The Emperor's Shadow War (Tales of Alus Book 2)

by Donald Wigboldy

  "I'm sorry!" she cried out in alarm. "I forgot what you've been through in my relief to see you alive."

  "It's all right," the man tried to smile but his bruised jaw prevented any more than a grimace as he slurred his words around swollen lips and tongue. Wondering how badly he was hurt, Dante found his legs failing him. They buckled beneath him causing him to fall to his knees before Valenia could catch him. The weary soldier leaned on his new sword for support as he knelt in the blood soaked dirt.

  Without truly seeing her face through the fog beginning to fill his mind, he heard the woman kneel beside him. "You're hurt badly," she stated worriedly. " Can you walk back up to the cavern? We can tend you there much easier."

  With Valenia's help, Dante struggled up the slope to the scar. It seemed to take forever and all he wanted was to simply lay down and sleep. The pain was washed away by the feel of complete exhaustion by this point. As soon as he spotted the bedroll lain out for him, Dante flopped onto it recklessly despite the hard stone underneath the thin covering. The man felt no more pain since he collapsed in sleep before his body had dropped the short distance to the floor.

  Voices speaking in a droning hum buzzed from all around him. It took time for Dante to realize that their presence even existed as his tired body allowed itself to be fooled by his mind's need for rest while incorporating the sounds into a confused dream. Exhaustion induced images slowly fell back and the man finally opened his eyes to look at the soldiers moving nearby him.

  Hesia, one of Valenia's women, noticed his awakening as he began to sit up. "Sir, don't!" she began.

  "Don't what?" Dante grumbled and pushed away her hands as he stood up. His stomach was very hungry now and he remembered that the healing needed the energy of food to do its work best. Dante found a partial loaf of bread and some dried meat sitting on a plate beside his blanket. The sandwich wasn't overly appetizing, but it still helped fulfill his body's need.

  Hesia continued to fuss over him.

  "Enough, corporal, enough. I'll be fine soon enough. Where is Valenia?" Looking around a moment, he asked, "Where are Sergeants Lane and Calla as well?"

  "The captain and Calla led Nya, Artai, and Volin to the far mountain to check on the dark rider. Sergeant Lane is inside with Drakus."

  "How is the dragon anyway?"

  "Singed and ornery at our concern, but he's healthy enough."

  "Any losses on our side?"

  The woman had tears glistening on the lashes of her eyes that she blinked away with the question. "Three dead, sir. Most of us have gashes though few are that severe. Riad has a broken hand. Tria can't stand on her ankle, though we haven't determined if it is broken or sprained. Iyenne has a small concussion... "

  "Enough, Hesia. I'll look in on the rest later. You've already answered my question of our battle readiness. If you'll excuse me, I think that I need to go see Lane and Drakus." He started to step away and stopped dead in his tracks long enough to ask, "How is Gannon?"

  "He's with Drakus as well," she nodded towards the tunnel before him. "He managed to stay safe enough apparently," with her final words sounding somewhat bitter at the man's good fortune.

  Dante left the woman to care for the others. This time the walk seemed much longer to the exhausted lieutenant. He could tell that he would still need more rest to fully recover his strength. With a torch in hand, Dante moved deeper into the cavern. As he went deeper into the tunnel, the man found traces of blood in small splashes on the stone floor. Drakus had not left the battlefield unscathed despite Hesia's words.

  Voices came from ahead of him carried in echoes along the stone of the passage walls. Eventually, he found the owners of those voices standing near the head of the reclining Drakus. The dragon lifted his head at Dante's entrance alerting the other two men.

  "Lieutenant!" Lane greeted, "Should you be up so soon?"

  "I'm well enough, but a little tired and hungry. So, yes, I think that I can be up, Sergeant," Dante reprimanded from his tone if not exactly in words. He turned to look at Gannon, "Now what, seer? Our people lie wounded or weary, but we have the ring. Where do you suggest we go from here? How many more do we need to sacrifice to end this war that you have committed us to?"

  A small smile caught at the edges of the seer's mouth, though the rest of the man's face stayed neutral. His voice came out flat and unperturbed as he answered, "I see that you are indeed well, lieutenant. I am glad to see that your wondrous healing abilities continue to protect you."

  "Save your words of flattery for another time when I might care, Gannon. Tell me what you would have us do now. The enemy lays destroyed and the soldiers are bruised and battered. What new lands of death will you have us wander into now?" Still tired, the man let his irritation grow quickly into a temper that he felt no reason to halt.

  "The little one is cranky," Drakus chuckled or at least the coughing sound was believed to be a laugh.

  "Don't start, Drakus," Dante sighed using his pointed finger to try and silence the great beast.

  "Indeed? But I merely comment on your temper going unchecked by your lack of rest."

  Gannon spoke as he looked up to the dragon's face, "We need to be a little lenient with him, don't you think, dragon?" He turned back to Dante and continued, "I am sorry if you believe that these deaths follow you because of me, lieutenant. I assure you that I would sooner leave than cause you or these people pain and death, but you know that my leaving you would only lead to more death."

  "Do I?" Dante complained before thinking.

  With a sad look on his face, Gannon peered towards the man as if he was an injured child. "Of course, you do. Our lives are important to keep, but if we should all have to die to stop the Dark Emperor, then so be it. If we don't stop him, so many more will die in his conquest of both his world and ours and so many more.

  "We give our lives in a fight for the greater good, lieutenant. Surely you can see that. I would not have led you on this quest if I did not believe it to be so. We have done well so far, the ring is ours and this is not the first army that has been broken by your courageous efforts. Think of the people of Kalmer who would have died had you not fought the enemy there.

  "This battle will save even more lives. Unfortunately, three more people have died in battle for our cause. The enemy suffered much greater losses thanks to your selfless act, however, and we will rest a few days before attempting to bring the fight to the Emperor. Surely you can be glad that it is almost time to see if all the lives lost will be worth it?"

  Dante gritted his teeth. He wanted to yell at the seer, to vent all his frustrations on the man, but the soldier knew that Gannon was correct. He reminded himself of the true villain they faced and smiled a very unfriendly smile as the man thought of how he would make the Emperor pay for all those already lost.

  "How do we get there and when?" his voice quietly asked as it filled with deadly intent.

  Chapter 35- Darius

  The great stone walls of the main city of Darvus rose high above the surrounding buildings of the residents that sprawled outside the stout gray walls. The sight of such a strongly protected city gave pause to those in Darius' party as they prepared to enter the tall, open gates to see the city proper hidden safely within. They had plenty of time to gaze at the fortifications while they waited in a long line of caravans and merchants attempting entrance to the inner region.

  "It's big," Electra commented at one point as they sat mounted atop their horses.

  "Not as big as Nemeya," Janus replied as if he had been considering the exact same thing.

  The woman made a wry smile and answered flatly, "I didn't say it was, though I've never been to that city. There are others in the elven kingdom that I have been to that also rival this city for size, but that hardly takes away from Darvus, does it? Besides, Janus, just think, if what Dorvin and Jaran said is true, then for every building we see above ground there are also as many below.

  "You have been to the dwarven cities, haven't you? Di
d they have such places like this there as well?"

  The knight turned to look again at the walls surrounding the thick, wooden doors before them. He nodded. "Yes, their main cities were often constructed so. That is why I have maintained that these dwarven folk are truly dwarves from our world come to this one. Perhaps the talk of their race having been compatible with that of man, explains the subtle changes that we've noticed about them."

  Darius had been listening along with the other wizards and apprentices and Bagheer, who had insisted to come at his side despite the others remaining outside

  of the main city. They had considered that bringing in a small armed band could hardly help their efforts to find the Armor of Norn. With this smaller band, it made it easier to talk amongst themselves as well. He used that benefit to join in the conversation, "What are these changes that you can notice anyway, Janus? You aren't touching them, so you can't tell if these people are anti-magic, can you?"

  The holy knight frowned as he looked at a small band only a few feet away from theirs. "I can sense it actually, but that is not what I was talking about really. I look at most of these dwarves and see physical changes as well from those of their brethren. The most obvious is that many are taller than normal, but not nearly as tall as men.

  "I can guess that you would say that they could be short men, but there is a scent to dwarves that can be captured by our noses. Each race tends to have a certain smell that differentiates them as a whole, not just as individuals. I've noticed that some are taller, but are still abnormally stout compared to your race. Those that are shorter and of normal dwarven stature can either be stout or uncharacteristically thin compared to their race."

  "What if you are wrong?" Darius asked quietly. "Surely a scent can't be gathered so easily to distinguish them."

  Electra came to the knight's defense first, "There is a scent that we can notice even if your people can not, Darius, and it lingers here, which lends truth to Janus' thoughts that these are indeed dwarves related to our world. This scent is hard to describe to you, since you may be unable to discern it. It would be as hard as describing colors to a man born blind."

  "Not to take away from your discussion," Matalchus said interrupting, "but how are we going to find this armor in such a large city? And don't start comparing its size again, people, since it is still quite large."

  Darius laughed without humor briefly to acknowledge the jab. "I hope that the libraries Dorvin commented on below ground can help. If the Visionaries sent us here, we can only assume that it was for a reason. Either the armor is here or we can be sent to it from here."

  The conversation halted as they met with the guards monitoring the gate. The men seemed bored by their duties, foremost of which was the checking of intent and often inspection of wagons and carts of goods. They consisted of normal looking men as well as some of the larger variety of dwarves. All wore short swords, long knives, maces, and thick, shiny armor plate painted different blues and black. Despite their seeming boredom, Darius figured that these men were only that way until trouble arose, then the weapons would serve to quell any disturbances to their routine.

  Smiling pleasantly to the guards, Darius answered that they were there merely to learn from the city’s libraries. It was true enough in its own way, of course, and he could hardly confess their entire mission to a group of low level guards that cared little enough anyway.

  The head guard had only raised his eyebrow slightly and asked, "What knowledge can you find here in Darvus that a wizard would be drawn to our city?"

  Again Darius smiled, "I have heard of some of the libraries here as being quite ancient. One never knows what one will find, if they simply look."

  The man shrugged, "Whatever you say, Wizard Darius. How long do you expect to be here?"

  It was the wizard's turn to shrug. "I cannot say. Weeks, perhaps? If you would be so kind, how do I find my way to the lower city?"

  The guard looked up appearing somewhat surprised. "Why would you want to go down there?"

  "Isn't that where some of your older libraries are?"

  "Our greatest libraries are above ground as far as I know. One of the kings of the past built three along with two museums ages ago. If there are any below ground, I have not heard of them." He turned to one of the other dwarven guards and asked, "You go down there to visit your parents, Dwillee. Are there any libraries down there that you know of in the Lower Darvus?"

  The dwarf spat a glob of reddish galocca juice at the ground to speak. "Nothin' official. Some of the elders have small libraries of books at their homes maybe. They can hardly be considered real libraries though."

  Darius tried not to show any concern as he asked again, "How do I get down there anyway, just in case? I have heard that the sight of Lower Darvus is worth the trip alone. Even if there are no libraries, maybe I can take home the wondrous sights of your marvelous undercity."

  The head guard was getting tired of dealing with the wizard by now and started to look back down at a tablet in front of him. It had been written on for quite awhile and many of the pages were folded under to make use of fresh sheets. The soldier started to jot something on it as he answered by pointing his hand towards the first street, "Halfway between each gate house at mid-circle, there is a street that leads down into the lower city. There are also two near the center of Darvus that could be used if you'd rather otherwise. Some of the larger hotels and businesses have lifts or stairs leading down below." The man looked at the sky a moment considering his words, "You know... the libraries may even have stairs leading down below. They are quite old and many of those ancient community buildings were built for equal access for both parts of Darvus now that I think about it. That may be why you were given the impression that there are libraries below ground as well."

  Darius made a half bow. "Thank you, sergeant. Now if we are through with everything here, perhaps I can follow my path on this quest for knowledge."

  The man waved him off, "No, no, we're fine here. Good luck and a long life to you, wizard. We're always glad to see your members here, even if it is seldom between visits."

  The next people were starting to push forward now, so Darius led the others forward. Deciding to start just by entering the city, the others followed his lead without questioning. They had even less of an idea of what to do than he, after all. As they moved further into the city, they passed many shops and inns. All had signs with pictures that had something to do with their name or with what function in life they attempted to fulfill. Once they moved further in, Darius suddenly came to a halt. Looking to either side of the crossroad, he noticed an older man working on sewing leather behind a small table holding his completed wares. The man looked up expectantly as Darius stepped over. The others looked to each other with shrugs and some moved closer to hear what was about to be said.

  "Hello, great wizard," the leather merchant said noting Darius' decoration on his tunic, "what might I do for you today?"

  "Perhaps if you answer my question well enough I shall see about buying one of your fine pieces."

  The merchant's smile waned ever so slightly, but the man quickly responded as warmly as he still could, "What is this question, sir?"

  "I have noticed," Darius gestured towards several of the buildings around them, "that many of your stores and inns have strange names."

  "Strange? How so?"

  "They have names like MacToor, MacSmithy, MacStiel, and so on. Is `Mac' a common name for the people owning these places?"

  The old man chuckled, "No, no. I'm not sure where the use came from, but `Mac' is only sometimes used in people's names. Somewhere along the line, the three letters became another way to say `the'. Less creative men tend to name their work places in this way. Instead of `the smithy', it becomes `Macsmithy'. Some like the Toor family or Stiel use it to spice up their own names just to try and bring in customers." The old merchant winked, "They try to tell me that it makes their places sound elite, but I was never convinced. My leather good
s speak for me without placing a name upon them other than my own true name and craftsmanship."

  "They look like they bear it well..."

  "Tavish," the old man stated with a nod.

  "...Tavish," Darius replied with his own nod. "Tavish, is this piece for sale?" he asked pointing to an intricately sewn and decorated leather sheath. It held an equally fine hilt of a dagger made of white stone. "Do you also work with blades?"

  The old man's eyes sparkled with the hint of a sale. "This sheath and dagger are indeed for sale. I didn't craft the dagger though. I have a trade agreement with MacStiel to package the two together."

  "I thought that you said that merchants using the three letters were less than clever?" Darius eyed the man with a trace of humor hinted in his eyes.

  Tavish blushed slightly, "I said that they were not clever with their names, but I can assure you that, if you were to go to only one of those stores to try and find true quality, I can guarantee that would be one." At Darius' raised eyebrow, the old man cleared his throat, "He's my son. I tried to talk him out of the name, but Stiel insisted on it. I'm his father, but he is his own man, after all."

  The blade was pulled free of its sheath by Darius' examining fingers. He nodded at the quality. Tavish did not lie about the craftsmanship of this dagger anyway. "You should be proud of your son. He does good work and as you said you gave him the upbringing to be his own man, come what may. I'll take this. How much?"

  A sudden look of wariness crept into the old man's eyes, "I would say... twenty sovereigns?"

  "Twenty?" Darius questioned with half a chuckle.

  "But since it is for you, Wizard, um, ten," Tavish said sounding beaten without a fight.

  Darius smiled and fished out ten gold pieces and dropped them into the old man's hands. He started to turn away, but quickly looked back and dropped another five pieces into the man's still open hands. "It's not truly for me, Tavish. Take the extra five for your trouble." Darius turned to Electra and handed her the dagger with a kiss to her cheek. "A gift for you, my love."