“How did they do that?” asked Amirantha, keenly interested.
“I don’t really know,” said Jommy. “Didn’t think to ask. One minute we were scrambling to stay alive, the next there was this bright shaft of light and the thing just froze a minute, then the fire went out. It was raining, did I mention? Anyway, as soon as it froze, and the fire went out, the rain started steaming off its skin, and then all of a sudden it just fell apart.”
Amirantha said, “That was not a true demon. That was a bound elemental servant.”
Pug said, “What is the difference?”
Amirantha said, “I can only speak from experience, and mine is limited. I knew a magician by name of Celik, who was fascinated with the properties of the elements, earth, air, water, and fire.
“He contended there was this essence of each element, an aspect that was akin to life, but not true life. But with the right spells, that…I’m searching for words here, for like myself, Celik was a man who had learned through trial and error and had the scars to prove it. He called these creatures elemental servants. They came from someplace…not the demon realm, I am certain, but some other place, some plane of existence unknown to us.”
“Fascinating,” said Pug. His experience with his son and Nakor, the little gambler who had been a friend for many years, on the next plane of existence, when they confronted the Dasati invasion of Kelewan, had fueled Pug’s curiosity about the various planes of existence. To his continuing frustration, there was as little information on those realms as there was on demons.
“Well, whatever it was, it was one very scary thing to have bearing down at you,” said Jommy. “But I’m not sure what it has to do with whatever it is you all were investigating back in the Peaks of the Quor.”
“Neither do I,” said Pug. “These Black Caps serve someone, or something, and for over ten years they’ve been interested in the Peaks of the Quor.”
Father-Bishop Creegan said, “The Sven’ga-ri. While we still know nothing of their nature beyond the sheer beauty of their being, we know they are beings of power, and that they drew those wraiths—”
“Wraiths?” interrupted Amirantha. “You’ve encountered wraiths?”
“I did,” said Jommy. “Or something enough like a wraith to not be much of a difference.”
Amirantha said, “Tell me.”
Jommy spoke of being harried up the trail by strangely humanoid creatures who rode on the backs of wolflike mounts, and who were almost impossible to see as anything other than dark places in his field of vision.
Miranda had been silent for the entire narrative, but she said, “I helped obliterate them.” She described their camp and turned to her husband.
“As best we can tell, they are creatures of the void, something akin to the Dread, like wraiths or specters,” said Pug. “I’ve encountered the Dread on two occasions and their lesser kin a few more times.”
“My respect for you is now without limit,” said Amirantha with no humor or irony intended. “No man living, to the best of my knowledge, has encountered the Dread.
“Wraiths and specters are also not of the demon realm. They are…something else.”
“What?” asked Jommy.
“We don’t know,” said Pug. “We only know that they come from someplace beyond the Seven Hells or Heavens.” He looked at Amirantha and said, “They are creatures of the void.”
Amirantha said, “I have a feeling there’s more here than I’m being told, which is certainly your prerogative.” He narrowed his gaze as he studied Pug. “And you already know a great deal about the demon realm, I warrant.”
Pug was silent as those around the table studied him. Miranda’s expression asked a question, but everyone else had an expectant look. Sandreena put down her spoon, as Father-Bishop Creegan did with his goblet. Pug saw two students standing ready to serve, and a pair conducting some independent study on the other side of the dining hall while they snacked on fruit and cheese. Pug pointed to them and said, “You may leave us, and ask them to find another place for their studies, as well. Thank you.”
The two students hurried across the room, and soon the dining hall was empty save for those at Pug’s table.
Miranda finally said, “Tell them. Tell them all. They deserve to know.”
Quietly, Pug began. “You all know of the invasion of the Kingdom of the Isles by the armies of the Emerald Queen. To most of you, it’s history; to Miranda and me, we lived through it.”
Amirantha remained quiet, but he had witnessed the devastation wrought by the Emerald Queen’s armies in his homeland, when he had been a young man.
“There are things about those times of which I will not speak. There are questions I will not answer. But what I will tell you is only the truth.” No one spoke, but there was a general acceptance of those statements in their expressions.
Miranda knew of what he was speaking, for she had been there. She remembered everything Nakor had said about the Fifth Circle and what transpired there, as they stood on the devastated world of Shila, had seen her father, Macros, battle the Demon King Maarg, and had spoken with the possessed demon, controlled by the Saaur Lorekeeper Hanam. Only Miranda, Pug, and Magnus knew that throughout all the years Nakor had been one of their closest confidants, he had also been a tool of Ban-ath, also called Kalkin, the God of Thieves and Liars.
Pug said, “One of the reasons your High Priest in Rillanon made our introduction, many years ago, Father-Bishop, was that much of what occurs here is in service to a much higher order, a fact not known by the majority of those who labor here.” He looked from face to face, seeing his wife, the Warlock, the Prelate, his foster grandson, and the Knight-Adamant. “You have all come into this for different reasons, or so you assume.” He looked for a long moment at Amirantha and said, “Your role is not clear to me yet, but I suspect it is vital we found you.
“Demons have begun appearing in unexpected locations, without the benefit of being summoned.” At that, Amirantha’s eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.
Pug fell silent another moment, then said, “Father-Bishop Creegan, Jommy, and of course Miranda know this, but you two do not.” He pointed to Amirantha and Sandreena. “Within the community of this island some of us serve a higher calling, through an organization called the Conclave of Shadows.
“We are by necessity a highly secret organization that has a very special relationship with the rulers of the three mightiest nations here on the continent of Triagia.”
Creegan added, “Which also means they have influences in all the lesser kingdoms as well.”
“And given Kaspar’s role in conducting me here,” said the Warlock, “with the Kingdom of Muboya on the other side of the world.” He sounded impressed.
“We are also well established with other groups, including several of the major temples. Our purpose is not to subvert or even influence these entities, political and secular, but rather to keep open our lines of communications, to serve a greater good.”
“And that greater good would be—?” asked the Warlock.
Jommy barked a laugh, then said, “The survival of the world.” He leaned forward and all mirth vanished from his expression. In that instant, Amirantha could see that under the affable, smiling, open expression of this young man, there was a hard-bitten veteran of some terrible struggles. “I’ve seen things. I’ve lived through things no man should have survived, and I’ve watched people I cared about die.” He paused and then said, “There is no one in the Conclave for whom I wouldn’t lay down my life, and I’m certain each of them would lay down their life for me.
“It’s not blind loyalty either. These people make a difference.”
Pug said, “Enough, Jommy. We’re not here to convince Amirantha we’re an agency of good and those we oppose are servants of evil.”
The Warlock nodded. “No need. As such things go, I already know that. At least I know you believe you’re serving good.”
“Adroit comment,” said Miranda.
The Warlock smiled. “Many of the people who’ve tried to kill me over the years thought they were serving a greater good.”
Jommy laughed. “I’ve had a similar experience over the years.”
Sandreena looked impatient and sounded the same as she said, “The demons?”
“Yes,” said Amirantha. “What is it you know about the demon realm?”
“There are graduated levels of reality,” began Pug. “This is what would be considered by some to be the first level of Hell.”
Jommy laughed. “At times I think that’s too generous.” He saw Miranda’s expression darken and said, “I’ll be quiet now.”
“We fought demons on the world of Shila, home to the Saaur, and found our way to the passage from where they were coming. We destroyed the rift between Shila and here and escaped.” He neglected to mention that Macros, Miranda’s father, died holding the most powerful demon of the Fifth Circle at bay long enough for them to succeed.
“We know the demons are ruled by a creature named Maarg, and he has captains. Of these we know little, save his first captain a hundred years ago was named Tugor.
“They have intelligence, after a fashion, but it is very unlike our own.”
“Agreed,” said Amirantha. “So far my experience confirms they can be cunning, even clever, but there is a limit to their creative nature.”
Pug nodded. “They seem drawn to the higher planes as a moth is to a flame.”
Amirantha said, “Such is the case. That is why any summoning must have a containment spell or ward accompanying it, else the creature will devour everything in sight.
“Even the tiny imps, like my Nalnar, would run rampant to the best of his ability if unhampered.” With a smile he said, “He has a particular fondness for baked goods.”
Miranda didn’t seem amused by the image. “Most of those we encountered were meat-eaters,” she said coldly.
“Again, such is the case,” said Amirantha. “Even more, those of the highest level I believe can draw life energy directly out of living beings using their own particular brand of magic.”
“We know they have magic,” said Pug, “for there was a demon utilizing an illusion to convince all who saw him he was the Emerald Queen.”
Amirantha said, “I would know nothing about that, as I have never encountered a demon with the power to create such an illusion. That the demon could do such a feat surprises me. They tend to be a fairly direct lot in their use of magic.
“From what the few demons I can trust have told me—”
“Trust?” interrupted Miranda. “You have demons you can trust?”
“‘Trust,’ perhaps, is the wrong word. They are predictable, and reliable in that they will do what I wish and tell me what I want to know because they see me as powerful; they know I can destroy them as well as banish them back to the demon realm.”
“What have they told you?” asked Pug, shifting the topic back.
“They have cities, or something like social organization,” said Amirantha. “Not cities such as we would recognize, but warrens in the caves of mountains, or hives perhaps might be a better analogy.
“They feed on one another, constantly, but I have the sense there is something here I’m not fully understanding.” He paused, and looked at Pug, Miranda, and the others, and said, “I have no certain knowledge, but I have an intuition that they never really die. I think their essence is consumed either by another demon or it somehow returns to some fundamental state in their realm.”
“Otherwise,” said Jommy, “why haven’t they run out of food already?”
“Yes,” said Amirantha. “They do not farm or fish, and to the best of my ability to judge from what I’ve been told, their realm is devoid of any life except for demon life, as we understand life.”
Pug considered how alien the Dasati realm of the second plane of existence had been, and how much farther removed the demon realm was, and said, “Perhaps it is something we shall never understand.
“To our present concerns; the Saaur are a race of warriors and magic-users that are the equal of any I’ve encountered, and the demons crushed them after seventeen years of struggle. The Saaur’s empire encompassed an entire world and millions died fighting the demons.
“Our concern of course is, why are demons now appearing with increased frequency here in Midkemia?”
Amirantha said, “There are several possible theories.”
“I’d like to hear them all,” said Pug, “but for the moment, your most likely.”
“Someone is bringing them here.”
“Your brother?” asked Pug.
Amirantha nodded. “At least the one that tried to kill me, the event that had me off looking for Kaspar to tell someone something bad was occurring. And if he’s able to subvert my spells and…” He sighed. “He’s either grown far more powerful than I thought possible, or he’s allied with others. Either way, it’s to no good end.”
Father-Bishop Creegan asked, “Whom does he serve?”
“Himself,” said Amirantha.
“Runs in the family, I see,” said Sandreena.
Ignoring the barb, Amirantha said, “Belasco is not mad the way Sidi was, but he is not entirely rational, either. He easily flies into rages that cause him to do things…” He shrugged. “Sidi was completely demented, and, as a result, unpredictable. I’m not sure he even knew why he did half the things he did all his life. Since childhood he was driven by impulses, needs, desires that I can only begin to imagine.
“Belasco, however, he is driven by hatred. He hates whatever he cannot have, whatever he cannot control, or whatever he cannot understand.”
Jommy sighed. “That is a lot of hate.”
“Indeed,” said Amirantha. “If someone or something, an agency we have encountered before or identified, perhaps this organization of Black Caps as you called them”—he indicated Sandreena—“has offered him greater power, greater wealth, greater understanding, in other words spoken to his vanities and desires, then he would serve another.
“I am certain if he is in service, eventually his plan will be to surpass and supplant whomever or whatever he currently serves, but that’s another topic. For the moment, he is either working on another’s behalf, or for himself, but either way he seems determined to facilitate bringing some very nasty creatures into our world.
“The demon I encountered, the one that began this adventure for me, he was unlike anything I’ve run afoul of before; he was a battle demon and a spellcaster. I can’t emphasize how unprecedented that is. In no lore have I encountered or through my own personal experience seen or heard of such a creature.
“Demons tend to fall into two groups, with the magic-users being the far smaller. Their race is dominated by raw power, and often magic is more subtle. Those that use magic tend to be cleverer, more manipulative, even seductive with their arts.”
Sandreena said, “Which reminds me, how is Darthea these days?”
Amirantha hesitated a moment, then ignored the comment. “I’ve often wondered how the little creatures like Nalnar survive.”
Pug said, “We think it’s a system of fealty, being useful, buying protection from more powerful demons further up the hierarchy. Maarg rules through his captains, and they in turn have minions. We assume those like your imp serve a useful purpose, perhaps as intelligence-gatherers, but perhaps through nothing more important than carrying out the trash.
“Whatever the truth of it may be, we do know that we are confounded by ignorance and need more intelligence.” Looking at Amirantha, he said, “What can you do to help us?”
The Warlock said, “Whatever I might. Even were my brother not involved somehow, I would find this entire prospect fascinating. There is nowhere else I’d rather be at the moment.”
A student stuck his head through the door and said, “Sir!”
“What is it?” Pug asked.
“Distant sentry reports a dragon heading this way.”
Pug r
ose quickly and said, “Dragons do not trouble us. It can only be Tomas.”
“Tomas?” asked Amirantha.
As Miranda, Pug, and Jommy made toward the door where the student had appeared, Father-Bishop Creegan said, “Why don’t you two come along? This is something you may never see again in your life.”
They hurried outside, where Pug and his family had quickly gathered. Amirantha saw Brandos had joined them, as well as the young man named Zane. In the distance they could see a speck in the sky grow larger, becoming something birdlike, and then resolving itself into something akin to a wyvern or drake on the wing.
It kept growing in size, and each time Amirantha thought it was now close enough to begin landing, it just kept coming. Finally it loomed up out of the sky, massive, with wings impossible to measure cracking like thunder as it halted its descent.
“Amazing!” said Sandreena, and Amirantha could only nod. He felt pain and looked down and saw she was clutching his arm, squeezing it tight enough to leave a bruise.
Kaspar walked up from a dell to the north of the landing site, and joined them. To Jommy he said, “I never thought I’d see this again.”
“Me neither, General,” replied the red-headed young man.
The dragon descended itself gently to the ground and lowered its massive head. Pug was surprised to note two figures climbed down. Tomas he was expecting, but the second visitor to this island was a figure completely new to him.
It looked like an elf, but seven feet tall, with hair the color of a red-rooster’s comb. It wore robes that appeared to be woven from light satin, with embroidered edges of purple and gold, and across its back carried a staff that reeked of arcane energy.
Tomas embraced Pug, who said, “Welcome, old friend.”
Tomas made his greetings to Miranda and the others known to him, then turned and said, “Pug, Miranda, may I present my companion, Gulamendis, Demon Master of the Clans of the Seven Stars—the Taredhel, or Star Elves in our tongue.”
Rides a Dread Legion Page 29
