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

by Donald Wigboldy

  "Are you?" the holy knight snarled and leapt in to clash with the dark elf.

  The clang as the two blades rang off of each other seemed hollow in between the silent armies. Janus striking hard as Camare parried and then counter attacked. The two men moved back and forth struggling for an opening large enough to end the fray.

  Darius watched as Janus swung high then low and high again. Camare seemed to have not a care in the world as he blocked strike after strike effortlessly. The holy knight was working hard, and even though Camare tried to make him believe that it was nothing, Janus refused to show worry. He had fought with his brother on numerous occasions in practice and knew that there had to be an opening somewhere. It would only be a matter of time before the knight wore the other man down.

  Then an opening in Janus' form gave Camare enough to slash through and snag the elf's left arm. A hiss came unbidden through the knight's teeth. Anger flared at his being struck, but Darius thought that he could see the first traces of worry there as well.

  They broke apart a moment and Janus reached to the cut to gauge its depth through the torn jerkin. He wiped blood from his fingers and took a new hold upon the sword with his right.

  "A good first blood, perhaps, but hardly anything more than a scratch, Camare. You don't think that you will win because of such a little thing."

  "Not from that one alone," the dark elf grinned even as his eyes seemed to burn brighter. Darius noticed the breathing in Camare was revealing signs of effort despite his cool airs. "I dost not intend for that to be thy last wound however. Wilt thou come back for more now? I have nothing but time."

  "Not as much as you think," Janus replied and struck with an amazing flurry of strokes. Such was the speed of the blade that Camare was unable to catch them all. He cried out as the blade clipped first one shoulder and then the other. They stepped quickly through an intricate dance of flashing blades. Camare recovered himself despite the cuts and found a way to nip Janus' right cheek. The knight seemed not to notice and simply continued to press for an advantage.

  Darius wasn't sure, but he thought that he saw a new look of worry in Camare's eyes. As another of Janus' strokes left a spray of blood and cloth across the dark elf's chest, he knew that it was fear. The holy knight had a fire in his heart that even Camare's strength might be unable to repel.

  Janus seemed to have noticed as well. "You have not practiced enough, brother," he gritted through the strain of their battle. "You're not strong enough to defeat me yet. You may want to flee before I have to return you to your devil king in a box."

  Camare was unwilling to admit defeat and countered feigning unconcern, "Thou wilt put me in a box? I will simply bring him thy head, Janus!"

  Another gash was opened on Janus as Camare's blade reached down and bit deeply into the knight's thigh. Janus snarled and, ignoring the pain, found a way to return the cut to the other's leg. With a quick spin and twist, the holy knight moved away and returned with a cut to the dark elf's side. Camare fought back strongly and the two were forced to draw back for air again.

  "A good move, Janus," Camare gasped and held his side gingerly. "I must remember that one for a later battle someday."

  "No need," Janus laughed bitterly, "if you still think that I will allow you or any of the other holy knights to serve our enemy. I will seek them all out and let them know that not even my love for my brother stayed my hand from slaying you. They will have no chance before me and even the Dark Emperor himself will meet my wrath and fall before it."

  "Thou talkest too much," Camare said arrogantly. "Let us finish this now that I may take thy head and thy armor back to him."

  "Never will that happen, Camare," Janus returned stalking forward. "I am glad that our parents have not had our extended life to see this betrayal of our kindred, brother. For them and all those that were betrayed by your weakness, I will slay you, traitor."

  "Just words," Camare snarled in a taunt as he struck downward first with both hands on the hilt.

  Janus deflected the blow and lunged for Camare's side. Another gout of blood sprayed from the wound. They turned as one and Camare thrust his blade at Janus' side. The holy knight evaded the blow and countered with one of his own. The blades rang several times more before Janus found another opening and took two slices into Camare's stomach and chest. These bit deeply, but Camare still did not fall.

  "Brother," Janus said quietly, "it is over."

  "Never," the dark elf coughed and the glow in his eyes started to fade. "I have lived with worse."

  "Yes, but I was there to save you then. You don't have that luxury this time," Janus said angrily. "Would that you had never betrayed us I might forgive you, Camare. But once betrayed I could never believe you even if you told me you repent."

  "That is all right. I wouldst never tell thou such things even should I die here."

  Janus lunged forward and, even torn up as he was, Camare gave a good attempt to block the swift and mighty blows. "Don't worry about whether you will die here or not, Camare. I tell you this. You die now!" and with that Janus lifted up and beheaded the dark elf in a single swift blow. The look of surprise was still caught upon Camare’s face as the head rolled across the ground.

  Janus turned to the enemy forces and raised his sword. "Slay the dark ones!" he shouted as if renewed. With Janus leading them, the dwarves gave a shout that filled all of the great city and charged into the dark army.

  With their leader slain before them, the heart was taken out of the beasts as well. They fought for their lives now, but it was fear that possessed them all. Even their mightiest beasts soon gave way to the fear and as the dwarven army tore into them, the dark creatures began to run.

  A second shout from above carried to the dwarves announcing the final participation of the army of men above. With two armies to contend with, the creatures of the dark army were quickly cut to pieces between them. With nowhere to run or hide, the creatures started to fight more passionately. They strove to push their way outside through the men of Darvus, but that army had thousands now that the horns had sounded the alarm and gathered both militia and army as one. Soon even the largest pockets of resistance began to falter and fall. With two fronts to defend, the enemy soon tired and were cut down. Even fear of death could not stop the inevitable and soon it was over.

  A few creatures thought to offer surrender and were granted it. They would be slaves for the rest of their existence, but a life of slavery looked much better than the finality of death. Many still believed that the Dark Emperor would eventually rescue them anyway. The dwarves of the home world would fall to him first and then these would fall despite this failure and then they would have the last laugh.

  The dwarves of Darvus cared little about that as they cheered over the battle won. An impromptu party began shortly after the carcasses were hauled above ground and burned. The dead were mourned of course, but the dwarves had been tested and the enemy had been shown the truth of their strength. Even Darius and Janus found a little of the gaiety seeping into them. It was hard to let go though, since both knew that it was but one battle, and there would be many more before the Emperor was finally driven from power.

  Chapter 42- Dante

  Dante walked beside Valenia as they moved through the stone of the mountain named Potomo by the dwarves. Already they could see the beginnings of a great city beneath the mountain. Dwarves worked everywhere. Some looked up momentarily from their work to see the humans moving through their future city.

  There was much work to be done here still. It would be years before the construction would be even half way completed, Dante guessed. Dohman, their `guide to the other side' as the soldiers had been referring to him in jest, had explained the work involved and their plans for the future of this city. Always at work apparently, dwarves continued with developing deeper sites in the mountains and hills that they had chosen. From that tendency to always keep digging, the portal had been found after all.

  Potomo was well underway
on the first level of homes to be built here. Already there were dwarves living in homes hewn from the very stone around them. The soldiers had assumed that they would be quite austere little dwellings, but when Dohman showed them an exquisitely sculpted home that was already furnished by its' tenants, they had to reevaluate their decision.

  Reminding Dante of many of the dwellings in the castle of Trea, the dwarves’ skill with stone and its sculpting made those homes look exceedingly crude by contrast. Every home of the dwarven city would be furnished with air ducts to convey the smoke of furnaces and cook fires to the outside as well. That meant great kitchens and warm homes that many in the castle could not say that they even had. The home that they entered had plush furniture that would seem to contrast with stone greatly, but with the bright paint in each room and the softly curving walls encompassing them, everything fit in well enough. Paintings of exquisite landscapes adorned walls as well and made one feel like they were actually looking at the outside world. In the well lit little home, it seemed that they were at a normal house above ground.

  Dante amended that. Actually, it was much nicer than almost any he had ever been to in his life. The dwarves lived well, if in a somewhat unusual place.

  The trip was long. Often they used stairs to descend deeper into the earth. Several smaller levels were being worked on now that the opening to the outside had been formed. The portal opening had allowed air in to help in mining, but to actually have a city meant that the ducts and great passages had to be formed. Potomo was almost like working backwards from the normal mines. They started within another mountain in another world and began to hollow it out from within.

  With such an unusual way of developing, the dwarves had created a central shaft to the portal. The stairs moved along the sides of the great shaft in an ever spiraling set of cases broken up by the occasional chamber that would one day become a full level of the city. Dante felt the air pressure and was forced to stretch his jaw on occasion to try and make his ears pop.

  Valenia, he noticed, was doing the same thing as she began to look up more and more. The man did once as well and could not decide if he could ascertain the upper ceiling of the shaft anymore or not. It was also dark gray up there and no lights seemed to reveal its presence for his eyes to lock onto to be sure. Turning away from the inner heights, Dante went back to watching where he put his feet instead.

  After what seemed hours of descending, they finally arrived at a hallway, which quickly opened up into an immense chamber. Other tunnels had entrances leading here as well, though Dohman directed them towards the far side. Two more tunnels and three chambers later, they found a strange wall facing them.

  There was no door in this chamber other than the one that they had just entered. Four dwarves in armor stood to either side of the strangely glowing wall. Dante suddenly realized that there were no torches lit within the room. The glow of the wall provided all the illumination needed though it was slightly dull towards the edges of the chamber.

  "What is this?" Dante asked curiously and stepped closer to inspect the wall. Dohman pulled him back.

  "This is the gateway to our world. Be careful though. If the color of the wall does not match the proper one you will wind up in another world entirely."

  "What!" he exclaimed. "How many people did you lose before you realized this?"

  Dohman smiled, "None actually."

  Dante looked at him awaiting an explanation.

  "You see, it was not always this way. When first our miners found it, they simply dug past it into this mountain. Our elders and king quickly realized the danger of such a thing if an outsider ever found it. They went in search of a sorcerer to find a way to safe guard the portal in case a force from this side ever found it and tried to invade our world."

  "Like you have invaded this one?" Dante asked innocently.

  Dohman cleared his throat uneasily, "Uh, yes, I guess. It was done less to stop a threat like an army, but in case we found predators hidden beneath the stone I assure you. We have found such beasts hidden deep within our world and miners throughout the ages have suffered by intruding upon such creatures’ lairs.

  "So the sorcerer came and examined the portal. It took nearly a year of such examination while we dug towards the air above the shaft. Finally with a consultation of three other sorcerers, which the king did not especially appreciate since the portal was to remain a secret, they found a way to change the exact nature of the portal.

  "One thing you need to know is that your forms and ours are slightly different in other ways than physical. The sorcerers explained it thus to our king.

  “Dwarves are unique in our world in that they have no real magic. In fact, we are said to be the opposite pole from magic. Now all other creatures have at least a little magic inside of them. Even an insignificant mouse or fly has at least a little taste of magic to them, but not us!

  "This made the sorcerer's job easier when he approached it thus. Using that theory, he invoked a spell that works much like a lock. With the wrong combination, it doesn't open correctly. You being human, you have a taste of magic to your essence. You see this red color and now blue, green, yellow, and now orange, these will keep changing because you are not a dwarf."

  "If I can't enter it because I have magic, then how do I get through the portal?"

  Dohman's smile broadened into a grin. "Simple, you step back and allow me to open the lock." The dwarf pushed Dante back a few steps and then returned to the portal. The color stayed a yellow green. "Send one of your people through, lieutenant, and you'll see that with my hand in the doorway thus, I hold open the door to the proper world."

  Dante's worries came back to him at the idea of sending someone else. Gannon stepped forward without a worry and went through the wall, however, without the need of a volunteer. Moments later he reemerged from its surface. His face was filled with enjoyment.

  "Quite safe, lieutenant, I assure you. I did however startle a set of dwarven guards on the other side." The seer chuckled and went back to the wall. Before reentering, he turned back and said, "Why don't you follow last, lieutenant, to make sure everyone gets through safely?"

  Dante nodded and motioned the others ahead after ascertaining that no specific number going through at one time would affect the portal.

  "We have sent horse carts filled with stone and dozens of dwarves to work the stone through at one time. It is quite safe for a dwarf and anyone or thing protected by a dwarf, lieutenant."

  He watched the others go through in ones and twos. Valenia waited with Dante a moment before following. She came abruptly back with a smile on her face. "It is a strange feeling, Dante, but quite invigorating. Come on and try it." She faded back through the wall.

  Dante nodded to Dohman. "I guess that it is my turn. Are you following us to the other side, Dohman?"

  The dwarf shook his head saying, "No, I'm afraid that I can not. One of the soldiers will take you up to the surface and then to the city. They know of your coming, despite the fact that your seer surprised the guardsman, I assure you."

  "I've been assured of so much lately, I guess it's time to test out all these assurances," he patted the dwarf on the shoulder since his right hand was stuck into the wall for safe passage. "Thank you very much for all your help, Dohman."

  "You are quite welcome, sir. Stay safe in the coming wars."

  With that, Dante stepped into the wall. Instead of just passing through as the others had however, Dante felt a strange wrenching as he suddenly became part of a tide of motion. He thought that perhaps Dohman had betrayed him and pulled away his hand, but it was still there and Dante suddenly realized that he heard screaming.

  It was Dohman. Something was going terribly wrong. Dante moved to reach for the dwarf's hand and noticed the ring aglow. A silver light engulfed it and he noted the color of silver all about him. In a panic, he pulled Dohman's arm. The dwarf fell into the portal screaming in great pain as it had been his cries that Dante had heard.

  "
My hand!" the dwarf sobbed loudly.

  Dante noticed that the dwarf's arm seemed to be stretching as if they had started to descend. In desperation, Dante reached up and pulled the wrist. His hand slid up it and found the dwarf's hand and pulled even as he felt stress on his hand as well. Both hands slid free of the world holding the dwarven city and his people.

  The two men, one dwarf and one human found themselves in a limbo of silver light, falling downward, ever downward.

  Valenia screamed as the dwarf's hand was grasped by another wearing the Ring of Portalis and drawn back. "What has happened?" she screamed at the dwarven guards who were staring in stunned silence at a suddenly silver wall.

  One hesitatingly reached for the wall, it quickly changed back to yellow green again. The dwarf sighed in relief and walked through to discover what was keeping the others. He returned quickly and his face was white in fear.

  "They are gone!" he exclaimed quickly to Valenia. "What do you mean gone?"

  "Master Dohman and your human, they have vanished. The guard, Yimin, says that Master Dohman began screaming as the lieutenant entered the portal. The wall turned silver, an unheard of color..." the guard added distractedly momentarily forgetting those before him.

  "What happened to Dohman?" she shouted her question angrily due to the fear consuming her mind for Dante.

  The guard stopped looking at the yellow green wall and replied, "A silver light centered around his arm and suddenly he seemed to be yanked inside."

  "Dante's hand glowed silver from the ring!" Valenia turned to Gannon. "What has happened, seer?" demanded Valenia as her hand began to go to her sword in an unconscious threat.

  Gannon's face was ashen. He had been as surprised as the others, a fact that would have given her pleasure if it hadn't involved Dante's loss. The seer finally gathered his thoughts and answered, "It must have been a result of the ring. I had not heard of such a thing happening from the dragon, but it must be the ring.

  “Drakus would not have warned me of such a thing being possible since the dragon would have never attempted using a portal, but would always just trust his own ability with the ring."