The Three Charms

by Brian Spielbauer

  “So, they can lead us there?” Telon asked.

  “No, they said they could not. They were too scared to look for it. They felt that as long as they kept to themselves Herrog would leave them alone.”

  “So, the elves will help us?” Tegan asked, growing perturbed at the lack of good news.

  “I do not think so. They want left out of this, fearful their involvement will signal their doom. They were getting ready to turn us over when the Tolltier came looking. We are alive only through the efforts of their leader. His wife ushered us off before the others knew we left. It was after that escape that we were attacked by the Tolltier.”

  “Tolltier, I hoped to never see one of those again. You were lucky to survive.” The boys, more than ever, impressed Telon. They were accomplished warriors by any standard.

  The boys only nodded, as they thought back to the attack. They were lucky to survive.

  Skyler addressed Tegan, “Lord, Milan is there, somewhere in the fortress. I feel we were within a league or two of it. It will be hard to find, but with the army, I know it will only be a matter of time before we do. Send the men. We will find her, I know it!”

  Tegan looked to the others, who felt the same. Tegan took comfort in their encouraging words and began making plans for an attack.

  Shalkar returned from his massage, letting them know Balthar was resting. Each of the boys took turns talking about the journey. They talked of the elves, the Tolltier, and maps and locations as best they could guess. Bryon also joined them and with Arlow, the two were able to fill in many of the gaps for the locations. Tegan was very intent on the stories and particularly intrigued by the elves living so close to wizard.

  It was also not lost on him that the elves knew Gulac. He would soon find out if Gulac remembered them.

  “Did you know of them?” Tegan asked Arlow.

  “We heard stories but mostly thought them to be things of fairy tales. They could not have been far from us and must have worked very hard to stay hidden. If they could hide from us all this time, they could stay hidden from the wizard I suppose.”

  Tegan left the table, leaving the boys to tell their stories to the growing throng of listeners. He heard what he needed to and was eternally grateful for what the boys accomplished. Telon joined him after a bit.

  “This is it brother, it is time!” Telon announced as he entered the room. His eyes glimmered with excitement, for he was ready to go to war.

  “Is it? Do we know enough?” Tegan asked, surprisingly hesitant. “Maybe I should send another group to find the exact location, perhaps an older group of soldiers led by you or Jaric?”

  “Another group is not needed. We should go now to find Milan and bring her back! Our people have been preparing for this for the past five years. The weapons are made, and the troops trained. We knew this day would come and here it is!” Telon could not believe his ears, how could Tegan be so indecisive?

  “Lives are at stake Telon. Even if we find her and are able to bring her back, lives will be lost, and families changed. We have to be ready, completely ready, before we start this.” Tegan was scared the boys did not find the mark, and that the army would get there only to come back empty handed. If that occurred, he would never again be able to muster the total strength of his friends. It was something he could not risk. “Send word to the four kings, the harpies and the gargoyles. All will have a say in this, as all will be affected.”

  “I will, at once. But Tegan, you must trust that they will be ready also. They have sworn to aid us when she was found.”

  “I am aware of their pledge but trust me when I say promising to go is far different than picking up a weapon and departing.”

  Telon grimaced at the thought and at Tegan’s line of thinking.

  “Where is Erol?” Tegan asked, knowing he needed his large friend, especially with another army of Tolltier roaming the icy landscape.

  “We sent him toward Sundaland. Gile is with him, they should be roaming the west coast of Lemuria, searching for signs of Milan. I shall send a sortie to call him back at once. No one will be happier than he to hear the news.” Telon knew Erol’s feeling that he let Tegan down. He would be more than eager to make up for it.

  Tegan ordered messages sent to the other dwarf kingdoms and their surrounding friends, asking for a meeting and relaying the news Milan’s finding. Within a day the messenger birds returned, carrying notes that indicated their approval of the meeting. The parties of the different groups were already on their way to Tunder Bin. Within a few days, they all arrived. It was the first time since the last war they were together. As promised, Tegan ensured a higher level of communication between the groups, both dwarves and non-dwarves, than ever occurred before. Tegan would hear all before the direction was set.

  Angelica arrived with a host of harpies, along with Timo, to whom she recently married. Kyrie was there as King of the Gargoyles. Kings Dorir, Fiji and Darrow represented the three regions. Leevite sent a council from the Hills. He was not a king but pledged his support when needed. He only waited for the order.

  Tegan greeted them, “I want to thank you for coming. Our emissaries have found the general area of the enemy in the snowy mountains of Calonia. I seek your support as we prepare to travel there to find and rescue Milan.” None were as excited as Dorir at the sound of rescuing his daughter.

  Dorir stood forth, quickly and proudly announcing, “We are ready!”

  Fiji eagerly joined him, “Agreed.”

  Kyrie also joined them, “The gargoyles will be there, though we are still few in numbers.”

  Tegan waited for the others to step up, but to his displeasure, they did not. Telon grew angry at the lack of support. “How are the rest of you not coming forward after all that has been sacrificed for you?” he challenged.

  Darrow answered sharply, “Tegan, you and your people have done much to secure our boarders and aid prosperity in our kingdoms. For that, I could not be more thankful. But, before I commit the men of the Dragon Glades to a war far to the north, I need to know the exact location of the enemy and Milan. A general area just will not suffice! I cannot send a thousand warriors looking for the enemy, especially at the cost of leaving our boarders less protected and the cost of lives that are sure to accompany this worthy, but risky, errand.”

  As silence stole the room, tension grew unabated. Looks from one to another shot around the table. It soon became obvious discussions behind closed doors had taken place prior to the meeting.

  Angelica broke the silence, trying to sooth the tension, “Your sacrifice for the many is known and greatly appreciated. Everyone in this room, regardless of their decision of support, has also sacrificed and lost much. For me, I will honor that sacrifice and the death of my mother, but I will do so only when we know the location. Until then, we also cannot commit.”

  Leevite’s counsel, Ephraim, agreed, “We will commit but ask that we do so only when the location is known. As it is, we have few warriors to send anyway. With your permission, we would stand down, until the location is found.” Leevite served at the leisure of the King, and as such would do as he was told. His stance was much more of an ask than a statement.

  Tegan’s heart burned at their lack of support. Even though he was angry, he knew he asked a lot of them and understood their apprehensions. Telon was less understanding.

  “The men of Tunder Bin have led without asking, its people charitable beyond reason without regard for their own risk, since we first marched toward the Demon’s Chamber. You have benefitted from our aid since. Does not that aid deserve a return? Were the promises of help only hollow phrases?” Telon scorned his friends over their positions.

  Angelica responded, her anger evident, “We seek not charity, not from you or anyone! Long before you came to the mountain, we stood, mostly alone, in battle with the Tolltier and gargoyles. Aid that demands a return is not charity. It is bribery. I ask that you choose your words better, prince of Tunder Bin!”

  Darro
w added to her angry remarks. “Do I need to remind you of the sacrifice our people made during the last war and the losses each of us bore during the battle? Few of the Hills, good people, still remain. Sadly, we will not hear their voices today. We have worked hard these past five years, with sacrifices made by many. Do you not recognize those? Long has the city of Tunder Bin overplayed its own benevolence in comparison to the other four kingdoms,” Darrow stated smartly, unleashing many of the feelings bore by the kingdoms, other than the one in the named city of course, over the years.

  Tegan was broken. “So it is that at my time of need, my voice has been forgotten.”

  “Not by me. I am no dwarf, but I will not dishonor your efforts for my people,” Kyrie stated in support of his friend.

  “I too do not forget. If not for the kindness of the dwarves of the Flau Strand and Tunder Bin, my people would be no more,” Arlow added. The split of the people in the room astonished him.

  Arguing ensued back and forth, for and against this mission. Tegan could take no more. He trudged out of the room, darkness overcoming him. He left the bickering behind and went back to his quarters where Lizzy was playing with Jedrek. His son ran to him when he entered.

  “Is it time to get mommy?” Jedrek asked, hopefulness filling his heart.

  “Not yet but we are getting closer,” Tegan answered, trying to hide his depression.

  “What is wrong father?” Jedrek felt his father’s sour mood.

  Tegan could not answer, losing control of his emotions. Lizzy did not know what was wrong but grabbed Jedrek by the hand, “Let’s go get something to eat, we will talk about your mother later.”

  Telon entered just after Lizzy left, wasting no time, “We are still going Tegan! I see your doubt and you need to shake it. We have plenty of support for this.”

  A small knock at the door stopped them. Telon was annoyed at the interruption but went to answer it. He opened the door to a small cloaked figure.

  “Good to see you both again,” the old wizard Quelna said quietly, walking past Telon.

  “I did not know you came with Dorir, Master Quelna. You were welcome to attend the meeting,” Tegan answered, knowing Quelna could have swayed the tone.

  “I was there,” Quelna replied quickly. The wizened wizard never spoke more than he should and in fact, he seldom spoke enough to explain his mind to most of his listeners.

  “Why didn’t say anything?” Telon asked, wishing he had spoken also.

  “It was not my place,” Quelna answered as he sat down, pulling his pipe for a smoke.

  “Your voice would have been beneficial,” Tegan explained, believing Quelna would have favored the mission to get Milan.

  “It is true, I could have. I know you are disappointed, but your friends are still your friends, even when they disagree with you. They have good reasons to question this move, good reason indeed.” He lifted his pipe, lighting the tobacco packed within. It was as though he didn’t recognize the importance of the discussion in the least.

  “So, you don’t support it either?” Telon challenged, annoyed by the wizard’s stance.

  Quelna took his first drag, sucking the smoke deep into his lungs. A look of pure satisfaction covered his face. He slowly exhaled the smoke into the room, watching as it drifted away. He paused another moment, before turning to Telon, directing a grimace toward the questioning dwarf. “Quite a judgmental one you are. However, what you say is not true, I do think it is a worthy objective. Milan lives, and needs to be saved. The time for that is certainly now. Just because that is true for you though, doesn’t mean that it is true for everyone.” Not having the same emotion the others held close was a blessing to Quelna. Emotion clouded judgement.

  The brothers let Quelna’s thoughts sink in but did not like them. Tegan sat at his table, staring into his empty hands. A feeling of abandonment met him at every turn.

  Quelna walked over to Tegan and lifted his head to gain his attention. As he did, the stone Tegan long wore, given to him by Telon, dangled from his neck in plain sight. It was a stone Quelna was aware of and it drew his immediate attention.

  “How long have you carried that stone?” Quelna asked Tegan inquisitively.

  “For several years. I received it from Telon, who was given it long ago by Deyanira.” As he answered, Tegan placed it back inside his shirt, concealing it once more. He did not like how the wizard eyed it.

  “Are either of you aware of what it is?” Quelna asked, hoping his thoughts of its origin untrue.

  “Mother gave it to me when I was a child, to raise my hopes and give courage. It is but an heirloom,” Telon explained plainly, not understanding the wizard’s interest, especially at this important moment. He grew weary of the wizard’s misdirection.

  “An heirloom indeed! The cracking of the house of Moro I believe it to be. This may be the Stone of Doom and Ruin, found by Herrog before Moro’s father kicked him out of Tunder Bin. I was his apprentice at the time. He was forced to leave and I with him.”

  “What does it do?” Tegan asked as he took the necklace off, looking suspiciously at it. He never truly studied it closely before. He could not understand the stones importance, for there was nothing about it that suggested power. It was a dull, oblong and grey chuck of rock. Many times, he thought of casting it away, for there was nothing regal about it.

  Quelna sensed Tegan’s ignorant thoughts, “It darkens the sight of any who hold it, ruining hopes and leading those that bear it to darkness. It is in that depressed state that they become vulnerable to the lures of evil. It took down Deyanira, making her an easy target for Herrog. The stone magnified Telon’s doubt, until the last war when he gave it to you, Tegan. Have not your dreams been darkened and sleep restless since attaining this gift? Had I known of it, I would have freed you from its power long ago. I rue that I did not suspect it before now but know I will not allow it to haunt you any longer,” Quelna revealed to the brothers. His sad story of the Stone explaining so many of their feelings the past many years.

  “Take it, please,” Tegan insisted, quickly holding it out for Quelna to take.

  The wizard took a leather pouch from his side and allowed Tegan to drop the necklace in it. He then tied it closed and hung it back on his belt, unwilling to touch it. “I will keep it, for now. Your dreams and feelings will soon return to normal, your spirits will rise. Tegan, your leadership needs to be stronger than ever. You have enough support to fulfill your quest. As Telon has insisted to you, the time to save Milan is now.”

  “I fear we do not have enough help for what surely awaits us,” Tegan uttered. He was still not sure of his army’s strength, nor the support he could count on from others.

  “That is the power of the stone, it will wear off in time,” Quelna responded.

  “Then you won’t intervene and help the others change their minds?” Tegan’s hope for the wizard convincing the others quickly dissipated.

  “No, I will not. It is not my place,” Quelna stated, seeing Tegan’s hope drop. “But, I am going with you. I will help to see this through.”

  The last words lifted Tegan’s head and spirits. The mighty wizard was traveling with them. To Tegan, that was better than any army was. A smile drifted across his face, Tegan was ready to go.

  Chapter 5: Out of the Shadows

  Tegan went for a late-night walk, as far too much was racing through his mind to sleep. The treachery that befell those who wore the stone was a scar his family would never completely be able to rid itself. He could only guess what havoc it caused to Deyanira in her darkest days. Quelna insinuated, and not for the first time, that she had something to do with his own mother’s death. The extent of her treachery grew his anger toward Deyanira’s ghost. Tegan witnessed its effect on Telon over many years, robbing him of the confidence he should have wielded. He was the latest victim, as it took him to depths he never visited before, into the dark recesses of his heart that he did not know existed. The fact that those wearing it actually believed it
brought them good luck and bravery was the ultimate deception.

  He took comfort in knowing that Quelna took it away, relieving him of the stone’s evil malice. It would never again have a hold over them. This and many other thoughts went through his mind as he strolled past the room where the meeting was held earlier that day. Though the necklace was no longer there, the feeling of betrayal by his people still stung painfully. The stone, however, was not the only carrier of bad news, for there were many sources of evil in the world.

  Tegan went to the room, wanting to look again at the maps of Calonia. He grew suspicious as he stopped by the slightly opened door to the room, an eerie glow emitting from it. He was not the only one interested in the maps. As he peered in, he noticed an old man pouring over the drawings, still strewn across the stone tables. The silhouette of the man against the fireplace behind him on the far wall made it difficult to make out just whom it was.

  Tegan cautiously entered and then lit a torch to brighten the chamber. The man seemed not to notice him at first, but then slowly turned, having little concern for the one joining him. His contorted face suggested he was in pain. Then he quickly raised his arms to fend off blows he imagined coming down on him. Tegan softly touched Gulac’s arm to reassure him, “Calm friend. It is only I.”

  Gulac slowly lowered his arms, his lip quivering in fear. Sweat built up on his furrowed brow and began furiously dripping from his tilted look. The running tears raced down his rustic cheeks. After a quick look to Tegan, he seemed to forget his partner and quickly turned back to the consuming maps. Also gone was the pain the gripped him moments earlier. He slowly moved his fingers over the contoured map of the far north land of Calonia, following an unnamed river through a valley floor, settling on a spot deep in the mountains. Then he winced again, lurching forward as if struck by an invisible whip from behind.

  Tegan quickly held Gulac to stop him from falling. The touch brought him again out of his trance as he moaned, suffering the torture repeatedly in his mind. He was afraid Gulac would slip back into the abyss he wallowed in for months following his captivity in the Demon’s Chamber.