Death Or Fortune

by James Chesney

  60. Shadows

  I remember looking up at the sun just before being escorted down into the dungeon under the spire. I wondered as we were going down the steps if it was the last time I was going to see the light of day. With every step I took down into the earth I could feel my anger growing. General Malkov was behind me, speaking to one of his men but I could feel his eyes on me. When we got to the bottom of the steps, the hall in front of me was well lit by what I assume were magical globes. Wrought iron doors lined the hall as far as I could see. I thought one last time about trying to fight, I still had all my weapons. In that narrow stair well I could have held off an entire army by myself. The first cell on the left was open and ready for me. I waited for them to take my gear, I hoped they tried so I could at least smash one of them before they closed the door on me. 'Lord Kromwell' Malkov said. 'We are going to allow you to keep your weapons and armor. You may need them down here. Also know that we have your friends up stairs and if there is any trouble with you, they will suffer for it.'

  I could not believe what he said then my mind raced back to what Michaels told me when he was captured and taken to this very place. He said that they could not take away his weapon. I then remembered the shield I had on my back. It may have been that they could feel its power. Not that it mattered in the end. They could have locked me up with the entire Arcadian Royal Guard and I would not have started a fight. They did have my friends and knowing they would pay for anything I did kept me bound. Little did I know that they were being escorted into large and lavish rooms with plush beds. I walked into the bare cell and looked around. Solid rock wall all the way around and the iron door to keep me contained. I accepted my fate at the time and took a seat, resting my back on the wall. There were no guards in the halls, once my door closed I was alone down there or so I thought. I dug out the last of my personal rations from my bag, choked it down the best I could and closed my eyes. I figured I may as well catch up on my sleep while I could.

  Sleeping in a prison cell is not something I want to try again. Each time I started to drift off, I could hear a noise from somewhere. When the light globes winked out, I thought the entire place was going to come undone. I don’t know what creatures were being kept down there in the dark and I don’t want to know. The sounds they produced while wailing with rage made my skin crawl. This continued for several hours, I was sure I was losing my mind. It was then that I saw something in the shadows of my cell. I jumped up and drew my sword, I nearly lost my mind when Lomark spoke. 'Put that thing away, we have matters to discuss quickly.' I asked him how he got in and he only said 'do not question my abilities. We are meeting with Ramanthus tomorrow. You are going to be summoned to this meeting, we need you to go along with the plan from now on Kromwell. Zender was sent a vision by his god, Xcavere knows of this place and knows the Rod is here. He wouldn't dare attack Eystlund for it but here, in his own lands, he wants it badly. He is coming himself and there is an entire army marching on this place with him. It is important that he never gets his lifeless hands on that rod Kromwell. Ramanthus is suddenly going to find himself in a battle we want no part of. We have two days to get the rod and get out before Xcavere's first legion is pounding on the gates.'

  'Ramanthus is going to offer us a position in his army. We are going to smile and accept. I am going to make him believe I have unlocked the rods true power. Once we have it in our hands, we will be leaving, quickly.' I asked him if he knew where the rod was and he just pointed up. 'In the top of the tower. Where else would you expect a crazed wizard to keep an object of ultimate power? You need to play along now. Zender will not leave you here. Yet I will leave you all behind in order to keep the rod away from Xcavere. Remember that.' Soon the shadows that were Lomark left my cell, much the way they came. I wanted to ask the wizard how they knew so much but it all made my head hurt. While I am a simple man and aspire to do great things, I do not have a mind to question the gods. I have seen many great and wondrous things. Yet I have also been witness to great tragedy. Were these events all laid out as some god’s great plan? Watching my friends die, watching innocent children slaughtered, were these the demands of some higher being? Hans and I have discussed this as of late. While he is a blessed man, I sometimes think he is as lost as I am.

  The screams of pain and misery continued through the rest of the night. At one point I was sure something was trying to come into my cell door. I spent the night in panic and in mortal dread of the things outside my door. I have fought both the living and the dead. While I am not afraid of either, there is something to be said about not being able to see the horror in the dark. While I was sure I could have pounded my cell door open to escape, I really didn't want to know what was on the other side. So I spent my time just trying to keep it closed. After what seemed to be an eternity the lights returned. The screaming faded away and my cell door was opened. I was almost happy to see Malkov. 'I hope the first did not bother you too much. They enjoy the taste of fresh blood. I am surprised they did not come visit you. Imagine, a vampires hunger and none of its power. Not to mention, they are mindless. Such a shame. My lord had such high hopes for them. I assume you are not going to be a problem today?' I still wanted to kill the man but I was more than willing to smile and play along after the night I had.

  The court yard around the base the spire had six buildings. Two of them were filled to capacity with the troops Ramanthus kept at the spire. An armory with a large black smith’s forge that Boris would have spit on. There was a mess hall were they fed all the men and a large storage barn for supplies. The last building looked like one of the homes from the lord’s district in Arcadia, this is where they took me. This is where Ramanthus lived. I was taken to a large dining room and told to sit down. Just before he left me Malkov turned and grinned at me. 'I've read about the uprising in Arcadia and about your part of the battle. I am looking forward to working with you in the coming days. I was impressed at what you did with men that were less than standard.' I was almost insulted but I did not let it show. I told him that a man fighting for his home is worth any ten hired mercenaries who are only fighting for gold. He nodded at me as if I gave him something profound to think about. More than anything I was shocked that he could read. I guess that is why they made him a general.

  I looked around the room, while the furniture was nice it was all random. As if each object was chosen for how it looked by itself. The dining room table was a massive oak beast that must have taken ten men to move. It could have held twenty large men on each side. I started to wonder what else I could find in the house when servants started to come in. Each one carried large platters of food. The smell was incredible after days of nothing but water and dried rations. With the food laid out they began to set out plates and pitchers of water. When my friends came in the room I forgot about my hunger. Zender came to me directly and told me he was sorry about what had happened. 'I should have taken the time to tell you.' he kept telling me over and over. When I asked if they had met our host yet they all just shook their heads. One of the servants told us to sit and enjoy the meal while we were waiting for his 'lord and savior.' By the time I had started to wonder if they had poisoned our food I had already eaten enough to kill ten men. After we were finished eating it was then that we met Ramanthus.

  He was escorted into the room by General Malkov. Ramanthus was younger than I expected, much younger. Long flowing dark hair with just a touch of gray at the temples. His robes were a pristine white and he carried a simple staff in his left hand. I watched Lomark out of the corner of my eye to see if he had any reaction at all. If he had been thinking anything, it did not show on his face. Each of us stood up to show a small amount of respect to our 'host'. He eyed each of us in turn, he seemed to linger on Lomark as if there was something there. Again, Lomarks face was like stone and without expression. 'Sit down gentlemen. I never expected you to get this far. I can see I placed too much faith in the abilities of my pets. Still, I am not one to hold a grudge. I do not believe
in wasting what might be a good opportunity. Since Xcavere came to power I have fought to restore my home land to its former glory. I honestly believed that if Toryth Vol were given the chance we could be the light that illuminates the entire world. I have traveled the entire world seeking out those who would help me over throw the powers who control Toryth Vol. Then came Xcavere, he took all that was possible and destroyed it. Corrupted the land and with a wave of his hand turned this into a wasteland. Three years ago I set out on a mission to purify this wretched land. I soon learned that no matter what I did, as long as Xcavere was in power it would end in failure. When I learned that The Rod of the Arcane had been recovered, I knew that was my chance. So I began to build my army, General Malkov has been a valuable ally in this. While I never would have thought to use dragons to recover the rod, it did work out very well.'

  'Then I learn from a spy that the very men who found the rod to begin with, were going to attempt to take it from me on the order of that fool Darius. His kingdom sits in the shadow of evil yet he does nothing but hide. The work I am doing here is far too important for anyone to interfere so I sent out my pets. Little did I know just how determined you are. I saw as you destroyed the giant and then took apart my men. It was then I realized that I had been going about this the wrong way. Instead of trying to stop you, we should work together. Together we can destroy him. We can remove the blight from this land and build it into the nation it should be. Together we will do the impossible.' I cannot describe the feeling he gave me. It was almost as if he had cast a spell over me, I wanted to believe him. I wanted to stand up and cheer. Only when I looked at my friends did the feeling start to fade. When Lomark spoke, reality came back to me.

  'You know he is coming?' he said

  'Yes he is coming, it is a little sooner than I expected but with your help I can destroy him.'

  'He is the most powerful magic user in the world and we are here in the middle of his seat of power. Where his powers are absolute and you have pinned your hopes on a magic item you do not fully understand.'

  'This is why we need each other Lomark. You have had a chance to study the rod for more than two years, you know all that it is able to do, yet you do not have the ability to control it on your own. While I do have that ability. You just have to give me the key to unlock it.' Lomark turned at looked at Zender for just a moment, more unspoken words between then.

  'Lord Ramanthus' Zender said. 'I am only going to advise this once. If you do not listen to me now, tomorrow will be too late. Send your men away. Flee before the power of Xcavere while you still have a chance. My God has shown me your death at his hands, you will suffer long and service him well after you are dead. He will destroy all who serve you. With or without the Rod of the Arcane you will fail.' His face had started to turn red while Zender spoke. When Zender sat down again, Ramanthus nearly exploded. 'NO!' he shouted slamming his hands on the table. 'NO I SAY! This is the culmination of my life's work, this one moment I have been working toward for the last forty years. Even before Xcavere came to power, I sought to change this land, it is within my grasp. I will destroy him, you will help me or I will destroy you myself. I have ways to make sure you do help me. Even after you are dead. I would rather have you alive, with your gifts intact.' His breathing started to slow, his face returned to its normal color. I looked to my friends, Zackary looked lost and I understood how he felt. Zender and Lomark, eyes locked with each other at last both turned and looked towards Ramanthus. 'Very well,' Lomark said 'We will help you. We will require this day to rest, tomorrow we will prepare for the arrival of King Xcavere and his defeat at your hands.'

  61. Portal

  Once we agreed to help Ramanthus a complete change came over him. Gone was the anger we had seen only moments before. It was as if all his worries had been washed away, as if we were the answer he had been looking for. To this day I am still not sure why. We were all firsthand witness to the darkness in his heart. The deeds he committed to get this far were some of the darkest things I had ever seen. Perhaps part of him still believed he was doing the right thing and the mood swings we saw was the good left inside of him rebelling at the blood on his hands. For the longest time he sat there in silence, I started to wonder if he was still with us. I jumped a little at the sound of his voice when he did speak again. 'I want you all to come with me. I have things to show you now. Come along gentlemen.' All at once he stood up and started to storm out of the room. 'No time to waste gentlemen.' We all got up and did a quick step to catch up with the near sprinting wizard. Even Malkov had to run to keep up with his lord and master.

  He led us out of his home and towards the tower itself. I took a moment to glace at Zender but from the look on his face, he was just as clueless as I was. At the door to the tower he stopped for just a moment, spoke a single word of magic and opened the door. Up into the tower we followed him, unsure of what it was that he had in mind. I was sure as we were going up the stairs he was trying to induce us into having a heart attack. Half way up I could feel the meal I had eaten expanding. Zackary, whose face was as red as his hair, was sweating rivers. As we reached the top of the tower he said something about getting off the ale. I took a moment to look out the window to the ground below, even though I was looking down at the wasteland of Toryth Vol, the view was breathtaking. When I felt the hand on my arm I turned and looked towards the center of the tower. Here was the source of all our troubles. Held suspended in a shaft of golden light was the Rod of the Arcane. I moved closer to it, wanting to get a closer look at what all this trouble had been about. It was made from a dark red wood, seven feet in length. Inlaid runes ran down one side and on the other half were embedded rubies. Each blood red in color and they glowed with a strange inner light.

  In later days, when I talked to Zackary about it he told me he saw something different. He told me it looked like an old stick that his 'granmarm' used to chase him and William with. The last time I visited with Lomark and Zender they each told me how it looked to them. Each of them told me something different but the difference in what each of them saw was very minor. I always figured it was because of their bond. While they were on different sides of the coin, it was still the same coin. I looked towards Ramanthus who was busy looking for something. It was then that I noticed all the bookshelves and tables with various wands and other items. When Ramanthus picked up a long blue horn he turned and spoke to us. 'I have to summon Sa'tilix, he is the large blue who took the staff for us. He and his family will be with us when we fight Xcavere. I've paid a handsome amount of gold to the beast to do my bidding. He also has an interest in my work, for a hundred years this mountain range was his home. When Xcavere destroyed the land, he destroyed his hunting grounds. Even dragons will not eat the dead.'

  My hand dropped to my sword, I wanted to attack the crazed wizard on the spot. Yet I did nothing but watch as he walked to the window and blew out a single long note on the horn. 'He should be here within the hour. I have to make sure he is ready for the attack.' The crack of energy filled the air, we all turned and looked towards the sound to see Lomark holding his right hand. Tendrils of smoke were drifting from his now burnt hand. 'You thought I left it unprotected? I thought you were smarter than that wizard. Now all of you come over here, I want to be outside to greet Sa'tilix when he arrives.' Lomark didn't say anything but I could tell from the look on his face that he was not pleased. He just held his injured hand out at the cleric. 'I should let you suffer a little longer' Zender told him. On one of the tables stood a model of the White Spire and the mountain it was sitting on. Ramanthus began to lay out his plan for us.

  'Xcavere will approach from the east, he is coming with his first legion, close to ten thousand strong. All we have to do is hold the walls of the spire. If they break though, all will be lost.' I wondered how he could speak is such a matter of fact tone about the death of every man under his command. 'Lord Kromwell, you and Master Zackary will be in charge of the men on the walls and at the main gates. You will only
answer to General Malkov. General Malkov will be mounted on Sa'tilix. The dragons will hit his troops from behind once the assault begins. I am hoping the five of them will be enough to slow down the undead. I imagine Xcavere himself will come directly for the rod. No wall or door will stand in his way. The men are not to engage him. When he is in the Spire he will find us waiting for him. Lomark, Zender and I will use the rod on him. With the three of us channeling the power of the Rod of the Arcane, we will destroy him. You men on the wall just have to make sure his army his held back long enough for us to do so. Zender, Lomark has instructed you on how to use the rod correct?' The question seemed to hang in the air, each of us turned to look at the black robed wizard who seemed to only want to be somewhere else at the time. Zender’s voice was sharp and quick when he answered 'No Lord Ramanthus, he has never explained that to me but he will.'

  All Lomark could do was shake his head and raise his hands. 'It has the ability to amplify your powers, I just figured you would use it for healing. It would be a waste of its powers.' I thought Zender was going to come unglued, he started to talk but the words would not leave his mouth. He only pointed at the wizard, letting him know that they were not done talking about this. Lord Ramanthus observed this and seemed rather pleased. 'Very well then, Lomark will begin your instruction once I hear from Sa'tilix. As you have said, we only have two days and we must all be ready when it is time. Lomark will teach us both what we need to know but I do have a warning. There are wards in place that will activate should you try to take the rod from this room. I am warning you, they will be able to see the explosion in Eystlund. So, while I will allow you to teach Zender how to use the rod, do not leave this room with it. When I return, I shall open the protective shields around the rod.' I saw then the look on Lomarks face, he was presented with a new puzzle, a very deadly one. I only hoped that he would find the solution before it was too late and he killed everyone on the mountain top. 'Now I go to meet Sa'tilix. Gentlemen please excuse me, General Malkov, Lord Kromwell come with me.' I looked at Zender and Lomark for some kind of sign as to what I should be doing. Zender could only nod his head and give me a faint smile. As I was following Ramanthus and Malkov back down the tower stairs, I started to feel like I was back in my cell, in the dark with those creatures pounding on my door.