Against That Shining Darkness: Boxed Set Trilogy

by Chogan Swan

  One of them was Seth, who turned to the dragon to say something, but the dragon shook its head and spoke instead.

  For several minutes, the drake spoke, while Seth and Keri listened. When the drake finished, Seth replied. Then, together, they approached the group assembled by the table.

  Kane and Alaina arrived at the same time.

  The dragon spoke, “Greetings, kings, princes and leaders. A messenger from the Creator came to me, and my brother Seth asked me to deliver his word to you. This is what he bade me say.” The dragon settled on his haunches and shook himself before continuing.

  “I offer a chance for mercy to my enemies today. In the camp of Tyr-Goth are many in chains they helped to make, but their chains can be loosed. Their hearts softened, and the yoke that binds them broken. I have made the yoke of bondage within the double ring Balaak wears to become wearisome to him. He fears to wear it until he can deliver his pledge to Mogvorn, and he has determined to wait until he may deliver a pleasing report. Thus, the curse that binds his forces to his will is now vulnerable. It lies in his tent, hidden in a chest with a false bottom. If you break the ring, the yoke upon his armies will be destroyed.”

  The Elder bowed his head. “That is all,” he said. “I pray wisdom will guide your course. Well met again, Jyrmak and you, king of the east.” He turned to Kane. “I oft enjoyed your minstrelsy when you played at the Golden Lion, Kane, bard of Raydcliffe. I know of you others, but I apologize that I cannot stay. There are matters that need my attention.” With a nod of his massive head, the eldest of dragons turned to the side and leapt into the air, gliding back down the valley.

  Silence endured for a few moments.

  “Well,” Kane said, “That was straightforward at least. I'd wager even the best theologians in the land wouldn't misinterpret that. But I’d have thought I’d remember a dragon that size at one of my performances.”

  Arturo shook his head, still recovering from the shock of seeing such a huge dragon up close. “It seems foolhardy,” he said. “Battles are won by armies, not destroying the enemy's jewelry. From this position, we could hold Balaak off forever, now that we can open supply lines to the east.”

  Arod nodded, “Yes, my lord Prince, you are right; it does sound like foolishness, but true foolishness would be not following the messenger’s call. Moreover, we don’t need to commit a large force to this.”

  “I am to go,” Seth said.

  “I’ll go as well,” said Marshall.

  “As will I,” said Wyatt.

  “I’m going too.” Kane said after a brief pause.

  “Well,” said Keri, looking at Seth, “I've followed you this far, I guess I'd better see this through to the end.”

  Arturo glanced at Seth. He looked troubled that Keri had volunteered, but he didn’t object.

  Alaina looked down, “I would go, but there will be demon-men, and I failed the last time I faced one. I’m afraid I would be a burden if I blundered again from fear.”

  Wyatt turned to her, “You will not blunder. Whatever happened before, you’ve learned from it.”

  “Yes,” agreed Jyrmak, “You have gone through the fire. It has tempered you. Even if you die, it will not be because you failed.” He turned to Arod. “No more than this should go,” he said. “Too many will be worse than not enough. Even now you should not all go together, two groups of three would be best.”

  “I would not hold back from this,” said Arturo, “I could help too.”

  “We cannot leave too few behind to lead our forces here,” Wyatt said. “My commanders accept your leadership, and you have your own men to consider as well.”

  “And our success will need a diversion,” Marshall said.

  Arod raised his hand for silence. “All of these comments are apt,” he agreed. “But we should finish the plans in a more private place, and someone needs to retrieve all those maps and notes before the rain starts.” They turned to look east. The King was right; a front was moving in from the ocean.

  Chapter 10 (Dark Mercy)

  Rain was still falling. Through the day it had varied between drizzle and soaking shower, now it appeared to be setting in for an extended visit. It drummed on the slate-shingled roof of the inn.

  When Wyatt and the auxiliaries arrived at the pass, all the houses and the inn were stripped and abandoned. The only stirring in the village had been a solitary mounted Tarrian officer, who just waved to them and trotted down the mountain back to Tarr. If Wyatt hadn’t been leading the Tyr Goth’s vanguard, most of the east would have been taken without a struggle.

  Seth, Alaina and Kane had eaten a hasty supper in this same inn over a month ago before their flight into the wilderness. Now, the dining room was a hospital. The nine Seth had called to the command center that morning were in an upstairs room making plans.

  “That’s settled then,” Jyrmak said. “Seth will lead one group with Marshall and Keri. Wyatt will take the other group with Kane and Alaina. Wyatt's group will circle to the south; Seth's will take the north route, lowering down the cliffs by rope to come in from that side. We have uniforms that should help move you through the army. Balaak's tent is at the top of this rise,” he said, pointing to the middle of the parchment map. “Do any of you have questions, or have anything else to say?”

  Marshall stood and stretched, “The chances of everything going as planned here in the light are remote, but if we stick to the general idea, we’ll do well. Be flexible and ready for the unexpected.”

  “We need to go,” said Wyatt. “It will be dark soon, and we must be in place before then.”

  King Arod stood and sighed, “I will trust we will all come together again, but until then, know I love you all, my sons and friends.”

  Quick embraces and short whispered blessings took only a few moments before they filed out, each hurrying to get the things they needed for the mission.

  Arod, Jyrmak and Arturo watched them go. Arod turned to Arturo, “Baron, we have more to talk about you and I.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~

  Arturo pulled his rain cloak tighter around him. The gloom was thicker, so the sun had gone below the horizon, but the clouds and the rain made the distinction fuzzy. It would be dark tonight though, much darker than necessary. The plan was to harass the enemy throughout the night at key places to give the two groups the best chance of getting past them. Arturo turned to the first messenger, “Take the order to commander Margai to begin his foray.”

  To the second messenger he said, “Tell Commander Coran to begin.” Both men turned and vanished into the dark.

  Arturo waited a moment then sent two more messages to back up the command. It was so dark, it was possible one of the messengers could get lost on the way to deliver the command.

  What if they don’t come back?

  Even King Arod had abandoned him tonight, for what reason he wouldn’t say. So now—all alone—he had command of the largest army ever assembled in the East in his memory. Instead of powerful, it made him feel inadequate. Though perhaps that was because of the one they faced. It was too bad all those dragons had decided they’d done their part in this conflict.

  Even Fletch was sleeping after a long day of reconnaissance in the rain. Arturo wished he knew more about this Creator person with whom they all seemed so familiar. Perhaps then, he’d be more confident about what they were doing. He shivered from the damp chill of the rain and wished he were fighting instead of waiting to hear if his new friends were dead.

  ~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~

  Keri watched Marshall as though her life depended on it. He wound the rope around his waist and between his legs before lowering himself down the cliff, using the rope's friction to slow himself. She had practiced the procedure for a few minutes this afternoon, but now it was dark and a lot farther down than the small drops she’d tried earlier. Seth gave her a reassuring pat on the arm, “Easy as walking down the street,” he said.

  Keri chuckled in spite of her nervousness, “Streets I com
e from are no picnic to walk down, y'r royalness,” she commented.

  “Then you should have no trouble with this part at all,” he said with a grin.

  When Marshall was down, the rope went slack and Seth helped her position the rope. Keri backed down the slope, letting the rope run through her hands. almost grateful for the discomfort and the steady rain pouring on her face. It kept her from thinking about the dark drop behind her.

  She tried to move fast but not hurry, and it came as a surprise when Marshall grabbed her shoulder before she backed into the ground.

  Seth slid down the rope, almost bounding backwards. When they were all at the bottom, they set off with Seth leading, Keri next, and Marshall in the rear. In the gloom, it was challenging to see, but Seth led them at a rapid pace, except when they came to where loose rocks could clatter with a careless step. Soon they reached the first sentry line and Seth paused, crouching down in the rocks.

  Wyatt, Kane and Alaina wound through the rocks left by the mighty avalanche on the first day of battle, trying not to slip or knock over boulders still not settled. Here and there, their blind steps disturbed the bodies of the soldiers who had died beneath the fall while all around hovered the smell of recent death. At times, they had to crawl when there were no large rocks to conceal them. Once they had to get on their stomachs and slither through an exposed area. When they came to the outskirts of the enemy camp, their legs were bruised and the knees of their pants were in tatters. Alaina had a shallow cut on her thigh from a fallen sword that had been sticking out of the rocks.

  “We'll wait here,” said Wyatt. “Arturo will begin soon then we will move.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~

  Behind the sentry lines, Keri could see the enemy camp lit by scattered lanterns here and there. A few figures moved about, but everyone who could was huddled out of the wet.

  From the southwest, a trumpet began blowing an alarm. Other trumpets joined it, along with a clashing of metal on metal. Voices shouted commands, and sleepy soldiers began to stumble from their tents into the rain.

  “This is it,” Seth said. “Stay together.” Then he stood and sprinted through the sentry lines. Marshall and Keri followed.

  The sentries—all looking to the noise from the pass—didn't notice them.

  Among the tents, they slowed and slipped toward the hill where the necromancer's tent stood. Confused, angry soldiers milled about yelling questions. One officer, tried to question them, but Seth pointed south and yelled several unconnected military maneuvers with great conviction and moved past, shouting, “Sealed message!” He waved a metal message tube borrowed from the auxiliary supplies to support his claim.

  At the base of the hill, they stopped short as a dark shadow rushed past them. As it did, an overwhelming loathing struck Keri. She'd experienced the same horror in the temple when Nimshi was devoured by the dark spirit that came to his careless bidding.

  They waited a moment, another shadow and another swept by, rushing to the battle. Seth pushed forward again. They climbed the rise to the necromancer's tent, slipping and struggling in the rain and mud. A lone soldier, standing beneath the shelter of an awning guarded the tent.

  From what Wyatt had told them, the guard was there to announce Balaak's visitors. No one in the camp would consider going to Balaak without summons unless sent by a superior.

  “We could cut our way in at the back,” Keri said.

  Marshall nodded.

  “No,” said Seth, “Only the front will not be trapped.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~{}~~~~~~~~~~

  They kept on up the rise. When the guard saw the message tube Seth carried, he called out to him. “All messages for the lord Balaak must go to the front. He has gone to see about that ruckus over there, and you must try to—”

  He crumpled mid-speech when Keri hit him from behind with a small leather bag she had filled with wet sand as they came up the hill.

  Seth pulled back the flap of the tent and looked inside before stepping through the opening. Marshall and Keri dragged the guard inside and left him across the doorway.

  Seth looked about the tent. Six red wax candles on a stand by the bed lit the interior. Three wooden chests sat along the wall of one side, double locked and bound with iron.

  Seth went to the chests and looked at them. “He has set spells over each chest to protect them and warn him if they are opened.”

  “Which chest is the one we want?” asked Marshall with a frown.

  “I don't know.” admitted Seth. “We must check all of them.”

  “Those locks look strong too,” said Marshall. “Why don't we break the chest open from the bottom?”

  “No.” said a voice from the door of the tent. Wyatt stepped into the tent, followed by Kane and Alaina. From their clothes and the fresh blood on their weapons, it was obvious they had met more obstacles than Seth's group.

  “It would be lethal trying to force a way in from the bottom,” said Wyatt. “Balaak is clever and subtle. We'd be sure to set off a trap trying to break through the chest. I’ve dealt with him enough to know. We must open the locks.”

  Marshall frowned again, “How will we open the locks?” he asked.

  “I brought these,” said Wyatt opening a leather wallet with a variety of lock picks. “I've been in here before, so I've seen these chests.”

  Keri chuckled, “Well I've never been here before, but I figured they'd be locked,” she said, opening her own wallet full of lock tools.

  Seth stepped to the first chest and spoke a prayer over it with quiet authority. “The spell on this one is dissolved now,” he said.

  “Check the lock for poison needles,” warned Wyatt as he stepped up to one lock on the chest. Keri moved in to open the other.

  The locks opened after they had worked on them for a few moments, and Wyatt pushed back the lid with the tip of his sword.

  Within, the chest was piled to the top with human skulls, each one covered with arcane symbols and diagrams.

  “What are these?” said Keri, voice dripping with disgust.

  Wyatt frowned. “Trophies and talismans where he stores some of his dark power,” he said. “Don’t touch them.”

  “How do we get to the bottom then?” said Keri.

  “Two of us hold this tablecloth, and two more empty the chest into it,” Kane said.

  Soon, the chest was empty, and the skulls moved to the edge of the tent.

  “The bottom is not false,” Kane said, measuring its depth with the sword.

  “Try this one,” Seth said at the second chest.

  “Poisoned spur on this lock,” commented Keri.

  “Here too,” said Wyatt.

  In a moment, they were likewise unlocked. When they opened the chest, they found it filled with bottles, vials and tins of items the necromancer used in his sorceries, but—once again—there was no false bottom. “Are we missing something about this?”

  The two locks on the last one were more difficult. Keri finally snapped hers open after ten full minutes of struggle. Wyatt quit working on the lock and let Keri open it, since she’d discovered the trick and, it too was open. Within were crude pieces of jewelry containing dark stones: torques, crowns and more.

  “What is it?” asked Keri, puzzled.

  Wyatt shook his head. “None of these are valuable, nor do they hold power,” he said.

  Marshall grunted in disgust, “They must be decoys, the wrong chests.”

  “No,” Seth said, with a grim smile. “I suspect this chest holds his most cherished treasures. Though he has been practicing deception for many ages, he is well prepared to swallow the lies his master tells him. I believe it Balaak’s lies give his master’s deception even greater power over him. If Mogvorn tells him it's treasure, then treasure he will see. Dump it out.”

  Using an ash shovel from the brazier, they emptied the chest. “False bottom,” announced Kane, lifting out the panel. Seth stepped over to the chest and took out the small box hidden at the bottom. He ope
ned it and drew out the peculiar ring. It held a dark red stone and its double finger loop—yoke shaped—designed to bind two fingers together.

  “How do you destroy it?” asked Keri.

  “Heat, anvil, hammer,” suggested Alaina.

  “No,” Seth said. “Those would only destroy the physical part of the yoke.”

  “I know what to do,” said Wyatt. “Give me the ring.”

  “I also know what to do,” Seth said, “but I find I am forbidden to do it, nor can I give it to you.”

  “Give the ring to me,” said a voice behind them.

  Chapter 11 (Dark and Light)

  The rain had blown away. A wind had come up across the mountains, clearing the sky. The greater moon stood halfway above the horizon—two days early. It threw long shadows across the valley and lit the mountaintops with a pale clear light.

  Jyrmak stood at the edge of the boulder field facing the shadows that hid the necromancer and the demon-men gathered round him.

  Jyrmak did not need the light to discern them.

  “What trick are you trying to achieve, starting this tonight, old fool?” sneered Balaak from the dark. “Where are your cohorts hiding? You cannot mean to challenge me without them.”

  Jyrmak did not answer. He only stood, arms stretched to the sky in an attitude of prayer.

  “What are you asking of your god, old man?” shouted the necromancer. “Do you think to impress me because the moon appears early? I can cover it no matter when it appears in the sky—”

  At that moment, the necromancer was interrupted by a shadow hissing in his ear. “What?” screamed Balaak. “Why was my tent not guarded?” The necromancer stepped into the moonlight to face Jyrmak. “I understand now why you disturb my rest with this, but I will deal with you after I have killed the spies you sent to my tent.”

  Balaak turned to hurry back down the hill, but Jyrmak interrupted him.