up and saw a man almost fully encased in the blackest armor any of them had ever seen. At the upper limits of their view, scores of men with crossbows stepped forward, nearly surrounding the entire chamber from a balcony-like hall fifty feet up the walls.
“See, told ya so,” Borik said softly.
“I’m afraid none of my men are terribly pious and were unable to figure out what exactly needed to be done to locate the boots, but I feel like kicking myself for a fool now that your elf friend explained it,” General Baneford said as he walked across the bridge and out onto the column to retrieve the boots.
“Get ready to run up the ramp,” Tarth whispered.
“However, as much as I appreciate your help, I did promise someone to kill you all and I am a man of my word. Archers!”
“Now!” Tarth shouted as the entire chamber filled with a thick impenetrable fog.
The adventurers sprinted up the ramp as crossbow bolts clattered against the stone floor behind them. Two of the quarrels even got hung up in Tarth’s fluttering robes as they fled up the ramp and down the passage. They could hear the shouts and pounding of booted feet not far behind them as they made their hasty retreat. A few soldiers burst out of the passageways ahead and to the sides of the corridor they fled down in an attempt to cut off their retreat.
Maude barreled into them, sweeping them to the sides with a feral growl and mighty swings of her sword, but they were slowing them down regardless, allowing the larger force to gain on them.
“Maudeline, keep running no matter what!” Tarth shouted from the rear of the fleeing party.
“What are you thinking, Tarth?” Maude asked as she cleaved through the helm of another soldier that tried to block her path.
“Just keep everyone running!” the elf commanded forcefully, stopping in his tracks and turning to face their pursuers.
If Maude could have seen his face, she would have seen the vapid, perpetually distracted haze disappear from his eyes and take on a look of complete focus and determination. She would have seen the powerful, fearsome, elven wizard that he once was so many centuries ago.
Tarth raised his arms and shouted out the mystical words of elven magic. It almost sounded like he was singing a beautiful yet destructive lament, causing the entire mountain to begin to rumble then shake as if sobbing from the sorrowful song.
Dust began to rain down and stone cracked and groaned in protest, unable to bend with the bucking, shifting passageway. Huge stone blocks began to fall ahead of and around the elven wizard.
“Tarth!” Maude screamed and tried to turn back.
Borik and Malek blocked her way and shoved her towards the exit.
“Run, Maude! Do not make his sacrifice be in vane!” Malek shouted as he and Borik half dragged her towards the light.
The party sprinted out of the passage just as the falling stone sealed off the entrance, forcing out a massive gout of dust and sand at their backs as five figures raced through the dust cloud and out towards the end of the canyon.
They kept running until they reached the horses where they stopped and tried to catch their breath. Maude looked at Malek and Borik, her faced etched in sorrow. Malek and Borik returned her gaze, eyes full of sympathy knowing how fond Maude was of the bizarre elf. Then all three of the remaining members of Maude’s Marauders turned and looked at the two soldiers standing next to them, breathing hard and sweating profusely.
“What?” Morton asked as Maude glared at the two soldiers.
Maude held her blade out straight before her, pointing it at the two brothers like a giant wizard�
��s wand.
“Easy now, lady, ain’t no call fer violence,” Nobby said gently and raised his arms over his head and was quickly imitated by his enormous brother, Morton.
“Don’t you dare follow us and don’t you dare tell anyone which way we went,” Maude said with deadly menace.
“Ah right’ then, we’ll stay right ‘ere quiet as a mouse,” Nobby promised.
“Right, mum’s the word,” Morton added.
Nobby turned his head towards his brother and glared. “What ya say about my mum?”
“Nothin’ Nobby, I said mum’s the word. That’s all,” Morton explained defensively.
“Yeah, and what word would that be, eh? Fat, ugly, lopsided, or maybe ya want ta call her a hunchback. Is that it, eh?”
“Honest, Nobby, I didn’t mean nothin' like that,” Morton insisted, shaking his head.
“Yer just jealous ‘cause ya ain’t got no mum,” Nobby said.
“Ah, now don’t star’ that again!” Morton demanded.
Maude, Borik, and Malek mounted up on their horses and left the two brothers shouting and slapping at each other, riding as hard as the pack camel would allow, which wasn’t more than a trot, but they quickly put some distance between them and the fallen temple.
***
There had been a great deal of excitement at the keep in the last few days. Not only were the twins keeping Rusty and Colleen busy despite having the two nursemaids, Zeb had brought a boatload of children back from Southport, twenty-three in all. Simon almost had a case of apoplexy when he opened the door and saw Zeb standing there surrounded by children and Toron looming over him with at least half a dozen younger children sitting on his hairy shoulders and hanging from his horns like screaming, giggling, wind chimes.
Several more had arrived from Southport and the smaller surrounding towns, making the grueling walk on their own or hitching rides on passing wagons and caravans.
Grick was making his nightly rounds when a soft knocking came from the front door.
“Who be knocking on Grick’s door this time of night?” the goblin grumbled. “Better not be no big rat again or Grick gonna whack him good.”
Grick reached up and pulled down on the door handle, swinging the large wooden portal open. Standing in front of him, looking at him eye to eye with an expression of absolute terror, was a little girl of no more than eight or nine years old standing in a nightshift, clutching a worn rag doll.
“Well, what’cha want?” Grick asked impatiently. “You gonna stand there with yer mouth open till bugs fly in or you gonna come inside?”
Fortunately, Ellyssa had forgotten to fill the pitcher next to her bed with water before she went to sleep and had come down to the kitchen for a drink of water when Grick answered the door.
Ellyssa saw Grick and the terrified young girl at the door and quickly ran over.
“It’s okay, Grick, I’ll take care of it,” Ellyssa told the goblin.
“Good, Grick cannot stand at door all night with bug catching girl. Rat’s ain’t gonna whack themselves,” Grick mumbled as he descended into the basement.
“Come inside,” Ellyssa offered the terrified girl, encouraging her with a gentle push. “Don’t be afraid, that’s just Grick. He’s actually really nice. You’re new here aren’t you? Did you come from North Haven?” Ellyssa asked.
The girl was in no state to speak but looking at her bare feet, Ellyssa had to assume that she had. The girl was shivering, as much from cold as from fear. It was late spring but the evenings were still quite cool.
“Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”
Ellyssa took her to the kitchen, using her magical talent to light a few of the globes, and sat the girl down at the small kitchen table while she found some fresh bread and cheese and poured her a cup of water. The girl ate as if she was hungry but not starving. Her shift was in relatively good repair and clean as was the rest of her, with the exception of her feet. Ellyssa concluded that she must not have been one of the homeless children but perhaps a runaway.
They had not dealt with any runaways that she was aware of and did not know what they would do with one. Would they return her? Ellyssa guessed it all depended on why she ran away. She kept talking to the young girl in a soft, friendly tone in hopes that she would relax enough to start talking to her.
Ellyssa cleaned the girl’s feet with a damp cloth and dried them before asking if she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. The girl just nodded and Ellyssa led her up to her room and shared her bed with the frightened girl. The two girls crawled under the warm blankets.
The girl was obviously exhausted and fell asleep, leaving Ellyssa awake for a short time wondering where the girl had come from and what had happed to frighten her so much and drive her from her home. At first, she thought it was just seeing Grick that had her so terrified, but she soon dismissed that as only part of the reason. Perhaps she would find out more in the morning.
The dawn’s light broke through the open shutters and the fresh morning air wafted gently into the room through the open window. The girl stirred when Ellyssa sat up in the bed. Her back was to Ellyssa and she started when Ellyssa laid a hand on her shoulder and began to cry, tightly clutching her rag doll.
“It’s all right, I’m not going to hurt you,” Ellyssa told the girl, feeling guilty that she had scared her.
Ellyssa swung her legs over the side of the bed, opened one of the wooden trunks in her room, and rummaged through the clothes that it contained.
“Here, you can have some of my old clothes I outgrew this year. They might be a little big for you but that should be okay,” Ellyssa said and set the clothes out on the bed. “Are you okay? I’m sorry I scared you, I didn’t mean to.”
The girl swallowed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “That’s okay. It’s not your fault. I forgot where I was for a second and thought you were someone else. These are really nice, thank you,” she said as she put on the trousers and tunic.
“My name is Ellyssa, what’s yours?”
“Melissa, but everyone calls me Missy,” the girl answered quietly.
“Missy is good, we already have a Melissa. She’s older though. Where did you come from and why did you come here? You don’t look like you were homeless.”
“I had to run away. It was a really bad place. One of the other kids said that he had heard that the magus who lives here sometimes took in children who have no home. Will I be sent back because I had a home?” Missy asked fearfully.
“I don’t know. Was it your mom and dad that were mean to you?”
Missy shook her head, sending her big brown curls swinging. “No, my mom and dad died. It was the man that bought us. He is a bad man and he hurts us, does things to us.”
“What kind of things?” Ellyssa asked, not understanding.
Missy just shook her head and clutched her doll tightly to her chest.
“It’s okay; you don’t have to talk about it right now if you don’t want to.”
Ellyssa even found her a pair of shoes that were only a little too big and led Missy downstairs to the dining hall. The morning was already bustling and noisy. The cooks were in the kitchens making all the meals for everyone. There were eight cooks now and several kitchen girls.
Outside, workers were already building the extended wall and chopping down trees to build the extra billets to house all of the children and adults that lived, worked, and studied at the citadel.
Rusty had to put Azerick’s idea of log cabins to use just after he left as more and more children began arriving seeking shelter, which meant he had to hire more people for full time jobs. Most of the workers simply walked or rode up to the keep from North Haven but a few, mostly the instructors, found it best to live at the keep.
Most of the teachers were sitting at the large dining table when Ellyssa and Missy walked in and took a seat next to each other.
“Is that the magus?” Missy asked, looking at Magus Allister, who, in his robes and with his long
grey beard, looked every bit the part of a storybook wizard.
“No, that’s Magus Allister. He’s one of our teachers. Azerick is the one that owns the keep and takes in all the kids but he’s not here right now,” Ellyssa explained.
Ellyssa pointed out and named all of the adults at the table, then introduced Missy to Allister, Rusty, and Colleen.
“You walked here last night from North Haven by yourself?” Allister asked in surprise.
Missy nodded shyly.
“Oh, you poor dear, you must have been exhausted and terrified being out so late,” Colleen said compassionately and hugged the girl.
“Yes, ma’am, especially when I saw the wolf. He had big yellow eyes and I thought he was going to eat me,” Missy said excitedly, nodding her head emphatically.
“That was probably Ghost. He’s nice too and only half as wild as Wolf, the boy that he’s usually with,” Ellyssa clarified.
“A boy has a wolf for a pet here?”
“More of a friend really. Personally, I think they’re probably related somehow,” Ellyssa laughed.
“Can I stay here? I don’t want to go back to the bad place, please don’t make me,” Missy pleaded, on the verge of tears.
Colleen held Missy tightly to her chest. “Of course you can stay. Why is your home so bad?”
Missy did not want to talk about it. Right now, all she wanted was for the nice woman to hold her, pet her hair, and tell her she was going to be all right. It was almost like having her mother back again, what little she could remember. She was so young when her parents died and her uncle sold her and her brother to those men who sold them to the bad man.
After breaking their fast, Ellyssa took Missy around to see most of the kids, skipping classes, with Allister’s permission, and even found Wolf and Ghost sitting in their favorite clearing. Wolf was actually sitting up against the stump reading one of the books Ellyssa had given him.
The Sorcerer's Legacy (The Sorcerer's Path) Page 32
