Path of the Traitors

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “Hi, my name is Altia and we think you’re being used,” the elf excitedly whispers, cutting Trinity off from talking. She pauses and looks at her companions, who let her continue what she started. “We’re on a journey to find some items that will help the champions defeat Baron Kernaghan. Best that you not know the details, but we’re really close and we think these thieves are being used to distract or trap us. I guess it would have made more sense to hunt them down instead of coming here, so I apologize for bringing this to your doorstep. Oh, but we do know how they could get through your defenses.”

  Reaching under the table, Altia picks up the fake Earthquaker Staff and gently places it on the table. She is surprised to see cracks in the blades, which are steadily losing their luster and deadly edge. Counting on her fingers, she can only guess that the weapon is about to lose its power and fall apart. Not wanting it to hurt Kellia, the elf puts the staff in a far corner and moves a chair in the way to act as a cushion. Instead of going back to her own seat, she chooses the one next to Quail and gently nudges his foot with her own before smiling.

  “First, I want to tell you that the thief I took that weapon from claimed Duke Solomon hired Racker,” Trinity explains, holding up her hand to stop their host from arguing. With a slow exhale, she sends her best attempt at an energy spell into Kellia, who abruptly sits upright like she has been startled. “I need you alert for this, your highness. We know this was a lie made to draw us here, so we purposely took the bait. They have multiple Earthquaker Staves, which I believe means that they plan on breaching the wall with them. I don’t know how many they have, but I would say even five combined would blow a hole in your defenses.”

  “That still won’t help them against the wards,” Kellia points out, her leg twitching due to the burst of energy. Catching her reflection in a mirror, she tries to straighten her hair only to give up after getting all of her fingers stuck in the knots. “I can’t say it’s impossible. Nobody would dare to attack the castle unless they have a plan, which would factor in the wards. We never kept their existence a secret and always made a show whenever they needed to be recharged. That happened last week, so they are at their strongest now.”

  Studying the map, Quail rapidly taps his finger on the edge where it has a hole in the parchment. “The staves are definitely the key. I thought this was nothing more than careless damage, but it looks too precise. From what I can tell, the treasure vault is on the northern side, which is where they will break in. The moat would be a problem unless they don’t care about flooding. I did see sharks in there, but letting the water into the building could negate that danger. Sorry, Queen Trinity, I’m trying to help, but I do agree that the wards would still be a problem.”

  “They could have a caster on their side,” the channeler replies, her ears twitching at the sound of sparks from the corner. She gets a shield up an instant before the enchanted staff explodes and sends spectral shrapnel through the walls. “I get it now. Those cunning bastards used me. All they needed was to get one of their weapons into the castle. It infected the wards with its own magic once we were allowed through and the explosion brought them down completely. Perfect strategy when you only have one or two targets because the widespread destruction requires the guards to spread out. A single assassin or small group of invaders can get in before the defenders can fully mobilize. Can’t believe they used my own spell and trick against me.”

  “I’ll send my guards to the treasure vault,” Kellia announces as she stands. Her legs shudder and she collapses, her head nearly striking the table. “Please give me a stronger spell because I need to call my men to action. I refuse to be left out of this fight.”

  “Quail, I want you to go with Lady Solomon and protect her father,” Trinity orders while she creates a scrying portal. Six cloaked figures can be seen approaching the moat, each one carrying a bladed staff. “This is starting to feel like it’s about me, so I want you to be kept out of the fight. Quail is a good man and knows how to throw a punch without breaking his hand. Altia and I will head into the treasure vault to give these thieves a surprise. Vile headed over there once he heard you confirm that was what the map showed us. With any luck, he should have a few traps set up by now. Still wish I knew how such a convoluted plan was supposed to draw me in much less stop me.”

  Trinity is about to head for the door when Kellia gets in the way and puts out her arms to block the path. Not wanting to waste any time, the channeler swings her arm to release a curtain of dust that puts the woman to sleep. Quail is quick to catch their host and awkwardly runs into the hallway, a map of the castle flapping in his hand. The young man shouts that they have to fall back to the Duke’s quarters, the armed guards listening to him since he is carrying Kellia. By the time, the mapper reaches the far end of the hallway, he has an impressive escort of soldiers that are only slightly confused that a chaos elf is protecting the future Duchess of Serab. It is a useful distraction since none of them look back to see the ghostly forms of Trinity and Altia pass through a wall on their way to the treasure vault.

  *****

  Part of the outer wall explodes and lets the moat flow inside, which floods the first floor of the treasure vault. A protective barrier spreads to prevent the rising waters from reaching the priceless paintings and fragile artifacts that are kept on the higher levels. Having climbed to safety before the attack, Vile stands on the translucent spell and watches the destruction unfold beneath his feet. Coins and jewels are caught in the swirling eddies, many of them swallowed by the sharks that are dragged into the room by the strong current. Confused and scared, the animals weave among the columns in search of a way out and snap at anything that gets too close. Only one of the predators remains calm and carefully patrols along the bottom where it investigates the statues that once acted as ward anchors. It is this massive beast that keeps Vile’s attention, the figurine following its movements with a finger and hoping it will come close enough for him to see up close.

  “Find a new friend?” Trinity asks as she lands on the stone railing. Releasing her grip on Altia’s arm, the chaos elf walks along the narrow beam and looks through the hole on the other side of the room. “They’re going to come from there, so I hope you didn’t set all of the traps on the first floor. Is it safe to move around up here? Last thing I want to do is get hurt by one of those trap spells I gave you.”

  “I followed your instruction and tuned the traps to the Earthquaker Staff’s magic,” Vile replies, his eye flickering. The building shakes and he falls on his back, which draws one of the sharks into bumping the barrier with its nose. “They didn’t cause that much damage. Could they be trying to collapse the castle on top of us? I would do that if I felt my enemy was stronger and more prepared.”

  “But nothing else is breaking. Aftershocks?” Altia asks, a quake nearly knocking her off her feet. Drawing her whip, she touches the enhancer gem and nervously goes over her limited spells in her head. “You shouldn’t be standing there, Vile. Our enemies can destroy that platform and it looks like the sharks will try to eat you even in that body. Besides, I don’t want to hit you when the fight starts.”

  The warrior is about to argue when two cloaked figures land in the opening, their weapons held over their heads. Before the thieves can slam their war staves into the floor, a blast of claw-like lightning erupts from Trinity’s fingers. The man and woman scream in agony as their bodies are fried, the pair eventually toppling out of the castle. Clattering to the floor, the weapons dissolve immediately and two faint lines of dust weave out of the building. Another rumble shakes the room and more of the wall collapses, the chunks of stone narrowly missing the agitated sharks. The violent quake continues and the defenders can hear multiple suits of armor crash to the floor on the top level. As he squeezes through two of the railing columns, Vile curses at the sound of some of his traps bursting beneath the water. With a final shake of the foundation, the rest of his hard work is destroyed by falling debris or a hapless shark that is driven in
to the explosive glyphs.

  No sooner has the tremor stopped than a horde of thieves rush in, only three of them carrying copies of the Earthquaker Staff. Like a swarm of insects, the black-clothed intruders rush across the room and nimbly avoid Trinity’s deadly spells. Taking a step forward, she knocks the enemies back with a wall of wind that burns their skin and cuts their hands. Before the powerful attack can eject the thieves from the castle, one of the staff-wielders leaps onto the railing and shatters the approaching storm. With nobody else standing on the shimmering floor, the grinning woman hops down and leads the next charge. Her companions stay behind and one of them leans out of the hole to signal to someone that there is resistance.

  “Really hope I’m right on this,” Altia mutters before cracking her whip at the floor. The impact sets off a powerful quake that destroys the barrier and sends those standing on top into the water. “That worked better than I thought. Although, we now have all those sharks to worry about. Good thing Quail isn’t here or he’d have fallen in.”

  “Stop talking and duck,” Trinity says as she kicks over the elf’s head. She sends the pouncing thief into the water where he is dragged to the bottom by one of the predators. “I don’t know what the plan is, but Racker might be trying to soften us up. Both of you get on the railing because I want to clear the mess.”

  Grabbing Vile by the head, Altia leaps onto the ledge and keeps her whip ready to stun any sharks that try to get at them. A wave of heat hits her back and she fully expects to see flames fly across the room. Instead, the temperature suddenly drops and the walkways are engulfed in churning coils of ice. With nowhere to escape to, the thieves are swallowed by the terrifying spell and left as frozen statues. A hazy battering ram of force follows the first attack to shatter the intruders, preventing them from being revived. Before the spells converge on the staff-wielders, the two men break the ceiling and leap through the hole to the top floor. The pair can be seen rolling away from the burst that tries to chase them, but turns into a column of ice that is pulverized by the force blast.

  Not wanting to let the thieves recover, Altia jumps to the floor and lashes her whip to unleash a barrage of stunning bolts. The two enemies leap out of sight, letting the blasts crack the railing and dent a fallen suit of armor. When Trinity tries to jump up to their perch, she is forced back down by the war staffs, which are thrown and pulled back like tethered spears. The chaos elf uses a wind blast to hurl herself away from the sharks, but the rough impact knocks the air from her lungs. The walkway cracks from constant Earthquaker attacks and starts to fall apart, which forces the defenders to stay on the railing. Trinity grows claws on her hands and feet, the magical extensions allowing her to cling to the wall where she is harder to see from above. Altia hears one of the weapons coming and clambers up one of the corner columns, her foot slipping on the shattering stone. Holding her whip in her mouth, she struggles to hold onto a ledge that is no thicker than her fingertips.

  Unseen by the thieves, Vile climbs through a hole in the fragile ceiling and draws his toothpick. He considers letting his companions fall into the water, but he finds himself angered by their enemies’ arrogant laughter. Running into the railing’s shadow, the figurine thinks of the best way to kill a larger and better armed foe. He does not slow down as he comes to the first man and swiftly scales his leg to repeatedly stab him in the groin. The thief’s screams of pain startle his friend, who does not notice Vile until the blood-flecked toy drops to the floor. The warrior darts to the side to let the intruder collapse to the ground, which shatters and lets him fall toward the lower level. Seeing the opening, Trinity bonds her hands to the wall and kicks the helpless enemy into the water where he is devoured.

  “Killed by a tiny golem?” the final thief says with a chuckle. He puts his weapon on his shoulder and sneers at Vile, who is waiting for an attack. “I don’t even need to try very hard to break you. Without the element of surprise, you’re useless.”

  “Don’t lecture me on tactics, you rancid maggot,” the warrior growls, flipping his toothpick so he is holding it backwards. He spins his arm, the rubbery joint snapping, and hurls the weapon up the tall man’s nose with enough force to puncture the brain. “Even in this body, I can throw with deadly accuracy like all halflings. This fight was brief, but enjoyable. I thank both of you for letting me relive the thrill of battle.”

  “Such an interesting trio,” a friendly voice sings from outside. A blade pierces the wall and splits the stone in half, revealing the rooms that are above the treasure vault. “My employer promised me a lot of money if I brought her Queen Trinity. Wonder if I’ll get even more for capturing the rest of you. I’d try for the Duke and his daughter, but that’s too greedy and I doubt I’d get much for those two.”

  Stepping through the new hole, a bare-chested man with an Earthquaker Staff in his hand grins at the chorus of growls aimed at him. His white hair is spiked to resemble horns that curve up, but there are a few strands pathetically hanging from them. Knocking dirt off his polished boots, the newcomer hops onto the railing and hurls his weapon at the center of the water. The floor cracks and the full power of the relic creates a chasm deep enough to drain the moat entirely. All that is left are the sharks flopping around and the bloody remains of the thieves they killed. Satisfied with the display, Racker rubs a crimson gem that is embedded in his forehead, the skin around the edge showing signs of infection.

  “She was right that drawing you here and letting the hired help wear you down was the smart plan,” the thief declares while spinning his weapon. He nudges the last man that Vile killed and shudders at how blood is still pouring out of the body’s nose. “Getting Tzefira’s prized Earthquaker Staff was my idea. Made things so much easier and I was already working within her shadow. The pay for this job was so much larger and the mercenary life wasn’t that great anyway. All the outdoor sleeping, marching, and loud orders. I would have gone crazy if I stayed there any longer. Now, are you ready to go?”

  “What are you talking about?” Trinity asks, a powerful aura making her skin crawl. The sudden pressure on her body is enough to make breathing difficult, which is a sensation that she has not felt since her childhood. “This is getting on my nerves. You’re emitting the energy of a god. I’m giving you one chance to tell me who you are.”

  “Sorry, but we have an appointment elsewhere,” the man declares, foamy drool flowing out of his mouth. Taking his war staff in both hands, he presses it to the ground and places his forehead gem against the blade. “Well, she did say I could use this as the key. Time to see the big boss.”

  With a maddening laugh, Racker slams his head against the Earthquaker Staff. The tip pierces the jewel and splits it in half, the crack spreading to the man’s body. Howling gales tear their way out of his flesh and leave deep gouges in the walls before transforming into clawed hands. They return to the thief and pull him apart to create a black and white portal that is fringed with gnarled teeth. Merging into a small cyclone, the winds suck the three defenders off their feet and into the gateway. Once they are through, Racker becomes a statue of vines with thorns that are reversed to stick into his own woody skin. The man’s eyes remain wide and dart from side to side as constant pain rockets through his body.

  *****

  Trinity catches Vile and Altia as they are belched out of the portal and crash into a steep hill of snow that explodes upon impact. The icy flakes swirl through the sky where they are devoured by fanged clouds that give a passing glance at the newcomers. Dancing mountains can be seen in the distance, their jumps shaking the ground until hammers appear to slam them into place. A crimson river winds through the land in a pattern that is reminiscent of a child scrawling with a pencil. Fish with chainmail armor dart among the rocks that lazily roll to new positions with sighs of boredom. Patches of trees cover the landscape, all of them thick at the bottom and thin at the top with a single leaf that is the size of a boat sail. Whenever a powerful wind blows, one of the plants is uprooted and carr
ied off to a towering face of stone that watches over the area. The guardian’s eyes shift from side to side, stopping only long enough to fire an emerald beam that creates a new tree.

  “I’ve had it with these games, Yola Biggs!” Trinity screams, her voice coming out powerful enough to punch a hole in a nearby hill. Seeing rainbow-colored insects pour out of the gap, she spits an explosive arrow to send them scurrying back into the shadows. “I had a feeling it was you when Racker’s plan stopped making sense. Going after enchanted mugs that never existed and stealing a powerful weapon from a dangerous woman to do it? Not to mention he tried to hit three locations in one day. A thief who is supposedly as experienced as him wouldn’t be so foolish unless someone was pulling his strings. Now, send us back to Windemere and leave us alone. Are you listening to me, Yola?”

  “Stop calling me by that name!” a fish shrieks before exploding. The ichor turns into a woman’s face, which swirls around the travelers. “That simple-minded idiot promised me she had given up her title and power. Now I hear that she wants it back and you’re the key to her getting enough power to defeat me. Well, I won’t stand for it. I refuse to sit, lie down, or fly either. This is an insult to the true Chaos Goddess! I’m going to tear off your fingernails and use them to flay your skin while singing the most obnoxious song in the world. I’m going to rearrange your limbs and make you itch in the one spot you can’t reach. I will force you to eat every food that you hate in one sitting. Then I will kill you.”

  “I’m not Trinity,” Altia nervously states after the goddess appears inches from her face. The elf points at her companion and takes a long step away to bow in apology. “We have similar auras, so the mistake happens. At least, it did with Yola. I guess all Chaos Goddesses are like that. Not that I mean you’re stupid or unobservant. Both of you seem to be very excitable and that probably isn’t the best thing to say.”