Having to wait until sunrise to move the ships into position at Jax’s marker nearly drove Leonidas mad. During the wait, he oversaw the Thunder Dome’s installation, a tricky task even with magic given the weight of the heavy iron hemisphere. It was all the mast could support and then some. The mercenaries changed into heavy banded armor and swapped their light weapons for tower shields and spears. They’d present a walking wall of steel to anything that might attack.
Leonidas, Jax, and Domina combined their magic to lower everyone in a single go. No ape monsters showed themselves and once they were safely down, Corporal Simms led the way back to the imperial road. No enemy bothered them during that walk, either from the trees or on the ground. Leonidas hoped the larger groups would discourage attacks, but if the creatures were as aggressive and territorial as Shade thought, it was only a matter of time before they struck.
Hesitating only a moment Leonidas led his group west. There was no way to be sure, but his research suggested that this was the most likely direction to the tower.
“Be careful, Leonidas,” Domina said before setting out with Rondo and half the soldiers.
He could only smile at her concern. With the black ring’s power at his command, he was in less danger than any of them. He and Shade marched at the center of a square of soldiers. It would take a determined enemy indeed to get through such a force.
The journey passed in eerie quiet thanks to the thick layer of needles covering the road. Shade kept a constant watch on the canopy. If an attack was to come it would most likely come from the trees. The group continued in tense silence for several hours before the front row stopped.
“What is it?” Leonidas asked. He couldn’t see anything behind the soldiers’ rank.
“We can’t go any further, Lord Black,” the unit commander, Sergeant Shanks, said.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I just know we can’t.”
Leonidas frowned. “Make a gap.”
Two soldiers shifted right and Leonidas stepped out of the protective square. The path continued on exactly as before, there wasn’t even a branch across it.
He looked at Shade. “Can we continue?”
“No way, Boss.”
“Why?”
Shade’s face scrunched up. He clearly realized his statement made no sense. “We just can’t.”
Leonidas raised his right fist and leveled it forward. The green gem flashed and streaks of energy visible only to him got sucked in.
When the flow stopped, he asked. “Can we proceed now?”
Shade nodded. “Looks clear to me.”
“Good. Sergeant, resume your march.”
“Yes, Lord Black.”
Shade and Leonidas returned to their place in the center of the square and the group continued onward. The forbiddance ward was a good sign. Hopefully they’d reach either the tower or the lab soon.
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later the road entered an open space surrounded by a perfect circle of gigantic evergreens. The Dragonspire tower stood in the exact center of that circle.
The soldiers stopped again and Leonidas asked, “What now, Sergeant?”
“Company, Lord Black.”
“Let me see.”
A gap opened in the front rank. Ahead of them, a single, wizened figure stood in the path. She, at least Leonidas assumed it was a she given the long hair and general body shape under a plain, brown robe. He put her age around ninety and according to his ring she was bristling with magical power. A wizard of some sort then. Not an appointed guardian, not after all this time. Self-appointed maybe?
“Want me to handle this?” Shade asked.
“No, she’s a wizard of some sort.”
“Wizard? If she’s a wizard, why isn’t she trying to blast us?”
“Excellent question, Shade. Shall we go ask?”
“You want to talk to her?”
“Certainly. She might know where I can find the lab. For all we know she’s stuck here and only needs a ride somewhere civilized. Conflict might be totally unnecessary.”
“I think you’re too optimistic, Boss, but whatever.”
Leonidas smiled. He didn’t truly believe they could resolve this without violence, but he was willing to be proven wrong. Since whoever waited for them hadn’t struck first, he wouldn’t be the one to break the peace.
“Wait here, Sergeant,” Leonidas said. “Close ranks and keep a sharp watch.”
“Yes, Lord Black.”
Armor clanked as the mercenaries locked shields and set themselves. Leonidas led the way over to the waiting crone. As he moved closer details became clear. Fetishes, clumps of herbs, and a dead bird hung from the rope that served as her belt. Sandaled feet poked out from the hem of her robe.
Leonidas and Shade stopped ten feet from her. When she offered no greeting Leonidas said, “Good morning, Grandmother. How is it you’ve come to live in such a remote place?”
“I have always lived here,” she said, her voice high and pure like a trained singer. “I was here when the empire built their tower and later when they added that shop of horrors. I let them despoil my forest in the foolish belief that like all things men build it wouldn’t last. In all my eternal existence, I have never made a worse mistake. Now that the men have gone, I do not intend to make the same mistake again.”
Leonidas revised his theory. This was either a mad wizard or something far older and more dangerous, a forest spirit from ancient times. Whatever she was, magic was magic and his ring would deal with whatever she tried to do.
“I have no desire to harm your forest,” Leonidas said. “I do require access to the tower, but once I’ve done what I need to do, my people and I will be on our way.”
The crone shook her head. “I will not allow the dragons to be enslaved again. Hear my offer, for it will not be repeated. Leave now and do not return. Do that and you will not be harmed. The empire is dead. Let it remain so.”
Now it was Leonidas’s turn to shake his head. “Resurrecting the empire has been my life’s work. I can’t quit until the task is complete. I won’t. While I have no desire to fight you or anyone else, I will if I must.”
“Then you will die, like all those who came before.”
Her power surged into the earth. Roots ripped from the earth and struck like giant serpents.
Leonidas raised his hand and the Black Ring pulsed.
A wave of anti-magic surged out. The roots collapsed a foot from his feet.
When Leonidas turned his attention back to the crone, he found her gone, only the robe remained where she’d been standing.
“Shade?”
The assassin had his daggers drawn. “I don’t know, Boss. I blinked and she was gone.”
If he had any doubts that he was dealing with something more than human, those doubts were gone.
“You have great power for a human,” the spirit’s voice came from everywhere. “But I am the forest. Every tree, blade of grass, bird, and beast is your enemy now. By dark tonight, every one of you will be food for my children.”
The following silence was more nerve-racking than her threat.
“Form up,” Leonidas said. “Into the tower, quickly.”
The mercenaries closed ranks around Leonidas and Shade. This close he could protect everyone with his Black Ring. The group quick marched to the tower door and Leonidas tapped out the rune sequence to unlock it.
As the door silently opened, it never ceased to amaze him that the emperor, for all his power, used the same lock code on each tower. It seemed a foolish and lazy risk. Or perhaps just arrogant. The emperor probably never imagined anyone would dream of entering one of his towers without permission.
When everyone had piled inside, Shade pulled the door shut. “What now, Boss?”
“Now I’ll activate the spire and we’ll go find Domina and her team. She should be strong enough to hold out for a while, but eventually the spirit will wear her down, then they’re all doomed.”
; Rondo couldn’t say he was thrilled to be paired with Domina again. And by not thrilled he meant it was about the worst partnership he could imagine. From her silence and determined effort to ignore him, he suspected Domina agreed. Not that either of them would argue with Lord Black. For her part, Domina couldn’t stop looking back over her shoulder every five seconds even though the other group had moved far out of sight. The best thing for Rondo to do was keep quiet and watch for trouble. Not only was it the best thing, it was the only thing he could do.
At least Corporal Simms was having no trouble following the path. He just scuffed his feet, revealing the hidden stone as they walked. So far, they had seen neither ape monsters nor dragon hybrids. That would certainly change eventually. Rondo’s rotten luck pretty much guaranteed it.
At least the weather was nice. He nearly banged his head on the armor of the soldier in front of him. That was the best thing he could think of? Rondo’s sigh was cut off by a high-pitched screech. Was that a dragon monster? Lord Black seemed certain they only hunted at night.
“Sir?” Corporal Simms asked.
“Keep going, Simms, and fast,” Rondo answered.
Domina shot him a poisonous look but didn’t see fit to counter his order. The mercenaries increased speed to a quick march. No further noises broke the quiet. Whatever that noise had been, apparently it wasn’t directed at them.
They managed several hours of peaceful, if tedious, marching before Simms stopped.
“What is wrong?” Domina asked.
She shoved her way past the wall of soldiers and Rondo slipped out behind her. In front of them the path ended at a cube made of mortared, gray stone blocks. A simple iron-banded door was built into the front to allow entrance.
“If that’s the lab, it’s awfully small,” Rondo said.
Domina’s look would have curdled milk. “Obviously there’s more here than meets the eye. Let’s have a look inside.”
They gathered around the entrance and after a few seconds of staring at each other Domina pointed at a random solider. “Open it.”
The man had sufficient wisdom not to look at Simms for confirmation. Instead he went to the iron handle and pulled.
The door didn’t budge.
“Put your back into it!” Domina shouted.
The unlucky soldier grasped the ring with both hands and tugged for all he was worth. Tendons bulged on his neck and forearms and his skin reddened. The door remained unimpressed.
“I can’t budge it, ma’am,” he said at last.
“Useless. Give me room.”
Rondo and the mercenaries backed a healthy distance away. When Domina pulled a vial from the pouch at her side and began to chant Simms leaned closer and whispered, “She’s the sort of sage we’re used to working for.”
“You have my most sincere sympathy. Every time we have a mission, I seem to get paired with her. I can only imagine Lord Black needs the break.”
Simms grinned and several others stifled chuckles. The mirth ended a second later when Domina hurled the vial at the door and blew it off its hinges into the building.
She waved them over. “Come on. There’s a staircase inside.”
Whatever they might have thought of Domina’s personality, everyone hastened to obey. Rondo doubted a man among them believed he wouldn’t suffer the same fate as the door if he angered her.
Inside, partially obscured by chunks of shattered wood and bent iron, a stone staircase descended into the earth. Rondo couldn’t see more than a few feet down. Anything might lurk in that darkness. Though from the rotten-meat smell wafting up, he doubted anything would want to live down there.
“I didn’t think to bring torches,” Simms said.
Domina snapped her fingers and a crimson globe of light appeared above her. She pointed and it flew down the steps. There was nothing at the bottom but a blank stone floor.
“No more excuses,” Domina said. “I will wring every secret out of this place for Leonidas and anyone that gets in the way will suffer my wrath. Understood?”
Everyone understood perfectly. Simms grabbed a pair of men and led the way. When he reached the bottom without incident the rest of the group followed Domina down.
In the ruddy glow of her conjured light they found a vault of horrors. Fluid-filled glass enclosures lined one wall. Most of them held some sort of monstrous hybrid ranging in size from a dog with a dragon’s head to a horse with wings. Though well preserved, they had clearly expired long ago, assuming they even survived the creation process.
The center of the room held a number of wooden tables covered with alchemical equipment. Rondo considered himself well educated, but he couldn’t put a name to three-quarters of the tools. Many of the glass beakers held congealed liquids of various colors. The one thing conspicuously missing from the collection was any sort of book. There were a few scraps of paper and Domina went to these eagerly, one after another, only to snarl and toss them aside.
Rondo and the soldiers kept both their distance and their peace. With every paper she examined Domina grew more and more angry. She was liable to lash out at them simply because there was no one else to attack.
She slammed her fist on the final table. “There’s nothing of value here! No tomes, no instructions, nothing. Just burned leavings and failed experiments.”
Rondo dared moved closer. One of the vials had caught his attention. He picked it up and let it glitter in the light. The wax seal appeared intact.
“This looks promising,” he said.
Domina stalked over and snatched the vial out of his hand. At her gesture the light turned from crimson to white. The liquid in the vial remained as red as rubies. Domina closed her eyes and tapped the vial.
A moment later her eyes popped open and she stared at him with unsettling intensity. “Do you know what you’ve found?”
“Should I?”
“No, I suppose not. This is a sealed vial of pure dragon’s blood, easily from a three-hundred-year-old specimen. Do you understand how rare and valuable it is?”
“I know any reagent coming from dragons is worth a fortune.”
She held the vial up to the light again, a not entirely sane smile twisting her lips. “This much dragon’s blood, of this age, if we sold it, would pay for a fourth flying ship. But to a skilled alchemist, it’s nearly priceless. I will do great things for Leonidas with this. It will finally allow me to prove how valuable I am.”
“Great,” Rondo said. “Maybe we should go catch up to Lord Black and the others.”
“Not until we’ve scoured this mess for more intact vials.”
A tremor shook the lab and set the glass to rattling. Rondo and the mercenaries gave the ceiling a nervous look, but Domina only had eyes for the work tables.
Rondo grit his teeth and helped her search. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could leave this place.
Halfway through searching a worktable covered with a shiny purple crust another tremor shook the lab. That one felt a little further off, but still too close for comfort. Rondo caught Simms’s eye and nodded toward the stairs.
The corporal nodded and took a trio of men to investigate. Less than a minute later, Simms came running back. “We’ve got a serious problem.”
Domina tossed aside the bottle she was holding. “What problem?”
“Vines, ma’am. The entrance is covered with the things. They’re as big around as your arm and have thorns as long as your finger that shine with what I assume is poison. I can’t see far, but the vines fill every inch visible.”
Domina scowled. “You’re telling me giant vines grew thick enough to trap us in seconds?”
Simms nodded. “Exactly, ma’am.”
Rondo mentally applauded Simms’s self-control while panicking a fraction himself. How were they going to get out?
“When we finish here,” Domina said. “I’ll burn us a path out. I’ve found a few usable reagents so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
For the first time ever, Ron
do found her power and arrogance reassuring. Hopefully, her confidence wasn’t misplaced.
A third tremor, the biggest one yet, shook them. The glass enclosures holding the failed experiments clattered back and forth until first one then the next crashed to the floor and shattered, flooding the lab with a new noxious stench.
Rondo tried not to breathe deeply. At least things couldn’t get any worse.
That was when the first corpse, the dog with the dragon head, rose on its misshapen legs. Fire leaked from around its partially open jaws.
Leonidas drew the final line of the activation sequence and the dragon symbol rushed up through the ceiling energizing the spire. This tower was a little different than the first two he claimed. The main difference being the absence of a library on the ground floor. In fact, the first floor was totally empty, not even a chair had been placed for the emperor’s comfort. Perhaps he spent all his time in the hopefully nearby lab. The more Leonidas saw, the more eager he became to see what awaited at the final two towers.
But first things first. He needed to find Domina and escape the spirit of the forest. Leonidas wanted to believe it would be simple given his ring’s abilities, but he wasn’t as arrogant as some of his peers. Overwhelming as it was, the Black Ring’s power had considerable limits as well. They’d just have to take it one step at a time and hope for the best.
“Hey, Boss?” Shade said. The assassin stood leaning with his back and one foot flat against the wall. “Why do you suppose that spirit or whatever didn’t just smash the tower flat? I mean is she – is ‘she’ the right word? – anyway whatever it is has power over the entire forest, it shouldn’t be that hard to knock down a tower, right?”
“There must be wards on the tower,” Leonidas said. “I hadn’t given the matter much thought, but now that you mention it, destroying the tower would be the most sensible decision. But that’s a mystery for another day. Let’s go find the others.”
“Right you are, Boss.”
Shade pulled the door open and immediately slammed it shut.
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