Apprentice

by Nicholas Hale

  "Twenty-five men dead! What do you have to say for yourself?" said Rennar, directing his anger towards the captain.

  "It...it was the Zalearr, my lord," said the captain, almost whispering.

  "You are a guest here!" said Rennar, turning to yell at the Zalearr. "How dare you raise your weapon against my men?"

  "I believe the fault lies with your soldiers, Governor. From what I understand of human customs, isn't a guest, especially one who breaks bread underneath your roof, sacred? They attacked me first."

  Rennar turned to look at the captain again.

  "They were already dead when we got there, my lord. The archers too."

  What the hell was happening here? Why was he cursed with such misfortune?

  First the treasurer's visit, and now Azrael escapes! After Rennar had expressly promised the treasurer that Azrael would be taken care of. This would make his standing drop even lower!

  He knew the Zalearr was the one who had helped Azrael. He felt like reaching out and strangling the pale, thin neck of the Zalearr, but he had heard rumors about what had happened in the courtyard. He had heard the grisly scene described a hundred times in the last hour. Kirrel had given him a comprehensive report on the events. If Rennar were to even raise his hand, he was sure it would be lying on the ground detached from his body.

  "You have helped a traitor escape!" said Rennar, spittle flying from his mouth as he controlled his rage.

  "So I have," said the Zalearr.

  "Arrest this...creature!" he commanded the captain.

  The captain looked at him for a second as if he were mad. When he realized Rennar was serious, he spoke.

  "We...can't, my lord. He came with us willingly...after we...dropped our weapons," responded the captain in broken sentences.

  Rennar reached out and struck the captain in his face, sending him falling to the floor.

  This disgraceful man! Surrendering his weapons! He has the gall to call himself an Aegean!

  The blow did serve to release some of the tension that had built up inside him.

  The way things stood now, the Zalearr could not be touched. There were very few of them, and they were important for the Eoran emperor, Galemir.

  There would be much friction caused if Rennar laid a hand on the Zalearr, let alone killed him.

  If he were somehow capable of doing so in the first place.

  The first visit itself, he had received word from Aegis that the Eoran emissaries were to be accorded the highest respect. Council's orders.

  Furthermore, Azrael could have escaped this ambush, but this was Ryga. This was Rennar's territory.

  If Azrael wanted to get back to Aegis, he would have only three ports accessible to him. Bren and Slaver Port were out of question. The only one remaining was Braemar, where Rennar could put the word out to be on watch for Azrael. Word was already being sent to the nearest towns.

  The only place remaining was the desert.

  "Is Khamis here?" asked Rennar, looking at Kirrel, who was standing in the background.

  "He has sent word that he will arrive in time for the banquet, my lord."

  "Have him brought to me the instant he arrives in Bren. Do you hear me? The very instant!"

  Death was too light a punishment for Azrael. He would hand him over to Khamis when he got hold of him. That would teach him the consequences of defying Rennar.

  "There is another matter, my lord," said Kirrel, standing behind him.

  "What now?" asked Rennar in a strained voice.

  "It can wait..."

  "No, this is my day for bad news. Get it over with."

  "The overseer—"

  "Do not call him that! He is not your overseer! He is a traitor!"

  "Azrael. The horse he rode away on..."

  "Horse? What are you—?"

  The color slowly drained for Rennar's face. Lips quivering with rage, as comprehension dawned on him, Rennar spoke.

  "He didn't..."

  "Yes, my lord. Ruzgar."

  Chapter 69

  The chair crashed into the wall and broke.

  Selvyn the pike was unhappy. And it was his wish that everyone in the room notice. Not many men existed who could display such fits of anger in front of Renal.

  Perhaps it was this bravery that led Selvyn to try and rob from the noble Arcturus family in the first place, thought Gale. Distant blood relations of Emperor Thyurin. Either that, or he was just too stupid to recognize how dangerous both Renal and Emperor Thyurin were.

  But still, Gale was glad the man was here.

  He had been on the list of usurpers for Renal's guild-hall, but apparently he hated Darius far more than anyone else in the room. Balthus said it had something to do with an embarrassing joke that Darius had made up about Selvyn's other pike.

  Trifling matter, but when fear and intimidation were your strongest attributes—as they were for Selvyn—you couldn't afford to be laughed at.

  "What the hell are we waiting for!" shouted Selvyn. "We have the backing of thirteen lieutenants now!"

  "We need to be careful," said Balthus. "These are Summoners we're dealing with. If we attack too soon, we could all wind up dead."

  "We're going to wind up dead if we wait any longer!" yelled Selvyn.

  "It's true," said Marcus, one of Renal's lieutenants. "Darius is mad. All these random killings. They got Sarina the other day. Poor girl. I saw her body. Couldn't even recognize it, the shape it was in. She had gouged out her eyes with her hands before gutting herself with her own blade."

  There was another piece of furniture broken by Selvyn before Renal put a stop to it with a raised hand. Thankfully, Selvyn complied.

  "Kugan, you said your friend here can tell us more about the Summoners?" asked Renal.

  The old mage was the sole retainer other than Illazehra who had survived Darius's coup. He was the real reason they were all gathered in the room.

  Kugan had procured for them the services of a demon hunter. It was while they were waiting for Kugan and his friend that they had gotten to talking about Darius and all the killings that were happening.

  "Yes," answered the old mage. "Crassus is a veteran of the demon war against Naxannor. He should be able to provide us more information on the Summoners."

  All the men gathered in the room looked at him.

  He certainly looked the part of a demon hunter. Black oiled leather armor, and a face with more scars than they had ever seen. He had a crossbow and a long sword hanging from his belt along with several pouches.

  "Well then, Crassus?" asked Renal. "What can you tell us about the Summoners? These in particular?"

  "A lot," said Crassus. "The big mistake your people made when trying to find out about them was look to Lasrim. It's a little-known fact that there are two factions within the Summoners. The Lasrim school, led by a council of Summoners, is one of the factions. The prophecy of Anar speaks of a great demon lord and the king of men who stands against him. Those in Lasrim believe that demon to be Namoth. Right now, the Lasrim Summoners are the ones who fight alongside Namoth in the tundra.

  "Thirty years ago, When Naxannor awoke, there was one man in the Lasrim school who propagated the theory that Naxannor is the demon lord referred to in the prophecy. There were many differences between the words of the prophecy and the circumstances under which Naxannor awoke, so several in the school scoffed at the idea.

  "But Lord Izul remained convinced that Naxannor was their foretold lord, and led a group of Summoners away from the school. Ever since Naxannor was defeated at Azanar, Izul has been ridiculed as a fool and a traitor. His faction, however, does survive. They make their home inside the jungles of Holt. Most of my kin serve in the war against Namoth, but we have not forgotten nor forgiven the atrocities of Naxannor. My sole purpose is to end Izul's life."

  "The ones we face now are those from Izul's faction?" asked Renal.

  "Yes. Lasrim has placed bounties upon all the Summoners following Izul. At least the prominent ones. The man
Dahl leading these Summoners is included in the list."

  "This Dahl. How good a mage is he?"

  "If the rumors are to be believed, exceptional," said Crassus. "He is, after all, one of the commanders under Izul himself. A man who fought alongside Naxannor. It is not an easy thing to be a Summoner. They are hated, reviled and hunted across the known world. It is why they have their own island in the northern seas. To be in Izul's faction is a much harder thing to do. They are considered heretics even in Lasrim. Only mages who are truly formidable are accepted into their faction. Accomplished mages. Izul has no use for novice apprentices."

  "What do we need to be aware of when fighting them? Any specific abilities?"

  Almost everyone in the room perked up at this. It was probably the most vital piece of information.

  "The most common creatures they will summon are known as the hellion wolves—large bipedal beasts. Faster and stronger than humans, but far from invincible. They're easily hurt by weapons. Their only advantage is their sheer ferocity. If your men could face them two to one, I believe they should have no trouble fighting them. They should prefer attacking them with ranged weapons first, of course. Their speed and strength can be restricted with simple protection spells. Your mages should have them up at all times, so any wounded men or those finding themselves without a partner should stay close to them. Weakened Summoners will need to corrupt a willing human being with demonic essence and use him to summon a hellion wolf. Stronger ones should have no trouble summoning a wolf entirely using their own essence."

  "That is certainly good information," said Renal. Many of the people in the room murmured assent.

  "There is a variant of the hellion wolf that looks more like a large ape. You'll know them when you see them. Engorged muscles and blood-red eyes, hackles raised. This is their most common reaction to a Summoner releasing demonic essence in their vicinity. These are much faster and stronger than the ordinary ones, but that's not the most important thing here. It means that there's a Summoner nearby who is actually focusing his energies on that wolf. If you see this happen, you simply can't engage it in battle. I suggest looking for the Summoner first."

  "Several of us here have survived the initial attacks," said one of the lieutenants. "The Summoners are always in hiding. They seem...cloaked."

  "A simple illusory spell, and one that can be easily broken," answered Kugan. "Amulets of the third eye. Expensive, but I was told that Renal would be procuring them for us."

  Renal nodded and gestured for Crassus to continue.

  "The other types of creatures they can summon are hellbats. Winged—you may have guessed by now—bat-like creatures as big as a dog. They aren't very strong, and should be easy for a mage to deal with. For your thieves, however...I wouldn't advise drawing their attention. What they lack in strength, they make up for in durability. Even an inch of life left within in them, and they recover fully. They often attack in packs, swooping down and trying to claw at the face. I would advise they simply be defended against or left alone. If you find yourself in unavoidable combat with one, they are susceptible to fire."

  "Fire arrows, then?" asked one of the men.

  "Maybe," replied Crassus after some thought. "Do not aim for their wings, though. As simple and obvious a target as they might seem, you can rip off their wings, but they would still live. Aim for their heads."

  "There is one other creature that you need to be aware of," continued Crassus. "It's known as an Ursvang. It looks like a large fur-covered bear. It stands upright. Its most distinctive feature is a diamond-like protrusion from its forehead that functions as an eye. If you see this creature, my only advice to you is to run. It is not humanly possible to face an Ursvang in battle. I warn you now. They seem slow at first, but that's only because they're slow in searching for their targets. Once they find it, they move faster than your eye can see."

  Gale remembered their encounter with the Ursvang. How it had simply swatted Ceívar away. Somehow, Ceívar's abnormal abilities allowed him to survive. But he had still been bedridden for a month. He had only yesterday gotten back on his feet. Were it Gale who had been struck by its claw, he suspected he would have died before he crashed into the wall.

  "An Ursvang is the strongest creature that can be summoned by any mage using his own essence. Summoning any other creature requires the combined efforts of multiple Summoners, plenty of time and expensive reagents. Now, if we do take them by surprise, which is the only way we'll have a chance—they shouldn't be able to summon anything stronger than that."

  "So we can do nothing but run if we see one?"

  "You can't really kill one of them. They're simply too strong and unimaginably fast. They need to see you, however, in order to attack you. They have very poor vision. If one of them fixes its eyes on you, you'd best get out of its visible range, or it will be upon you in moments. The upside is that it consumes most of the demonic essence a Summoner is capable of harnessing. So the Summoner himself should be in a vulnerable state. If you see an Ursvang, run, hide and look for the Summoner. They're bound to be nearby, recovering. Gut them without prejudice."

  "What about their spells?"

  "Very similar to an ordinary mage, really. While conventional mages use elemental magic as their fodder, Summoners use constructs created from demonic essence. Demonic essence is their bread and butter. They use it to open portals, summon creatures, and infuse it into human hosts to transform them into hellions. They fashion orbs, lances and other shapes of demonic essence and launch them at their enemies as projectiles."

  "Spell breakers should work on demonic essence?"

  "Yes. As it does on any form of energy not of this plane."

  "There is one other effect of demonic essence, however," continued Crassus. "Summoners generate vast amounts of it causing a marked increase in any emotions you feel. Feel despair or fear and find it amplified a hundred times over. Men who have fought against Summoners and demons before, such as myself, have trained ourselves to be immune to it. Your men, however, will find themselves broken if they give in to any of these emotions. Which is why I again emphasize—stay in pairs. You are less susceptible to manipulation by demonic essences if you are in groups. I would say larger groups should be even better."

  "I have a question," spoke Marcus. "Will you be joining us if we fight the Summoners?"

  Crassus looked at them for a while before answering.

  "I was once a paladin. Although I have fallen from the grace of Myria, I do not, in principle, agree with the ideals of thieves. However, I believe the Summoners are far, far worse. Traitors to humanity. I have sworn myself to rid this world of their filth. So yes, I shall fight beside you, but do not take that to mean I am one of you."

  A man who wasn't afraid to say what he was thinking, thought Gale.

  Not many people would have the courage to say that in a room full of Black Ravens. But a man who fought against Naxannor would not be a man to fear anything human. Besides, the men in this room needed him. Desperately.

  "Do you have any companions? More demon hunters, perhaps, that you could bring to aid us?" asked Marcus.

  Crassus shook his head.

  "Most of them, as far as I am aware, are in the tundra, fighting against Namoth. The remaining few are spread out hunting Izul's faction. I have already sent word for reinforcements when I confirmed Dahl's involvement, but the nearest one is a week away."

  Too long. No one said anything but everyone knew this. Renal spoke.

  "Lately, a number of our guild members have been...dying very strangely. Their organs decomposing. Their sanity broken. Many of them end up killing themselves within a day. Is this something a Summoner can do?"

  "It is news of these very deaths that has led me to Archon. The condition you are referring to is known as Naxannor's madness. An ability that only the arch-demon was capable of. When Naxannor was first summoned, his apostles harvested his blood to use in concoctions that they coated their weapons with. Left untreated, wounds
infected with his blood had similar effects to the ones I have heard spoken of recently."

  "Wait, you're telling us someone did this with Naxannor's blood?"

  "Not the demon's blood itself. By its blood, I mean its offspring. There were disturbing rumors surrounding the fall of Azanar that Naxannor left several spawn in his wake. Half-demon, half-human spawn. No one really knows what happened inside Azanar. All we know till this day is that the Red Paladin slew Naxannor. There are those in my order who believe that the spawn still survive. But not until this day have I seen any proof."

  "That settles it!" shouted Atris, probably the youngest thief around. "I heard tell in Oxblood Tavern that Darius himself was a demon spawn! It has to be him!"

  "Calm down, Atris," said Renal. Once again turning to the Summoner, Renal asked, "If he is a demon spawn, can he be killed?"

  "Demon spawn in themselves aren't very rare. Any of the true demons of the lower planes can sire human spawn. They have latent abilities in their blood, but unless awoken and trained, a demon spawn should be very much the same as an ordinary human."

  That certainly was relieving to know. The last thing Gale wanted was to go up against an avatar of Naxannor.

  Marcus stood up and spoke.

  "When I first heard the rumor that Darius was a demon spawn, I dismissed it as rubbish. But after listening to this man speak, can there be any doubt in it? We might all be thieves here, but we are humans first and foremost. I say it is our duty to get rid of that bastard Darius!"

  Several of the thieves in the room clapped and nodded assent. Marcus certainly was one for rhetoric, thought Gale smiling. The men could use some encouragement. If they thought of this as some epic battle between good and evil...well...every bit helped, thought Gale. Renal too nodded which meant he was all for supporting this notion.

  The door suddenly burst open. Elisha. She was one of the Ravens' scouts. She had been the one to guide Gale and Illazehra to this meeting place. She almost seemed out of breath.

  "You better have a good reason for disturbing us, girl," said Marcus.