by James Wolf
‘Come, Balthus,’ Logan put a hand on the shoulder of the broken King of Grantle. ‘We must leave this place. There are still Nargs in these mountains.’
Balthus got to his feet and joined the standing group of companions. The Lord of Dolam did not venture a word for the whole afternoon, as the sombre company strode through the eastern mountains.
By nightfall, they had stopped to camp. The company had been quiet all afternoon, leaving Balthus some peace in his mourning. But by the evening, the companions had returned to their usual exchange of jovial banter and serious conversation.
As they enjoyed mountain deer roasted over the campfire, Forgrun told the other companions the mirthful tales of Helf Ugursbane, the most legendary Brother of Gromm. Forgrun said – whilst using exaggerated hand movements – how Helf had carried a slain sea wyvern’s skull around with him, at all times! Dragging the monstrous thing behind him on a long chain. The creature – before it met Helf – had been known to swallow sailors whole, but Helf had been adamant that he would take his most prized trophy with him everywhere he went, despite the skull being twice the size that he was!
The warriors laughed long and loud at Forgrun’s story, but everyone went quiet as Balthus began to speak.
The King of Grantle told the company how his powerful Wizard advisor had told him about a secret quest, for an item of great power – that had to be retrieved for the sake of Dolam. Isornel knew Balthus was eager to get away, to find a new adventure, and he ensnared the Lord of Dolam with tales of this great quest, which would take them deep into the Lost Realms, to the City of Night.
‘When Isornel found you were coming to visit me at The Rock,’ Balthus said to Logan, ‘he told me our quest was too secret to share – even with you, old friend. I now know why.’ Balthus shook his head in disgust. ‘That Maliven knew you would threaten his position. Isornel betrayed me!’
Taem could see the wrath in the King of Grantle, see how he could not bring himself to terms with the situation. Such a complete betrayal had shattered his spirit.
Balthus glared into the fire, ‘I didn’t think it right the Kruns allowed us safe passage outside the Rhungar citadel. But when Isornel consorted with Nargs in the dead of night, that was a step too far – even for him. I questioned Isornel on it, and my soldiers drew blades. But he had men sworn to him with us, and two Rhungars also. No doubt as black to the core as he is.’
Taem saw the disgusted snarl on Forgrun’s face, as the Rhungar formed the Shielding Sign with his thick fingers.
‘They grabbed my sister, Alyssa,’ Balthus shook his head, ‘threatening her at knife point, so my soldiers could not attack.’
By the way Balthus’s voice trembled, Taem knew he was fraught with worry over his sister.
‘Only then was the full horror of Isornel’s betrayal unveiled,’ Balthus said darkly, ‘as one of his men lowered his hood to reveal the empty, evil face of a Baku.’
Taem shivered at the mention of the Nightdemon, and he saw the terror in most of his friends’ eyes as well. Jvarna shifted uncomfortably, Ragad stared out into the darkness and Baek’s hand was on his sword pommel. Drual’s face had gone pale. Forgrun glared out into the blackness of the night, watching for the shadow of a Baku approaching the firelight.
‘For days the demon had ridden in my company,’ Balthus dropped his head into his hands, ‘beneath a hood, and I hadn’t even thought to question it. Isornel smiled as he told me he had always served the Dark One, ever since his childhood. Whilst his men held my sister, Isornel told me not to follow, or he would kill her. At first, I couldn’t understand why the Dark Wizard hadn’t killed me, my men and my sister there and then… I found out when the Nargs came.’ Balthus scowled into the flames. ‘That traitorous coward didn’t have the stomach to risk his own life, not when there were Nargs waiting to do his bidding. If you warriors hadn’t of come along, I’d be lying dead with my men.’
Taem thought Balthus sounded like he wished he was with his men now. But there was always vengeance to live for.
‘Why was Alyssa with you?’ Logan asked.
Balthus shrugged his shoulders, ‘Alyssa pleaded to Isornel that her magic could be of use on the journey. With his own agenda in mind, the Dark Wizard thought it a good idea she come.’
‘How did you know to take the path over the mountains,’ Baek asked, ‘rather than go through the Gate?’
‘Isornel was certain the mountains would be a better route,’ Balthus grimaced. ‘His Dark treachery runs deep. It is now clear he has servants or allies amongst Krun, Narg and even Baku – there is no limit to his evil.’
‘If Isornel could secure you safe passage through the Krun hordes,’ Taem said, ‘why take the mountain passes at all? Why not take the easier route through the Krun army at The Gate?’
‘Think, Taem,’ Hirandar said. ‘If Isornel had taken the route through The Gate, people would have known he and the King of Grantle were consorting with Kruns. Such a rumour would have spread like wild-fire, and be too damaging for them to ever return to Dolam.’
‘Balthus, you must eat something,’ Logan passed the Lord of Dolam some deer meat. Balthus shook his head.
‘Do not think yourself at fault, King of Grantle,’ Hirandar said gently. ‘Isornel is wily and cunning. You would not be the first to be tricked by his lies.’
‘Thank you, Hirandar Firefist,’ Balthus brightened up a little. ‘For the first time in years, I hear the words of truth from a member of The Order.’
Hirandar bowed her head.
‘And don’t call me King or Lord,’ Balthus said to the whole company. ‘Just call me Balthus. Speak to me as you would an equal – for that is what I am. It is a long time since anyone has spoken to me plainly, with all the airs and graces of court forgotten. A state I’ve often wished to return to.’ Balthus’s shoulders drooped. ‘I’ve seen many men die in battle – Logan would know this.’ Balthus glanced toward his old battle-brother. ‘But never have I felt the bitterness of such a complete betrayal,’ Balthus shook his head in disbelief.
‘Your Defenders died today,’ Logan said strongly, ‘but Isornel’s betrayal does not take away their honour. They fought as warriors against the Dark. Their deeds will live on long after they are gone. When we return to Dolam, I know you will see your Defenders remembered for their valour.’
‘My people do say,’ Forgrun said. ‘Thy brave soldiers be findin’ thine way ter ye halls o’ thine Ancestors.’
‘And mine would say Elliterati,’ Baek murmured. ‘May their souls find peace in the eternal Light.’
‘Elliterati,’ Taem, Logan and Hirandar responded at the same time, as was Aborle tradition.
‘Come, Balthus, yhee mus’ eat,’ Forgrun said cordially. ‘It be nay of’en a king be comin’ ter our table! Even if ye table be in wilderness, far from roof, hearth an’ comfort, yhee will still be received as a guest should be.’
‘Nevertheless,’ Balthus smiled, ‘the welcome is no less warm from this campfire, than the great hall of a castle.’
‘Aye! Aye!’ Forgrun raised a wooden beaker filled with water, and the rest of the companions followed suit. ‘So, Balthus,’ Forgrun said grandly, as if they were two lords resting in chairs by the fire after a feast, ‘be tellin’ us some o’ ye exploits o’ Logan Fornor.’
Logan glowered at Forgrun, but the Rhungar deliberately took no notice.
‘He do be too modest,’ Forgrun told Balthus, ‘an’ do nay speak o’ his past adventures. He be like a closed book! Even ter his bestest friends.’
Logan shook his head as he glared at Forgrun.
‘Well,’ Balthus said thoughtfully, ‘where to begin? Have you heard of the Lion Guard of Aritas?’
‘The greatest fighting force in the world?’ Taem said wondrously.
‘In ye world o’ Men,’ Forgrun said gruffly. ‘But do go on.’
‘The captain of the Lion Guard is the commander of the armies of Aritas,’ Balthus said, ‘and is known as the First Sword of
the King. Before Logan became the Grim Wanderer, he was the First Sword of the King.’ Balthus grinned as his listeners were stunned into silence. ‘Logan led the alliance of nations that turned back The Incursions, some twenty years ago. It was his blade that kept the Darkness at bay. His military genius that turned back the greatest threat since the battle of the Tyran Pass. There were thousands and thousands of warriors, from the length and breadth of Hathlore, all willing to give homage to The First Sword of the King – the hero of The Incursions.’
Forgrun’s mouth dropped in incredulity. Taem was wide-eyed with bewilderment. Baek shook his head and blinked – had he heard Balthus right? Jvarna raised her eyebrows in surprise, catching Ragad’s gaze so something passed between the two old friends. Drual was so intent on the story he had forgotten about the succulent deer meat in his hand, as it dripped juices down his forearm.
‘You honour me too much,’ Logan whispered.
‘Not enough more like,’ Balthus said. ‘Always humble, Logan, despite being the greatest swordsman and general. That is why the people loved you, and the men followed you. They would have marched through the Shadowlands all the way to the Cymmerel Portal without question – if you had asked them. Of course, Logan Fornor left the Lion Guard and became the Grim Wanderer at the end of The Incursions, but we need not bring up that dark day here and now,’ Balthus finished solemnly.
‘And what of you, Balthus?’ Baek asked.
‘I played my part in the wars,’ Balthus said modestly, ‘as Logan’s second.’
‘And were a great hero of the Light,’ Logan gestured at his old comrade, ‘who won many battles.’
‘Yes,’ Balthus smiled at his old friend, ‘but never quite your match. After the sad events of The Incursions, I became captain of the Lion Guard for a time, after Logan relinquished the title. But it was never the same without my old battle-brother. A few years later, the call came for me to contest the Chalice of Grantle. I have ruled Dolam ever since.’
‘Do be thy travels,’ Forgrun leant forward, ‘ever see yhee fight alongside Rhungars?’
‘Many times,’ Balthus nodded. ‘In the Lion Guard, then as commander of the Defenders of the Gate. The Defenders hold a firm alliance with the Rhungars of The Dredgen. Always we have answered their call to arms, as they have likewise done for us. Harnan Molboroth is an old friend. He and I have stood side by side on the battlefield many a time.’
‘Really! Aye!’ Forgrun’s eyes blazed with a new-found respect.
‘Why did The Incursions start?’ Taem asked.
Hirandar fidgeted, readjusting her travelling dress, as she flashed a glance at Logan.
‘No one knows for certain what set off The Incursions,’ Balthus murmured. ‘But the entire Shadowlands emptied, and the Nargs invaded northern Hathlore. There were some who said there was a pattern to the raids, others that said it was just random madness.’
‘It was madness for sure,’ Hirandar shook her head, ‘but never random.’
‘You played a part?’ Jvarna asked.
‘Of sorts,’ Hirandar said elusively. ‘My task took me away from the battlefield, but was of the utmost importance. I travelled through Sarcaedia, along the front, helping where I could. At that time, Logan and I were barely known to each other, having only met a handful of times in Aritas, and then on the front of the war.’
Logan discretely shook his head at Hirandar, so only she saw, telling her not to say too much.
‘They were dark days,’ Hirandar whispered, ‘terrible days. The Border was broken. Sarcaedia was overrun by Nargs, and thousands of people were fleeing southwards from the monsters that came out from the Shadowlands. The three great fortress cities held, but were all under heavy siege. An alliance of Aritas, Jinamon, Grantle, Darnea and Marnion was formed, to make a stand against the Dark hordes. Later, troops from Cavan, Ruhr, Shacain and even Croma Northmen arrived to push the beastmen back. It was Logan Fornor that led those vast assembled armies.’ The Wizard whispered.
The rest of the company gawked at Logan in sheer disbelief.
‘You were the leader of the Light Alliance?’ Taem said in awe.
Logan nodded, but there was a cold gleam in his eyes. King Aswan had headed the Light Alliance, but Logan was the general who commanded the armies.
‘It is a sad thing,’ Hirandar said wearily, ‘that the only time our realms can ever seem to be united, is in the most dire of wars. If we fail in our quest now, the days will be darker than they were then, twenty years ago, when the Shadow threatened to claim the whole of Hathlore. If all our toils come to nothing, and Gorzaemon again walks our world, there will be none who can stand against him.’
There was silence around the campfire, as each companion reflected upon the Wizard’s dark words. They all knew the time for great deeds was coming; a time of sacrifice and courage; a time of heroes and warriors. It was their time.
‘We will not fail,’ Baek said firmly.
By the look of them, Taem could see the rest of the companions all agreed with the Aborle.
‘Isornel is but a day ahead, if that,’ Balthus sounded positive now. ‘We lost our horses to the night creatures in the high passes,’ he shook his head. ‘We tethered them too far from the fires, and the Nemeth took them in the dark of the moonless night. Unfortunate for our poor mounts, but it will slow Isornel.’
‘Once we reach the eastern base of the mountains,’ Logan’s gaze scoured the surrounding darkness, ‘it’s over a hundred miles eastwards to the Nakramilis. In ten days we’ll be at the City of Night. With luck and haste, we can overtake our enemies and beat them there. We must rest well tonight,’ Logan gestured for everyone to turn into their blankets. ‘Set the watch in pairs, as usual.’
Drual and Forgrun took the first watch as everyone else fell asleep by the fire. The Rhungar swept his blankets around him and faced out into the night, and Drual did the same on the other side of the fire. The rogue shuffled a throwing knife through the fingers of his right hand, concealing it as if it were a playing card. He may as well have been on watch all night. He could never sleep when there was something on his mind. Drual just did not trust Balthus. The others might be taken in by the Lord of Dolam – even the Wizard and the Sodan Master were fooled – but Drual had played enough cards, and been around too many scoundrels, to know when someone was bluffing.
But as he was a roguish bluffer himself, was he seeing a bluff that was not there? He just was not sure anymore. Drual watched out into the dead of night, and the darkness enveloped his confused thoughts.
The company woke with the rising sun and seemed better rested. Forgrun was humming to himself as he packed his backpack. Baek’s eyes had regained their brightness, as they gazed back at the mountain peaks. Jvarna was honing her spear with a whetstone, Drual was asking Logan about the best techniques for his broadsword, and even Ragad was smiling for once, as he took in deep breaths of crisp mountain air.
The Hand of Fire were soon pushing hard down the mountainside. As they trekked, Taem took in the glorious landscape of the Lost Realms laid out for leagues before him, all the way until the green forests and grasslands met the blue of the cloudless sky, on the far-off horizon. Taem inhaled, and the smell of fresh wilderness and the flowery scents of summer filled his nose.
The company passed the skulls of outlandish creatures set on poles by the trailside. Taem saw piles of bones and sinister structures of wood and stone, topped with a skull and covered with evil tribal markings.
‘What are these evil things?’ Baek whispered.
‘I do not like the feel of them,’ Taem’s hand was on Estellarum’s hilt, as he eyed the ominous painted skulls.
‘Do not touch them,’ Hirandar said warily. ‘They are bound with curses of Dark magic. The magic is weak but, nonetheless, best not to go anywhere near those foul shrines. They are warnings from the Krun not to trespass on their territory.’
‘Much more effective than signs with “keep out” written on them,’ Drual murmured.
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These evil shrines were not the only signs that encouraged the warriors to be vigilant. Earlier in the morning, Logan had found clues of Isornel’s passing: a campfire that held the last remnants of warmth – which the Dark Servants had not bothered to conceal – plus numerous tracks and some discarded food.
At midday, the company halted to sit on a grassy bank and take some rest. They looked out over the Lost Realms and its uncharted wilderness, whilst snacking on some light provisions. Miles to the south-east, Taem saw a settlement of wooden shacks, from where smoke rose.
‘They are Krun villages,’ Hirandar said, when she saw the companions gazing down. ‘Deeper into the Lost Realms there are giant Krun cities, where Ugur warlords fight for ruler-ship of the tribes. The Kruns have built their dwellings amongst the old empires that once existed here in the Lost Realms, using the old ruins as a base. Their structures are always poorly built though. The Kruns have neither the temperament nor the ability to build anything that would last.’
‘The Kruns of the Lost Realms live in some semblance of a civilisation,’ Logan gazed out over the wild landscape. ‘But I find it a cruel parody of what the good peoples once made here. To me, it is a vengeful reminder of what the Kruns destroyed, six hundred years ago, when the Lost Realms became lost.’
‘What makes a Wizard of the Sceptre turn to the Dark,’ Jvarna said in disgust, ‘and become a servant of evil?’
Hirandar sighed, ‘I think Isornel was a Dark Servant long before he was a wizard. Balthus’s story confirms it. I had my reservations about his admittance to the Celestial Tower, but The Order vetoed in his favour.’ Hirandar shrugged. ‘You see, wizards are getting fewer all the time, and The Order would see that whatever magic could be preserved, would be. I would not follow this policy to the cost of all else.’
‘How could anyone swear themselves to Malveous?’ Baek shivered, as he shook his head. ‘Let alone a wizard.’
Forgrun shuddered at the Dark One’s name being spoken aloud, forming the Shielding Sign with his hands. The Rhungars always called Malveous the King of Malice, or the Bane King, or any other of a number of variants, because they could not bear to hear his real name said. Rhungars believed that to utter that evil name brought bad luck, and worse, down on the speaker. The Shielding Sign went some way to deflecting the Dark One’s attention – or so the Rhungars thought.