“You've had a busy day, my lord,” Hallic replied. “We all have. Unfortunately, I don't see it ending any time soon.”
“Neither do I. But I have a feeling that when it does, it will end in blood.”
Hallic nodded grimly.
“Yes, I think so too.”
“What lies below?” Shandon asked the rogue as they approached the final curve of the ramp and he glanced over the railing into the depths. “And what were your forebears thinking, digging so deeply?”
“I cannot say, my lord. There is a narrow passageway that leads even deeper, but only the guildmaster is allowed to use it.”
The king looked at him curiously.
“And? You are the guildmaster now.”
“Yes, but I've been so busy since I ascended to the position that I haven't had a chance to explore that passageway yet to learn where it leads.”
“Why do I get the feeling that you are lying to me?” Shandon said as he stared at Hallic through narrowed eyes.
The rogue smiled back at him.
“Because you are a very suspicious person, perhaps?” he replied lightly.
A few minutes later, the group reached the open door to Hallic's office.
“The room isn't that big,” Hallic told everyone. “No offense, but I think that the king and I should speak with Walkar while you all wait out here. We shouldn't be too long.”
“Odella, you can come in as well,” Shandon said to the mage. “And Jergen, hold on to this for me, would you?”
He slipped his hammer off of his back and offered it to Jergen, who accepted it with a silent nod.
Hallic gave Mel a quick wink and then led the king into the office.
“So, does anyone know any good stories to pass the time?” Pieter asked the group with a jovial smile.
Inside the office, Hallic and Shandon found Walkar sitting behind the desk, staring into a mirror that was lying flat on its surface. His bright green robe and bald head reflected the light of the floor lamp that stood next to the desk. He had tossed the long braid of his beard over one shoulder and his ringed fingers tightly gripped the edges of the mirror.
Odella walked in behind the king and looked at her fellow mage with great concern. Walkar appeared not to have heard any of them enter, so focused was he on whatever he was staring at.
“Walkar?” the king said hesitantly.
The mage didn't answer.
“Walkar!” Hallic said sharply. “What's going on?”
The bald dwarf jumped in his seat and looked up from the mirror. He stared blankly at the trio for a moment and then shook his head.
“Oh, forgive me, your majesty!” Walkar exclaimed. “I didn't hear you come in. I'm sorry, what were you saying?”
Odella smiled at her friend.
“What's happened?” she asked him as the three of them approached the desk. “What have you seen?”
She sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk and Hallic sat down on the other one. The king moved around the desk to stand behind Walkar and looked over his shoulder at the mirror.
“Are you spying out the palace?” he asked. “And it's 'my lord', Walkar, not 'your majesty',” he added with a smile.
“Of course, my lord. Yes, I've been trying to pierce the veil that has been cast around the palace. I have been getting quick flashes of vague scenes, but hostile magics are fighting me.”
“Maybe I can help,” Odella said as she stood up. “My lord, if I could ask you to give me some room?”
“Hmm? Oh, of course.”
Shandon moved out of the way and Odella walked around the desk and stood behind Walkar. She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle pat.
“Try again, my friend,” she told him. “I will lend you my strength.”
“Thank you, Odella. Yes, let us combine our powers and force our way through our enemy's vile shield.”
Shandon sat down next to Hallic. Both of them watched the mages, the king's hands balled into fists.
“Ah, there it is,” Walkar murmured. “Can you see that purple glow around the perimeter of the palace?”
Odella nodded as she stared over his shoulder at the mirror.
“I can. It is such a massive spell though! The power necessary to maintain such a thing would be tremendous.”
“Wizard?”
“Yes, or a group of mages all combining their powers like we are doing. Circle around the edges of it. There has to be a weak point somewhere that we can slip through.”
Hallic listened, fascinated, as the two mages attempted to breach the hostile magic blocking them from seeing inside of the palace.
“A lot different from what you are used to, isn't it?” Shandon whispered.
The rogue gave the king a crooked smile.
“Yes and no,” he muttered. “I'm used to probing defenses and getting through traps set around my targets, but this is definitely a new way of doing it. Pity that none of my people have the gift of magic. It would be damned useful in our line of work.”
“How do you know?” Shandon asked. “I realize that magical talent tends to follow bloodlines, but I also know that it can appear randomly anywhere within the population. Some of your rogues might have the potential without even knowing it. After all, magic itself only returned to the world a decade ago.”
Hallic nodded thoughtfully.
“That's a good point. Perhaps, when all of this is settled, I'll ask Larin to set up some tests for any of my people who suspect they may have the gift. Good call, my lord.”
“Oh no, what have I done?” Shandon said with a groan as he covered his eyes dramatically. “Magical rogues? The empire will never be safe if that comes to pass.”
With a chuckle, Hallic turned his attention back to the mages.
“There, Walkar!” Odella exclaimed excitedly as she pointed at the mirror. “There is a thin spot in the shield.”
“I see it. Hold on, I'm going to try to slip through without rousing their suspicions.”
“Take your time. If we are detected, we'll be blocked instantly.”
“I know.”
Both mages stared intently at the mirror while Shandon and Hallic could only watch anxiously.
A few tense moments later, Walkar raised his head and smiled at the king.
“And we're in!” he exclaimed triumphantly. “My lord, we're through the shield.”
Shandon jumped up and moved around the desk to stand beside Odella. Hallic hurriedly joined him.
“Ah, the private gardens,” the king said. “Excellent. Can you direct the spell and get us a look into the throne room?”
“We will try, my lord,” Walkar replied as he waved his hands over the mirror. “But we must be cautious. One sudden move and we might alert our enemies.”
“Take your time,” Shandon told him. “We need information and if that means that I must exercise patience, then that is what I will do.”
Walkar nodded and the scene in mirror began to change as it entered into the palace. The watchers now felt like they were gliding slowly along the ceiling of a wide hallway, looking down at the floor below.
A moment later, Hallic hissed as several misshapen creatures came into view.
“Goblins!” the king exclaimed angrily. “Walking the halls of my palace like they own the place.”
The handful of goblins were stomping down the hallway, cursing and laughing as they went. One of the smaller creatures led the way, while the others were of the larger, armored variety. As they passed an ornate painting of some royal ancestor, one of the brutes swung his massive club at it and smashed it off of the wall.
All of the goblins roared with laughter, while Shandon's eyes became as cold as death.
“They dare,” he whispered. “Oh, they will answer for their trespass. Find my son, Walkar! And his witch!”
“I am trying, my lord.”
“Easy there,” Hallic cautioned the king. “Pictures can be replaced. We should be more concerned about the
people who are living in the palace, not the furnishings or the decorations.”
Shandon looked at him coolly and then seemed to catch himself. He took a long, deep breath and let it out again.
“Yes, of course you're right,” he said more calmly. “It was just the shock of seeing such creatures desecrating my home that angered me.”
“Understandable, my lord.”
“Oh no!”
The king looked back at the mirror.
“What is it, Odella?” he asked.
“Casualties, my lord,” she replied with a catch in her voice. “Many of them.”
The hallway that the mirror was following opened up into a large chamber. In the center of the room was a pile of bodies, with many others lying scattered here and there on the floor. A few were the remains of goblins, but most wore the armor of the royal guard.
“There was a battle there,” Hallic observed . “By the looks of it, the guards were attacked from all sides and gathered in the center of the room to make their stand.”
“Aye, that is what their training would have led them to do,” Shandon said softly. “They died valiantly. We will honor them when all of this is settled.”
The scene remained still for another moment and the king looked down at Walkar.
“Continue, please,” he told the mage. “We can do nothing for those brave souls. It is the living that we must worry about now.”
“As you say, my lord.”
The mage waved his hands over the mirror again and sent the spell out of the room and down another hallway.
They found more goblins roaming the halls and, sadly, many more bodies. But now, along with the guards, the remains of palace servants were among the dead.
“They fought,” Shandon said roughly, his voice thick with emotion. “Even the servants fought back against the invaders.”
He was right. They saw weapons in the hands of maids and butlers, young pages and old retainers. With cudgels and daggers, swords and even, in one case, a broom handle, everyone had resisted the enemy. The number of dead goblins attested to the valor of the defenders.
The king groaned as he stared into the mirror.
“Gods, while I allowed us to be distracted in Cindercore, this atrocity was happening. I should have been here, fighting alongside my people. Look, even the youngest pages fought to defend the palace.”
Hallic looked at him sympathetically.
“Yes, they did,” he agreed. “They fought for you, for themselves and for the empire. And we will not allow their sacrifice to have been in vain, my lord. I promise you that.”
Shandon nodded as he watched the mirror's advance.
“Hold a moment, Walkar,” he said suddenly as he pointed at the image. “What's happened there?”
The spell had reached an intersection of two hallways. There was a pile of bodies there, but the only dead were goblins. Instead of wounds from swords and axes, the corpses looked like they had been burned.
“Ah, magic, my lord,” the mage replied. “Some of my people fought back here.”
“And lived, by the looks of it,” Hallic observed.
“So it seems. Turn right, Walkar,” the king said. “Your people are housed down that hallway, I believe. Let us see how things have fared with them.”
Odella's grip on Walkar's shoulders tightened, but he simply nodded.
“As you wish, my lord,” he said.
More goblins corpses littered the hallway. Some had been scorched while others appeared bruised and battered. There were pools of water underneath these bodies.
“Water?” Hallic said curiously.
“Now, yes,” Odella told him. “But when the spell was cast, there would have been ice pellets. Big ones.”
“Ah, they were pummeled to death,” the rogue said with a satisfied smile. “Nicely done.”
The hallway turned sharply to the right and Walkar gestured to halt his spell's advance.
“Look, my lord,” he said. “Goblins. Live ones.”
At the corner of the hallway, a dozen of the warrior goblins were gathered together. They were growling and cursing at each other and occasionally one of them would bang his weapon against the floor. All of them were staring at the section of the hallway around the corner.
“They don't look happy, do they?” Hallic said lightly.
“Can goblins look happy?” Odella wondered.
“Something's holding them back,” Shandon said. “Walkar, move forward and let us see what it is.”
The image began advancing again. It passed over the heads of the warriors and Hallic fancied that he could almost smell their stench. As the scene reached the corner, it turned and the observers could see down the next stretch of hallway.
Fifty feet away was a large wooden door reinforced with iron. It was closed and, standing on guard in front of it were two robed figures.
Odella gasped and then seemed to sag with relief.
“It's Khara and Josper,” she exclaimed happily. “They are guarding the wing of the palace where my people have been living since you gave them refuge, my lord.”
Shandon smiled broadly.
“Yes, I would recognize that curled beard anywhere,” he said with a relieved laugh. “Thank the gods they still live. It seems that they have managed to hold back the goblins.”
“For the moment,” Hallic told him soberly. “That may not last. Goblins have both mages and wizards within their ranks, not to mention the witch, Cindra. Perhaps they are content to keep our magical friends contained for now, but that could change at any moment.”
The king nodded as his smile faded.
“Good point. Move forward, Walkar. Let's talk to your friends and find out what is going on.”
“Gladly, my lord.”
The image moved along the hallway quickly, leaving the grunting, cursing goblins behind it. When they had approached to within a dozen feet of the two mages, Khara held up a hand.
“Stop right there,” she ordered. “And identify yourself.”
Chapter 34
Khara was the youngest of the senior mages assigned to protect the king. She had long blond hair held back with a silver band around her forehead and her eyes were as blue as the unseen sky. Her delicate features and slim build made her appear almost frail compared to most dwarven women, but there was a strength in her that was palpable. She wielded a golden dagger that glowed and sparked with magical energy and she wore a pale green robe.
Josper looked like he was staring straight out of the mirror at those watching from the other side. His elaborately curled beard flowed to his waist and a ball of red fire floated above his open palm. His blue robe was stitched with mystical symbols.
Both of the mages' robes were stained and covered with spots of soot and they had dark smudges of fatigue under their eyes.
“Don't be daft,” Josper said to Khara. “Do you not recognize Walkar's magic when you feel it?”
Khara frowned at him.
“Well, sorry,” she snapped. “I'm a wee bit tired at the moment, thanks. As I recall, I've killed a dozen of those damned goblins while your count is what? Six?”
“You've been counting?” Josper replied in surprise. “But that's so...immature.”
“I'll give you immature, you...”
“Easy there, you two,” Walkar said, interrupting the argument.
Hallic snickered, while Shandon had to smile at their banter.
“The king is watching and we wouldn't want him to think that we aren't professional, now would we?” Walkar added.
Khara gulped and reddened slightly, while Josper tried to straighten his stained robe.
“Sorry about that, my lord,” he said hurriedly. “It's been chaotic here since the goblins attacked an hour or two ago and we haven't had a chance to catch our breath. Are you well?”
Shandon looked at Odella, who nodded.
“They will be able to hear you if you speak, my lord,” she whispered.
“Good,” he muttered
in return before raising his voice to answer Josper. “Yes, I am well, thank you. My gratitude to you both for what you have done. How are your people? Did you manage to get them to safety before the attack?”
“We did, my lord,” Khara replied. “Thanks to Larin, we were warned of the possibility of an assault and gathered our people together. We killed the goblins that managed to infiltrate our wing of the palace and sealed it off. Your guardsmen fought bravely in the rest of the palace, but I am afraid that they may have been overwhelmed. We do not know what has happened in other areas of the building.”
“Larin!” Walkar exclaimed in astonishment. “Larin is with you?”
“He is,” Josper told him. “He is very weak and he collapsed soon after he appeared in his quarters, but he was able to pass along his warning, thankfully. We've blocked all of the entrances into this wing of the palace and other mages are guarding those doors. So far, the only attacks have come down this hallway.”
“So he lived,” Shandon murmured with relief. “I had a feeling he would. Amazing that he was able to Gate himself back here after saving all of us in that cellar.”
“It was probably a reflex, my lord,” Odella told him. “Larin would have instinctively tried to reach a safe location before he succumbed to the enormous drain on his energies, once everyone had been transported to safety.”
“Huh. I didn't know that he would do that.”
Shandon looked at the mirror.
“Why haven't your people Gated out of the palace?” he asked the two mages. “Your children are in grave danger as long as you remain there.”
Josper and Khara exchanged a quick look.
“We don't know where to go, my lord,” Khara said with a shrug. “Is any place safer for us than right here? We've thrown up a magical barrier around our quarters to block anyone from teleporting troops inside to take us by surprise. We cannot Gate until we drop it and at that point, the enemy will probably attack us. And even if they don't, the dark power that surrounds the palace would block our attempted escape. We are sort of...stuck at the moment.”
“Most of our people cannot cast spells, my lord,” Josper added. “They have the potential, of course, thanks to their lineage, but we mages are rare even amongst our own kind. There are no more than twenty full mages out of almost a hundred of us. If we each took four of our people, we could Gate them away, but only if we did so simultaneously. Because, once our shield is down, I have no doubt that Cindra or the goblins will attack.”
The Dwarven Rebellion Page 43