by Randal Sloan
Quietly she called her hellhounds and had Big Boy place them in the appropriate spots. Then she stood to address the group of chiefs who were seated around her and the others in a semicircle. Most of them spoke her language; the few who didn’t had their own translators. Jailyn wasn’t surprised to see the ones who had been most antagonistic were among the ones who needed translators more often than not. Too hidebound, she knew.
She smiled at them as she waved her hand at the ground beneath her, raising her position so that it was higher than the others. That drew a few shocked looks, but she didn’t give them time to think on it.
“We want to express our extreme gratitude for the feast you have provided us this turn of the sun beneath the sands. We were indeed weary from our travels and this was most pleasing.”
She waved her hand and a large view of the magical map they had been using in their travels appeared in front of them all. “Our group has been tasked with crossing to the valley that leads to the Land Between the Worlds in order to retrieve the Talismans of Power.”
She had to stop speaking as the group burst forth with exclamations from many of the chiefs, most of them hearing of this for the first time. When those grumbling didn’t quieten down, she magically amplified her voice and the details of the map flared up with fire.
“I’m not here to ask for your permission,” she told them angrily. The fire within the map flared even higher and her voice thundered across the room. “I’m here to tell you of our quest and I of my own volition tell you why we are making this journey.”
The group had finally quieted down, but one chief, raising his fist in the tribal version of a request to speak, voiced the question of many of them. “Just who do you think you are to come among us with such presumption? It is within our rights to question anyone who would cross our lands.”
Jailyn had known that would come up sooner or later. They were not going to like her answer. “You are wrong, Chief Drabeorn, but I understand your confusion. You hold the rights of these lands at the allowance of another.”
The map morphed into the shape of a dragon and she filled its mouth with pure dragon fire, a sign that was unmistakable to them all. “You still serve the Dragon Empire, and I and my bonded future mate represent that Empire.”
That really stirred them up and she let them speak for a while. They had to get it out of their systems and she knew she’d given them quite a shock.
“Enough,” she said in a voice that shook the building. “Chief Drabeorn, I believe you and I were the ones who had the horns of speech.” Jailyn had just reminded them of their own traditions for the behavior of the council.
“How do I know this is not a trick?” the Chief asked, still very uncertain of the one in front of him.
“Do you know of anyone else who can call forth the dragon fire?” she asked. A tongue of dragon fire shot forth from the dragon’s mouth, burning a hole through the table in front of him. Jailyn had to give it to him. The man didn’t even flinch.
Instead, he lowered his head in a bow of subservience. “What do you ask of us, my Queen?” he asked.
“Two things. We are poorly equipped for our travel within your Desert of Despair. We ask for whatever assistance we might be granted. Secondly, a group of magically equipped assassins, even as we are speaking, is attempting to cross the desert from the end by the Callisto Mountains, and we ask you to leave them alone for us to handle.”
She smiled at his reaction. “Oh, we intend to kill them all other than their leader, from whom I require answers. For these, I claim Retribution Rights. If any other has such claims, I will pay them for their rights, in accordance with your traditions.”
They would have considerable discussion, requiring a couple more demonstrations of power, but when it was all over, she had what she wanted, and then some. Jailyn also warned them that Lord Vipero might be coming. She instructed them to cooperate with him to the extent that was necessary, but she gave them specific instructions about just how far they could travel, lest they become caught up in the conflict. Jailyn intended to give him a warm welcome if he did come and she didn’t want anyone to spoil the party.
One way or the other, she was going to have her revenge on the man.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Facing the Storm
LORD VIPERO DIDN’T particularly like the way his Master had ordered him to go after the young boy and his small group of wannabe wizards, but nevertheless he saw his chance to eliminate him once and for all. It would make his position secure as Court Wizard to the King and he could finally enjoy the wealth he’d been able to gather. Not only that, but that worthless man he’d helped place as a king at long last had fathered a soon to be born child. When that child was born, Vipero would arrange the death of King Johan and reign as regent. Yes, things were finally coming into place.
Lord Vipero had quickly gathered a handful of his choice troops and commandeered a fast vessel to head north. Athronra, the capital city of Callidore, was located on the coast near the southern end of the kingdom, which was a good thing as far as he was concerned. The climate was ideal. But it did mean his voyage north would require a couple of days travel aboard ship. That, and the fact that it had taken him nearly two days to get everything ready, left them just over a week to cross the mountain pass and then the desert. He could sense the boy was in the middle of attempting to cross the desert, although he wasn’t moving very fast.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and that desert will do the job for me, he thought with a smile. Many a traveler has failed in his attempt to cross that desert, never to be heard from again. Yes, there’s always that chance.
Despite where they appeared to be going, Lord Vipero held little regard for the prophecies Lord Melthevis kept spouting on about. It was either pure coincidence his quarry was headed for the destination on his map or perhaps they were just as deluded. It didn’t matter. Dead would be dead.
Crossing the desert wouldn’t be easy even for him, but he had a message ring connected to a contact there and the man had reluctantly agreed to obtain them transportation. The idiot had sent back word that the sands were changing, but he would be able to carry them most of the way to their destination. Something about they had been forbidden to enter the Callisto Mountains, so the band would be on their own for the final leg of the journey.
They always were a superstitious people, Vipero thought. I bet they’re just as idealistic about the prophecies as the others. It doesn’t matter. Surely we can go a few miles on our own and then we’ll take care of the boy. The other nonsense will be soon forgotten.
The help the sand people provided was considerably more than Jailyn had suspected they would get. They were loaned a team of the beasts the sand people called camels, along with their handlers. Instead of walking, they would now be riding. A huge improvement to the situation, it also would enable them to make up some of their lost time.
Jailyn was surprised when Raamial joined them as they prepared to depart the next morning. He smiled at her when she looked at him with a questioning look.
“I’ve been sent by the Council to assist your group. I’ll be your translator with the handlers and also provide information you’ll need that’s not found on that map of yours. I promise I’ll try to stay out of the way, but you really do need me.”
Jailyn nodded. “You’re right.” She smiled at him and gave him a half bow. “I thank you for your assistance. I believe it was good fortune that brought your small party into contact with us.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Raamial replied. “It was only due to our party being delayed that we were there at all. We would have already been gone and missed seeing you if not for that. So good fortune indeed.”
“Very good fortune,” Jailyn told him as she turned to mount her camel. “Otherwise, I’d be walking and my feet are already tired.”
Raamial had been expecting she’d need help mounting, normally having to command the beast to drop down to let its rider climb aboar
d, but her camel did so without visible prompting.
“Thank you, Akki,” she told him, speaking aloud since they were in mixed company. “I’m glad to make your acquaintance.”
She laughed. “I’ll tell him.” She turned to Raamial, “Akki says to tell you your bad-tempered beast has a burr under his saddle and if you’d fix it, he wouldn’t be quite so bad-tempered. I strongly suggest you do so before you get bitten.”
Raamial had wondered what was wrong with his camel, but he hadn’t been able to find the problem. Now that he knew what to look for, it didn’t take him long to find it and fix it. He was getting used to being around Jailyn, so he wasn’t surprised when his camel knelt for him to mount without a command.
“Dacritt says thank you. He also says to tell you to take one of the northern routes, whatever that means; he thinks the southern one smells like a sandstorm might be brewing.”
Raamial gave her a look but nodded. “I was still trying to decide which route to take. The southern route is longer but usually faster, but if we were to run into a sandstorm, that would be bad. So I guess the northern route it is.”
Jailyn smiled. “At least that’ll give us something to look at. This featureless desert is hard on some of us and that way we’ll be able to see the mountains in the distance.”
“You get used to it, but I take your point.” He waved to the others, who had all mounted their camels with assistance from their handlers. “It’s time we were underway. Please follow behind in a line no more than two camels abreast.”
He led the group out. Something told him this was going to be quite an interesting trip.
They made the third oasis on their map that evening, stopping briefly at the second one to stretch and to water the beasts before moving on. After a small but much improved evening meal where the sand people provided their own contributions, Jailyn called the group over to talk. She sat playing with a blue ball of fire in her hands, the dragon fire she could call forth now that she carried half a dragon soul. She was totally unaware of the effect that it was having on her companions.
“We’re here,” she said, displaying their magical map. She concentrated and a jagged line showing their path traveled so far appeared on the map.
“Our enemies are here,” a new line appeared, this one working down from the Callisto Mountains. “It looks like we’ll meet up somewhere around here.” An X appeared on the map.
“Raamial, is there anything close to there that would be a good spot to meet the assassins?”
Raamial nodded, looking carefully at her map. He had to admit it was remarkably detailed with only a few things missed, one of which he pointed out. “There’s a sand fortress about two hours prior to that spot. It’s like the waystation where we met you, but much more substantial. That wasn’t on your map either.”
He smiled as he thought of her adventure with the pavilion the night before. “It’s made the same way, raised out of the sand as a magically created structure. Because of its composition, it blends in completely with the area, which I suppose is why the map makers missed it. Most importantly, it will give your enemies limited access to your position. They’ll only be able to come at you from the front, as the back and sides of the fortress are pressed against mountain cliffs in a natural niche in the mountain wall. The front is also protected by a chasm for which there is only one bridge across that we can raise before battle.”
Jailyn nodded. “That should do perfectly, although you shouldn’t underestimate our enemies. They have formidable use of magic and I wouldn’t be surprised if at least a couple of the assassins attempt an attack from the cliff face. They’ll also be able to figure out a way across the chasm. That still narrows down the area we have to defend, so we’ll plan to stop there tomorrow, I’m guessing sometime around mid-afternoon?”
When Raamial nodded, she went on, “That means our enemies will attack the following night. They are creatures of the Dark, after all.”
Jailyn sat there, thinking about the ramifications of that. She was now bouncing the ball of dragon fire from one hand to the other. “Carisa, do you think you can do the night spell for the group? The one that uses the connection to fire to show the heat given off by the bodies of our attackers?”
When Carisa nodded, Jailyn explained her thought process. “I have a plan that will help insure the capture of the leader of the group, if you guys think you can handle the assassins.” She now held the dragon fire between her hands again, but the size of the ball had grown. Still unaware of the effect she was having on them, she looked around at the group who all nodded. That was what they’d been training to be able to do for the past weeks.
Jailyn explained what she had worked out so far. “I plan to hide out of the way and keep my magic hidden, with one exception — shielding. Before the attack starts, we’ll join together and build our new shield, tailoring it to fit each person, so everyone is protected, including Raamial and the handlers.” She smiled at Raamial’s reaction. “Trust me, you’re going to need shielding and we believe the magical shield we’ve invented will do the job. It combines several types of magic, including the null magic the Dark ones appear to be able to use.”
“In fact, we’ll just plan to shield the entire stable area with a single shield so we won’t have to worry about any of them or the beasts.” She looked at Raamial expectantly. “I assume you insist that you need to fight along with us?”
He nodded. “I’m a warrior. It’s impossible for me to hide behind someone else as long as I am able to stand and fight. I’ll be fighting alongside you and the others.”
“I was pretty sure of that.” She gave him a smile of thanks. “You and your people have great honor.”
Jaylyn looked back over the group. “Alright. We have our basic plan. We’ll fine tune it when we get to the fortress. Our enemies probably think we’re an easy target. Let’s prove to them otherwise.”
Jailyn worried that they had missed something and she knew that despite their training they’d never faced anyone like those assassins before, but it was all she had. She knew it was going to be tough, but they’d just have to do what it took. Everything was depending on the next few hours.
Everyone was anxious, so they arose early in the morning and departed their camp rather quickly. The group couldn’t hide their nervousness in anticipating the coming attack. Raamial was the only one that still appeared calm. He’d stood in battle before, so he knew how to handle the jitters prior. For the rest, they only had their training, and as good as it was, it didn’t come close to the real world.
They traveled quickly but not pushing themselves; they knew they couldn’t afford to go into battle exhausted. After a very quiet respite, where they quickly swallowed down travel rations, they turned onto a side trail that led them toward the fortress. The already rugged terrain became even more formidable the further they traveled, so by the time they reached the fortress it was almost impassible outside of the trail.
After her experience with the manipulation of sand by the sand people, Jailyn was not surprised that she was able to spot the fortress well before they reached it. As they drew closer she had to admit it was a formidable defensive structure.
Raamial must have understood her thoughts. “It is said that our ancestors made use of this fortress to hold back an army for several months. The army was eventually forced to leave by the desert. It should serve us well.”
“I hope so,” Jailyn answered in a low voice so that the others couldn’t hear. “I know we’re not really ready for the trial we must face.”
“In some ways perhaps not, but you believe in your cause and you do indeed have formidable magic, so I believe you will prevail,” Raamial answered, also speaking in a low voice.
He hesitated a moment before continuing. “I’m not sure if I should tell you this, but perhaps it will help. There was a prophecy spoken by one of our most powerful seers after the siege was successfully overcome. It tells of the future where a small but highly critical bat
tle would be fought against evil within this fortress. The forces of Darkness, while strong, will not prevail. You must keep the faith. It will all work out.”
As the two had been talking, they approached the chasm that separated the fortress from the rest of the land. Jailyn realized that while partially natural, the chasm had been enhanced by magic to the point it appeared completely impassable. The cliffs in front of them appeared to be the same.
“Here we are,” Raamial announced. “In our native tongue, the name of this Fortress means ‘Unassailable.’ We shall make our stand here.”
While the team prepared their defenses, Lord Ulrik and his team of assassins drew near. He was glad that this part of the mission would soon be over. He was tired of this continuous desert. The assassins with him seemed to care little one way or the other, but without his magic to dent the heat, it would have been unbearable for him. Ulrik still hoped he would find a way to get out of this disaster Lord Melthevis had sent him on.
But first they had to accomplish their goal. The assassins were a nasty lot, and they kept to themselves the whole time, most of the time not even in sight of him. That suited him. He only had to deal with their leader and that was bad enough. Ulrik’s ability to track their prey was probably the only reason the man even bothered to speak with him at all. That, and to coordinate their movements.
For some time, the group they were tracking had deviated from the trail on the crude map Lord Melthevis had given him. At first, Ulrik had been quite puzzled, but as they drew near to their quarry it made sense. With a hand signal, he called the assassin leader in to talk.
“Our marks must somehow know about us,” he told the man, pointing to the fortress barely visible in the dimming light. “It appears that they’ve found a fortress to hide in. Out here in the middle of nowhere like it is, I have to think they had to have help, although I sense only the small group and a few non-magical users, probably a handful of the sand people. That may make our task more difficult; it looks well protected.”
