Chapter 30
The Dark Wizard
Four cloaked figures approached the swirling ball of blackness which was the Onock. The Onock had once again made its home in Calencia. It is hard to say what the surrounding area looked like before the Onock reappeared since no one had ventured into the lands west of the Arplasia Mountains in a very long time. Now, the entire land was dark and void of life. Thorn bushes and thickets had overtaken the landscape. The pungent smell of rotten flesh was strong in the air. There were no signs of life from the entrance at the narrow pass of the Arplasia Mountains all the way to the northern border where the Onock had staked claim to a vacant lot. It seemed that the sun did not even shine on this particular plot of land.
The four figures approached the Onock and fell to their knees, touched their heads to the ground, and waited. The Onock began to hum as the dust around the four men began to swirl. A narrow slit opened up in the middle of the Onock, and a black mist crept out surrounding them. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
The inside of the Onock was much different than the outside. The floor was soft and squishy, the walls and ceiling pulsed as if they were alive. All about the floor, fleshy remains were strewn here and there. The decaying body parts did not make an ideal walking surface, but it sufficed.
The four figures stumbled through the Onock following a winding corridor. The corridor led to the center of the black circular grave. The room opened up revealing a large chamber with a throne that sat at the center atop a set of stairs. This staircase was not made of stone or wood, but of intertwined bodies. The throne itself was rather large and constructed entirely of severed body parts. It sat upon the feet and ankles of what appeared to be four different men. The arms were long and slender with a road map of black veins crisscrossing throughout. Attached were clinched, wrinkled hands from which grew dark yellow nails so long that they curled under at the tips. Hasbarie sat upon the grotesque faces of half a dozen men, their horrified expressions forever preserved in a mismatch of organs and bones woven together to create a seat worthy of a maniacal necromancer.
The four figures approached the throne and fell to their knees once more. Hasbarie was slouching on his throne with his legs sprawled out and head hanging to his chest. The Dark Wizard did not look up but did speak to his guests.
“What has taken so long? I sent for the four of you over a day ago,” he said as he slowly looked up. “Do you take me as a man who likes to be kept waiting?”
One of the men spoke, “No my Lord, but the trip here was treacherous.”
Another man chimed in, “We almost came face to face with King Thaddeus and his two companions, but we were able to hide in the forest beside the road. As soon as it was safe we made our way to the portation stone.”
Hasbarie straightened himself up on his throne.
“So you hid?” Hasbarie said as he leaned forward looking down on the men. “You are cowards! If you had killed the King then and there, my reign would have already begun!”
The men cowered at the booming voice hovering above them.
“My . . . my. . .” the third man took a deep breath. “My Lord, we did not want to risk ourselves being captured, or even worse. We know the importance of our purpose. We did not want to chance the King taking our lives and the objects we possess. Our focus was set upon reaching the portation stone and arriving here to do your bidding. ”
Hasbarie shot up from his throne. He was tall and slender, with skin the color of lifeless flesh. Black veins pulsed over his entire body. The Dark Wizard was wearing only a pair of black britches and boots. His eyes were an empty abyss. In the center of his chest was a melon sized hole which once housed a swirling crystal orb.
He drew a staff, which resembled an arm, from beside his throne and pointed it at the third man. The man flew up into the air and screamed in pain. He was suspended high above the floor with a black mist encircling him.
“How did it come to pass that such cowards as yourselves became my Dark Priests?” He raised the screaming man even higher. “You fear laying your life down for me, even knowing that I have complete control over death. You sicken me!”
“My Lord!” said the last man. “We do not fear death. We do not hesitate to sacrifice ourselves for you, but we did not want to risk the King getting his hands on the parts of the crystal.”
Hasbarie considered this point of view. He cocked his bald, vein ridden head to the side, taking a good look at the man suspended in the air.
“Wise decision,” he said as he turned and went back to his throne.
The suspended man fell hard to the appendage covered floor. Hasbarie sat back down, resuming his poor sitting posture.
“With the help of the Wizard, the King has foiled my plans on two separate occasions,” he said as he repositioned himself once again. “It was wise that you decided not to face him just yet. The time will come when you will confront these overconfident would-be heroes, but that time is not now.”
“Lord Hasbarie,” said the first man. “What shall you have us do?”
“The time is not at hand for me to take the reins of Calencia. We must first deal with the Saviors. You must protect the four parts of the crystal at all costs. As you know, without the original parts of the crystal, they cannot reach me. No doubt they will soon be seeking the crystals. You must go into hiding until I summon you. You must protect the crystals.”
“Yes, our Lord,” said one of the men.
“My Lord?” asked another man. “Would it not be safer for the four of us to just stay here until the time is right?”
Rage grew on the Necromancers face.
“You fool!” he shouted as he once again rose from his throne. “While the four of you are in here with the crystals, anyone has free access to me. You must separate, and keep the crystals far apart.”
“Yes, our Lord,” said the belittled man.
“Leave from here now!” he exclaimed. “I will provide you with protection once you choose your destination.”
The men stood up and quickly began to leave.
“Do not fail me! If you do not keep the crystals from the Wizard and his miscreants, death will be the least of your worries!”
The four men quickly exited the Onock, making their way back to the pass leading away from the former home of the Gargantuans. The horrors they passed as they departed from the Onock made the Dark Priests a bit uneasy, and this was not facilely accomplished, considering the quantity of evil that filled their souls. There was just something about standing beside a creature and being eye level with its ankle that could make even the most hardened person uncomfortable.
When they had cleared the pass and were back onto the road connecting Morgorath and Fogarth, a black force field sprung up sealing the pass leading to the Onock. The men discussed their plans for a moment and then made their separate ways to go into hiding until Hasbarie required their services once more.
Locmire's Quest: Book One A Tales from Calencia Novel Page 49